possible 76440 LEGO set modification into Spanish treasure ship / story ideas
In August 1579, while on the way across the the Pacific Ocean enroute back to England after a round-the-world journey, Francis Drake came across a small longboat carrying a half-dead Spanish sailor with a tale to tell. Before expiring, he imparted his knowledge to Captain Drake. His story was secreted away in the British royal archives for many centuries, as it was so fantastic as to be nearly unbelievable. The following is what the sailor said:
Sailing to the West Indies in late 1566, the Spanish vessel Fortuna lost it's way and ended up in a heavy fog. It eventually came to rest in a bay of an island not shown on any maps. This island was populated by strange giant reptiles, an active volcano, and the ancient ruins of a lost civilization. When the sun broke through the clouds, it was revealed the ruins were practically built from gold! It was also noticed that time behaved strangely on the island - as it it was practically standing still compared to the world at large. This was discovered when a fishing expedition came back after only a few hours saying they had been lost in the fog for about two days!
The crew and officers were divided on what to do - some wanted to fill the hold with gold and make a beeline straight for home in Spain, but others wanted to start a kingdom of their own - pirating passing ships and creating a paradise. This culminated in a battle between the two factions, and the death of enough men to make a voyage anywhere impossible in the Fortuna. The surviving few men and officers decided to send out a small crew of the most able-bodied sailors out with a longboat to find help - no matter the nationality of the vessel.
Fate was not kind to these men, as they had no idea where they were in the pacific anyway: after getting lost in the fog again, most of them men died of lack of supplies and diseases. Drifting aimlessly, the last two men drew straws - the winner would survive with the remaining supplies, and the loser would get the pistol and a quick burial at sea. It wasn't long after the winner was drawn and the gun gone off that Drake sailed into the horizon. Finishing his tale, the Sailor asked what year it was: when it was said it was 1579, he replied it only seemed like 6 months on the island when in reality 13 years had gone by. The shock of this revelation proved to be too much for the sailor, and he died shortly thereafter, with his body given to the sea, but not before marking the spot on the map where the island most likely was. Drake and his officers agreed it was not a good idea to go to this island, as it just wasn't worth the risks.
Fast forward to 1923 when Johnny Thunder and his friends rediscover the long-forgotten island, and names it Dino Island, after it's ancient reptilian inhabitants. He doesn't explore it fully as he has his hands full dealing with Lord Sam Sinister and his cronies, so he missed the ancient ruins and the old shipwreck of the Fortuna, laden with gold. But, as Clutch Powers has recently gone missing on the island while making a film, it seems that a return to Dino Island in 1926 is imminent! Will the treasure ship be found and the gold recovered? Only time will tell!
(So I was thinking about taking the new Harry Potter ship (set 76440 minus stickers and banner flags) and changing some colors around and adding two deck cannons - if possible - for a Spanish treasure ship. I'm thinking about turning the dark red and medium blue to regular red, and the gold to black. (with some parts substitutions where needed) I may even add another small center section someday, if I can. A ton of gold 2x2 bricks will be going below decks in the hold as well. Thoughts on this color swap?)
possible 76440 LEGO set modification into Spanish treasure ship / story ideas
In August 1579, while on the way across the the Pacific Ocean enroute back to England after a round-the-world journey, Francis Drake came across a small longboat carrying a half-dead Spanish sailor with a tale to tell. Before expiring, he imparted his knowledge to Captain Drake. His story was secreted away in the British royal archives for many centuries, as it was so fantastic as to be nearly unbelievable. The following is what the sailor said:
Sailing to the West Indies in late 1566, the Spanish vessel Fortuna lost it's way and ended up in a heavy fog. It eventually came to rest in a bay of an island not shown on any maps. This island was populated by strange giant reptiles, an active volcano, and the ancient ruins of a lost civilization. When the sun broke through the clouds, it was revealed the ruins were practically built from gold! It was also noticed that time behaved strangely on the island - as it it was practically standing still compared to the world at large. This was discovered when a fishing expedition came back after only a few hours saying they had been lost in the fog for about two days!
The crew and officers were divided on what to do - some wanted to fill the hold with gold and make a beeline straight for home in Spain, but others wanted to start a kingdom of their own - pirating passing ships and creating a paradise. This culminated in a battle between the two factions, and the death of enough men to make a voyage anywhere impossible in the Fortuna. The surviving few men and officers decided to send out a small crew of the most able-bodied sailors out with a longboat to find help - no matter the nationality of the vessel.
Fate was not kind to these men, as they had no idea where they were in the pacific anyway: after getting lost in the fog again, most of them men died of lack of supplies and diseases. Drifting aimlessly, the last two men drew straws - the winner would survive with the remaining supplies, and the loser would get the pistol and a quick burial at sea. It wasn't long after the winner was drawn and the gun gone off that Drake sailed into the horizon. Finishing his tale, the Sailor asked what year it was: when it was said it was 1579, he replied it only seemed like 6 months on the island when in reality 13 years had gone by. The shock of this revelation proved to be too much for the sailor, and he died shortly thereafter, with his body given to the sea, but not before marking the spot on the map where the island most likely was. Drake and his officers agreed it was not a good idea to go to this island, as it just wasn't worth the risks.
Fast forward to 1923 when Johnny Thunder and his friends rediscover the long-forgotten island, and names it Dino Island, after it's ancient reptilian inhabitants. He doesn't explore it fully as he has his hands full dealing with Lord Sam Sinister and his cronies, so he missed the ancient ruins and the old shipwreck of the Fortuna, laden with gold. But, as Clutch Powers has recently gone missing on the island while making a film, it seems that a return to Dino Island in 1926 is imminent! Will the treasure ship be found and the gold recovered? Only time will tell!
(So I was thinking about taking the new Harry Potter ship (set 76440 minus stickers and banner flags) and changing some colors around and adding two deck cannons - if possible - for a Spanish treasure ship. I'm thinking about turning the dark red and medium blue to regular red, and the gold to black. (with some parts substitutions where needed) I may even add another small center section someday, if I can. A ton of gold 2x2 bricks will be going below decks in the hold as well. Thoughts on this color swap?)