Fischertechnik Mayflower

How to create a model of the Mayflower using fischertechnik elements! What better way to honor the people who celebrated the first Thanksgiving?

My vision was to create a simple model of the ship Mayflower using fischertechnik. I play with different educational manipulatives for a living. (Visit www.weirdrichard.com). Over the years I have built different holiday themed models using all sorts of toys. It is very easy to create Thanksgiving-themed models with fischertechnik elements. This instructable will describe how to create a model of the ship that carried the pilgrims to the New World.

General information: The Mayflower is thought to have been used primarily as a cargo ship in the early 1600s. It is famous for carrying 102 passengers to New England in 1620. Historians think that the ship had a length of 27.4 - 33.5 m, a width of about 7.6 m, and was manned by a crew of 25-30.

Note: The CAD looking images were generated by LDraw/MLCAD and a fischertechnik elements library.

You will need to gather your elements. The fischertechnik elements are available from a range of kits available from ebay, Craig's List, or fischertechnik retailers. Elements can be purchased individually from www.fischertechnik.com.

The List:
8 Angular Block 60 Degrees
2 Link 15
1 Link 30
4 Spring Cam
7 Building Block 30
4 Building Block 15
3 Building Block 15x30x5 with Groove and Pin
1 Clip Axle 45
1 Clip Axle 60
1 Clip Axle 75
3 Clip Adapter
1 Building Block 7.5
8 Clip 5
2 I-Strut with Bore 30
2 I-Strut with Bore 60

Connect two Building Block 30s end-to-end. Center a Link 30 on the side slot.

Connect two Building Block 30s end-to-end, and attach them to the first pair by sliding them onto the Link 30.

Add a fifth Building Block 30 onto then end pins of the assembly.

Slide two Building Block 15s onto the top of the end Building Block 30. Slide two addition Building Block 15s down the slots of the Building Block 30s so that they are to the first set of Building Block 15s.

Add Clip Adapter to a Spring Cam. Center the Adapter/Spring Cam combination on a Building Block 15x30x5 with Groove and Pin. Slide the assembly onto the Building Block 30s, until they are about 1 cm from the Building Block 15s. Center two Link 15s onto the first Building Block 15 pair.

Connect four Angular Block 60 degrees and add them to the model to create the bottom section of the prow of the ship.

Slide to Building Block 30s to the Link 15s. They should overlap the Angular Blocks by about 1 cm.

Connect four Angular Block 60 degrees, and add them to the second level of Building Block 30s to create the upper section of the prow of the ship.

Add Clip Adapter to two Spring Cams. Center each Adapter/Spring Cam combination on a Building Block 15x30x5 with Groove and Pin. Center one assembly to the upper pair of Building Block 30s. Slide the other assembly onto the rear Building Block 15s.

Add a Clip Axle 60 Clip Axle 75 and Clip Axle 45 to each of the Clip Adapters to act as masts.

Use eight Clip 5s, two I-Strut with Bore 30s, and two I-Strut with Bore 60s to finish yardarms.

Center a Spring Cam on the rear Building Block 30, and add a Building Block 7.5 to represent a rudder.

Your model should look look like this: