....Fans of a certain Sci-Fi series should get the name reference.

In the grim post-apocalyptic future of 2111, one of the most steadfast forces for good is the Federal Republic of America; remnant of and heir to the traditions of the United States, they continue to battle the forces of evil that had been unleashed by the Final War twenty years prior.

Part of their strength is their powerful navy, consisting of a variety of ships crewed by brave men and women and led by stalwart captains. One such ship is the Kestrel-class frigate, FNS Hawkwing, skippered by Commander Honor S. Harrington and loaded out with two 3" guns, numerous machineguns and a salty crew, they are ready to take on any pirates or Chaos raiders that might cross their path:


click for larger image

Vital statistics (data from the 2110 edition of Jaynes Fighting Ships):
Data: Kestrel Class Frigate, Manufactured by BFG Industries in Philadelphia, PA under license from the Republic of New Jersey, Corleone Shipyards, LTD.
Launch Date: 2089
Current CO: Commander Honor S. Harrington, Federal Republic of America Navy
Armament: Two 76mm cannons, two aft-mounted BA-Industries MG-3/42 machineguns (7.62 NATO) and three bridge-wing mounted BA Industries Lewis-Lexington Heavy machineguns (.50 BMG). In addition, small arms lockers located about the ship contain various combinations of C96A semiautomatic pistols (.45 ACP), BAR Mod-2 light machineguns (7.62 NATO), M1-A rifles (7.62 NATO), M-21 Sniper Rifles (7.62 NATO), Colt-Thomson M1A1 submachineguns (.45 ACP) and TLG industries vibro-sabers.
Propulsion: Twin John Reed 12-cylinder 1500 HP bio-diesel engines with a cruising speed of about 40 Knots.

Notes: The Federal Republic of America version of this ship differs from the original Republic of New Jersey Kestrel class frigates in that it has the BFG Industries MK-98 Search/Track radar as opposed to the Corleone Shipyards Target Acquisition System (TAS) Mark-7, along with an added Furuno Commercial Navigation radar (for both standard navigation and deceptive tactics to fool enemy ships into thinking the frigate is a mere fishing vessel) and the PRC-99 directional HF communications array. Furthermore, the RNJ Navy's "Nebelwerfer" style aft-mounted multiple rocket launcher system is replaced by a second 3-inch/76mm cannon.


Close-up of the Radar/communications array


Detail of the aft armament


Detail of fwd armament (click for larger image)


Forecastle view


Fantail view


Bridge interior view, showing Cmdr Harrington and the Quartermaster of the Watch (I've added an additional radar console to the QMOW's watch station... how's she supposed to drive the ship in bad weather otherwise?)


Main Deck interior view showing berthing compartment and Combat Information Center....

So, what do you guys think? This MOC started life as the new Police Cruiser set (7287 Police Boat), and worked my way from there.... I'm thinking about doing a standard Republic of New Jersey Kestrel Class Frigate (using the same hull, but with slightly altered superstructure, and of course, different naval uniforms)....

Yeah! Navys still around in the future! Great ship! love all the details!

Very detailed and BIG!

That's a cool gunboat you have there!

Well, of course, as long as there are oceans to cross, there will be some kind of use for naval vessels (even if they are space ships)...

Thank you all for your kind words.... If you couldn't already tell, I did a 6-year hitch in the US Navy (which largely accounted for my second LEGO dark age... Not much space to store LEGO bricks on board a ship), which, coupled with my interest in LEGO Pirates, made this subject a natural choice. The problem was finding a suitable-sized hull for making a medium-sized modernish ship, and I was delighted when LEGO came out with this year's Police Boat (at $40, its also one of the cheapest floating boats produced, AFAIK)...

I'm going to see about possibly posting a pic with a Federal Navy Lightning-class Patrol Craft I made from the old 1991-released 4011 Cabin Cruiser for size comparison... In addition, I'm also thinking about buying the 7207 Fire Boat, converting it into a container/cargo ship (with its holds and containers full of weapons and armor manufactured by BA Industries and Brickforge Armaments, LTD ), and setting up a nice little "Convoy Escort" Vignette, which I'll, of course, post in the "Center Stage" section of these forums.

Once again, thanks for the kind words!

Fantastic stuff. Love any creation with a story!

nice ship but seems a bit top heavy for its beam length.

What was your rate? I'm currently still in with the Navy

True, but FWIW, real-life Navy ships tend to be built along those lines (the ballast tanks, fuel storage and ammunition storage belowdecks easily offsets the weight of the superstructure, though)... BTW, nice avatar (What is the air speed of a fully laden swallow? )

Dirk: I was a Fire Controlman (FC) and I worked on the Mark-23 Target Acquisition System (TAS), and also helped out with the NATO Seasparrow (RIM-7), Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) and RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) as well... I was a Second-Class Petty Officer when I got out (E-5, the same as a Sergent in the Army or Marine Corps for all you landlubbers :p), and I'm now working as a civilian for the Army doing the same basic kind of work I did in the Navy....

But, to return to the topic at hand, here's the promised pic showing the size comparison between the FNS Hawkwing (Frigate) and the FNS Inferno (Patrol Craft):


(Click for larger image)

....The Inferno was made by modifying the 4011 Cabin Cruiser.... Considering how widely available those hulls are on BrickLink, and how low of a price most sellers are asking for them, I may just have to make a couple more patrol boats, but then again, maybe not....

Anyways, once again, thanks for the kind words and compliments. BTW, you might notice a few differences in this most recent pic, namely that I added an aircraft warning light to the Hawkwing's radar mast (can't have bungling post-apocalyptic pilots flying into your ships, now can you?), and I didn't like the way those BA brodie helmets looked on my sailors, so I replaced them with the standard LEGO combination covers (police hats)....

Nice build!!
You have a lot of great detail and careful planning ... it looks excellent!
this last pic is great in helping show size too!