Last week I started doing a little ship ..

 ..and being very, very careful with my typing as well.

Yes, the Black Seas starter set that arrived the Christmas before last (I hope it wasn't before that!) has finally started, with a test build and paint of a Brig.

First impressions are that it's very easy to make (so far..), very light, and is actually TINY! 

I'd been toying with various ideas involving buying foam storage and 9L RUB boxes, but honestly I'm not sure this will merit such investment and space as I can't see even a box full of a few of them justifying the excess foam. Instead I've put a layer of Magnabase on the bottom of the hull so they can be kept on a ferrous surface, as I can't see them shaking off anytime soon.

This model was sprayed white as part of a mass-undercoat session last week, and then done in Contrast Paints, which I thought might do a good job of picking out the woodwork details. 

The paints used were Nazdreg Yellow on the deck, Skeleton Horde on the hull and (I think) Gore-Grunta Fur on the mast. 

With the benefit of hindsight I'll probably swap the Skeleton Horde and Nazdreg Yellow over and do the ships sidewalls with the yellow colour. 

There is no "right" way to do these, but a few skulks around the internet seemed to suggest painting some of the spars black - and it does make the model pop a little more than leaving them natural (or unnatrural given the paint used) wood.

This is where it's ended up - very quick and easy. 

Next up, making more of them... and then ... Rigging! 

Here's all my Black Seas content:

• First Steps
• The full how-to guide with tips and tricks
• Third Raters
• Adding a resin-hulled First Rate, and some extra rigging ideas