So many comments and likes! - I'm overcome!
Thanks to all for your encouragement - it is much appreciated.
I had serious doubts about my ability to paint the frieze, but thought I would give it a try, as I could always paint over it if it looked terrible.
I actually followed the directions given in David Anscherl's book on Swan class sloops, and started by taping a photocopy of the frieze shown in his book onto the hull just below the position of the actual frieze panel.
I then painted the panel with Admiralty Paints, Dark Blue. The basic shape of the frieze was then filled in with a mix of yellow and earth ochre following the pattern and my own imagination. Highlights were added using yellow ochre and a dash of white, and shadows were introduced using earth ochre with a dash of black. The overall idea is to give the frieze a sense of depth.
When painting the highlights and shadows, decide where the light is coming from and be consistent.
Tony; Sadly, Bob Hunt sold the rights to produce his kits to an outfit called Royal Shipyard of Plymouth some years ago. They were going to take over production of the kits, but it never happened, and they now seem to have disappeared off the web.
One thing to note - I have found that as the build nears it's end and I'm doing more of the fiddly bits, that the errors you have made earlier come back to haunt you. Consequently, you might find that the pieces in this or any other kit don't fit as well as you would like, and you have to start scratchbuilding in earnest.
This is not a reflection on the kit, which is brilliant, but all the headworks, most of the stern, and lots of other smaller parts have been scratchbuilt.

Thanks to all for your encouragement - it is much appreciated.
I had serious doubts about my ability to paint the frieze, but thought I would give it a try, as I could always paint over it if it looked terrible.
I actually followed the directions given in David Anscherl's book on Swan class sloops, and started by taping a photocopy of the frieze shown in his book onto the hull just below the position of the actual frieze panel.
I then painted the panel with Admiralty Paints, Dark Blue. The basic shape of the frieze was then filled in with a mix of yellow and earth ochre following the pattern and my own imagination. Highlights were added using yellow ochre and a dash of white, and shadows were introduced using earth ochre with a dash of black. The overall idea is to give the frieze a sense of depth.
When painting the highlights and shadows, decide where the light is coming from and be consistent.
Tony; Sadly, Bob Hunt sold the rights to produce his kits to an outfit called Royal Shipyard of Plymouth some years ago. They were going to take over production of the kits, but it never happened, and they now seem to have disappeared off the web.

One thing to note - I have found that as the build nears it's end and I'm doing more of the fiddly bits, that the errors you have made earlier come back to haunt you. Consequently, you might find that the pieces in this or any other kit don't fit as well as you would like, and you have to start scratchbuilding in earnest.
This is not a reflection on the kit, which is brilliant, but all the headworks, most of the stern, and lots of other smaller parts have been scratchbuilt.
