Once again, thanks for the compliments. I think she was my third or fourth build of any consequence. The original, which resides in the USNA collection is much darker, with a full compliment of sails, including stuns'ls on the starboard side. The original's transom is black with the painted drapery. I used Tanganika veneer strip wood from Model shipways for the deck and hull, walnut for the wales, and mahogany for the rails and other details. I am not faithful to documentarily historic representation. I like the blending and contrasting the mellow shades of natural wood with a thin coat of amber shellac polished on, like much of the antique furniture of this period I worked on. I have a more romantic notion of what I'm trying to achieve, More like a 3dimentional painting. If my models work more as works of art, I'm happy. I'm not gifted or fastidious enough to produce the kind of highly detailed and historically accurate masterpieces I've seen on this forum.
Pete