Should I varnish it?

[Steviedean]

That is about as nice as you can squeeze out of a $15.00 kit! Bravo!!

 

[bill36]

No varnish it is then. The deck is done with wood stain. Hull and deck fittings in semi matt Tamiya paint.
I get the thing about scale here, Bob. On this small model, so much is way out of scale anyway.
This one is a learning curve for me, so loads of research into how things were done in that era.
I may be going over the top with everything that I'm putting into this to get it as close to real as possible, but it's all about learning before I start on my 1/98 scale HMS Victory.
This is where I am at, at the moment. Just finished bowsprit rigging and about to mount the spars on the foremast.View attachment 370744

1. Good job on this model.
2. I would seriously think about building 2 or 3 more models which are single deck with about 16 to 30 guns before I started a Victory.
3. Victory is a daunting monumental project that is far more complicated and difficult than a beginner can possibly visualize.
A detailed model at any scale could take a decade. Very few builders ever finish a Victory. Buy a few (as many as you can get your hands on) books on Victory before you ever start at the very least. A Victory has about 35,000 separate parts (also another 75,000 trunnels - or thereabouts). You should have a very good idea about how they are all made before you ever start.
4. Good luck in any case!