Shipyard MOC Tutorial: Gantry Crane, Slipway and Water
The short version first: a brick shipyard MOC lives or dies on three things — the load-bearing structure of the gantry crane, the stepped levels of the slipway, and the light-to-dark transition in the water bricks. The whole build runs about 3,500 pieces and roughly 5 hours of work, which makes it one of the most photogenic subjects in the harbour genre. What follows walks through it from the ground up, following the step-by-step brickplan instructions.
Step 1: Build the slipway and dry dock. Lay the slipway base with dark gray 1×6 plates, leaving a 4-stud-wide channel down the middle for the keel. Build the dock floor as two steps, each one brick high, so the hull sits firmly into the dock — this step alone decides whether the proportions of the whole model hold together.
Step 2: Assemble the gantry crane. The crane uses four 1×2 columns as legs, with the top beam reinforced by 2×6 plates. The trolley is a 2×2 plate plus a pulley assembly, the span reaches 8 studs, and the overall height is about 12 cm. The hook is a 1×1 round brick with string, and it really does travel up and down, which adds a lot of play value.
Step 3: Handle the water and reflections. Mix 1×1 plates in a ratio of two-thirds dark blue to one-third light blue, scattered at random. Add a row of white wave bricks along the shore side, and use half-round bricks to transition between the sea surface and the slipway. If you are working within a ¥300 budget, you can add two sets of transparent supports to create the layered look of a pier boardwalk.
Finally, set the boom and the coloured containers (blocks built from 2×4 bricks) in place. The finished shipyard measures about 40×30 cm. With the step-by-step renders and parts list on brickplan.cn, the success rate of building it as shown is high.
FAQ
Q: How do I get real depth and layering into a shipyard MOC?
A: The key is at least two levels of height difference between the water and the slipway — raise the dock floor by 2 bricks, lay the sea surface at 1 brick, and use slope bricks for the transition between them. Then mix dark and light blue across the water surface and the layering appears immediately. The whole thing takes about 5 hours.
Q: Roughly how many pieces and how much money does a shipyard MOC need?
A: A standard-size version runs about 3,500 pieces including the gantry crane and containers, and the budget usually lands between ¥250 and ¥300. If you only want a small dock, you can cut it back to 2,000 pieces from about ¥150 — keep the gantry crane, since it is the single detail that makes the model.
Q: Can I replace the blue bricks in the water with transparent ones?
A: Yes. Stacking two layers of transparent 1×2 bricks gives a more realistic shallow-water zone, and mixing them with dark blue bricks simulates deep and shallow sea areas. Put a light-coloured baseplate underneath to boost the reflection and the light transmission gets better still. You need roughly 300 transparent bricks to cover the whole sea surface.
Q: Is the brickplan shipyard plan worth building from?
A: Yes. The brickplan.cn plan comes with step-by-step renders and a parts list, and the gear transmission on the gantry crane is clearly marked as well. It is designed on a 40×30 cm base, a beginner can finish it in about 5 hours following along, the missing-parts rate is low, and there is plenty of room to modify it.