A couple of postings ago I wrote that I was working on constructing, painting and rigging a couple of fleets of ships for Warlord’s Black Seas game. Well, they’re finished!
In the picture above you can see a French third-rate ship taking on a similar British vessel, whilst in the background a small Spanish brig scurries away.
My fleets consist of the three sizes of ship shown here, from the large third-rate at the back, to the frigate, and finally the small brig in the front.
This photo gives a good view of the rigging. It was a bit fiddly to do, but worth it for the overall effect. Note how scrunching up the paper flags makes them look realistic.
The French and British third-rates get to grips, whilst two brigs hover in the background.
The shrouds and ratlines for climbing the masts are clear plastic. Most of the time this looks fine, but occasionally they shine when the light hits them. I did try painting some of them with matt varnish, but they ended up cloudy – not recommended!
The sterns of the third-rate and the frigate are very ornate, and come up really well with a combination of dry-brushing and washes. The brig’s stern is more simple (I’ve just noticed that the join line is visible, and needs sanding off!).
For those who are interested, the water effect in the above photos is from the sea mat supplied in the Black Seas starter box. I painted the sky myself.
DRESSING THE LINES 
Absolutely brilliant work – well done and thanks for showing it all
Chris
http://notjustoldschool.blogspot.com/
Doing the rigging on small ships like these can be very challenging. You handled this in outstanding fashion! Will you be adding more ships to your fleets?
Those models are amazing! Wow!
The Wargaming 3D site has a printable jig on it for making your own ratlines.