French fleet-ships get longer masts & forwards-firing deckguns

[Hadoque]

Hello

Wanted to show an example of one of my French Navy "corvettes" (basic 3940/3286 ships), which are being equipped with longer fore-masts.

I'm doing it exactly like with the "Unicorn/Licorne" (such a trimaster I consider appropriate as a "frigate"); on which Macgayver enlarged the middle mast (also like shown in the pics) and I the fore-mast as well after I purchased it.

I've seen other ways to enlarge masts, but I still consider the use of this 80's circus act-disc the best. It's historical accurate, gives good distance between the riggings left & right on the upper part of the mast, and the disc is usefull as a platform to put sailors on.


Btw, I find the lanterns from the 4290-ship awesome for use on the heck of the 3940/3286! 

[Wolf Knight]

A very clever idea!!! 

[Hadoque]

Another perhaps small but usefull thing is the wheelless gun that comes in the US-exclusive set 5865; the colour of this gun matches exactly the colour of the standard 3940/3286's deck.
So I thought I could use it as a forwards-firing deckgun, but appropriate space is limited, except on the bridge.
Attaching sails on masts and bowsprite is no problem; the gun on that position is able to just shoot between the deck and the sails without hitting any parts (sailors on deck of course have to seek cover  )...
Two such deckguns can be installed on the bridge; one left and one right of the aft-mast.
Since the guns have no wheels, when firing they can also act as brakes for the ship  

[Giorginetto]

Since the guns have no wheels, when firing they can also act as brakes for the ship  

 

[playmofire]

No room for deviation in aim there!  Maybe they are most useful for quelling mutinies! 

I thought at first that you'd fitted a pair of bow chasers.

[Hadoque]

No room for deviation in aim there!  Maybe they are most useful for quelling mutinies! 

And yes, room for aiming-deviation is very limited, but  , the common sailor on deck shouldn't know

I thought at first that you'd fitted a pair of bow chasers.

Thread-title perhaps a bit misleading 
Bowchasers would be nice!
But this gun doesn't fit on the bow; the ship's railing is too high and I don't want to cut in it. Putting something beneath the gun-carriage to elevate it doesn't look good. And putting a lid over the gap in front of the main mast and installing the gun there doesn't work eather; the gunbarrel-elevation is way too high then.

This specific gun comes only in 2 sets: the take-along-green knights-tower 4775 (black gun-carriage) and the small US-exclusive 5865 (the colour as in the pics)...
So I wonder if it was designed for use in other sets that never got realised... Maybe for the new 5135 ship (3940/3286 variant) but they didn't use it in the end? 

[Bill Blackhurst]

Excellent ideas Hadoque! Well thought out, & implemented!

[WarriorOfToys]

Very good looking ship!
I hope I can get to work upgrading my ship soon...

[BlackPearl2006]

 i want to see more of this ship, especially with full sail and full rigging!

It'd be funny though if the cannoneer ended up hitting their own ship's mast, then he's whistling like it wasn't him, lol.  OOOPS! lol 

[Wesley Myers]

Those masts look really good!