Yeah Paul...the artist's oil paint makes a sweet wash...I'm glad I tried it! And it's no worries about the hull, I got it re-painted pretty easily, so no real harm cam from it...I just hope other people realize those Testors thinners are made from chemicals that soften both enamel AND acrylic...gotta be careful!
Your deck/hull is looking good, coming together well! And I dig your color scheme! Similar to mine, but with a few differences....most notably, my deck and bulkheads are a lighter wood color....
For the stern gold detail, I just used a #1 pointed brush, and some Testors Model Master (enamel) Gold...I just hold the brush at a really steep angle when I do surface decoration, and let the tension of the paint do most of the work. I like to do as much detail painting as I can before assembling parts (even washes, in many cases), that way I can keep the piece I'm working on FLAT on the table, and I can be sure to use the brush at my preferred angle for the surface....I also brace my wrist on the edge of the table (or against my other hand) to help keep it stable while I'm painting tiny or difficult areas, when I really need to keep still and smooth. It can be tough later, when the deck furniture (and the cannons are sticking out of the hull!) is on, trying to reach some awkward area....
one thing to remember: When placing the gun port covers, it might be hard to get them into the correct position and glue them on....for the Wasa, I had to fashion a jig to hold the ship on it's side so I could put the covers on so they would stay in place while the cement dried...it's tough to do things like that when you have cannon barrels sticking out! Speaking of cannons...sheesh! The barrel tips are a PAIN! Got them all trimmed up today, and glued on to the barrels, touched-up and ready to assemble. Next, I'm going to paint the wheels flat black, and then I'll put the carriages together, and then touch them up. Then, they get a nice wash for that sweet grain detail!
I guess I know what you mean about it being easy AND complicated, but I've done a couple of ships now, and this is no easy build! It's got as much detail and almost as many parts as some of the *major* ship kits I've researched....I think more and more people will build this kit, and it will be recognized as something special...it may not be a *real* ship, and that may turn off some of the purists, but that doesn't make a bit of difference to me...I think it's great! I expect it to be my masterpiece....I'll likely move on to another "type" of hobby after this...at least for awhile!
I guess what I was getting at is this: Yes, slow down and take your time...nothing's worse than rushing to finish some section or detail, and then regretting it later, when there's a flaw you know you could have prevented....and also, this being your first sail ship...when the time comes for rigging, it can get confusing, and you may have to re-tie some lines when you start to get into it...don't get discouraged...after a few major learning curves, you WILL TOTALLY IMPRESS YOURSELF with what you can do, after you learn a few ways to craft complicated rigs....
Anyway, I expect to get the guns done within a day or two (the weekend's over?!?), and then I can commence with some deck assembly (finally!)....I'll have to install my LEDs when I get to the stage you're at, so we'll see how that goes!
BTW, I'm super glad to have someone doing this build at the same time as me! Can't wait to get some stuff *together*, so I can start catching up to you!!
There I go, rambling again!