Black Seas USS Essex | Hobby & Season of Scenery

The USS Essex has been languishing half finished for a few months now, so I decided to finally buckle down and just get her done. She's an American frigate who gained some notoriety for her daring raids in the Pacific during the War of 1812. Her career came to an end at the hands of the Royal Navy in Valparaiso, Chile.

Warlord Games has delivered her in 1/700 scale as a resin model, the same size as the generic 6th rates but with a bespoke design. The kit comes provided with metal masts, which are on the thinner size and are an incredible pain to work with. Not only because they bend with the slightest touch, but they make the whole model top heavy, which combined with the thinness of the model means she tips over constantly. I've been wanting to avoid bases on any ships larger than a schooner, but this one tempts me. 

I used the same American Navy scheme I've used throughout my US fleet, although the port lids I kept all black instead of my usual red. I wanted to try out what this subtler look would do, and there's pros and cons. On one hand I think it looks more realistic and muted, but on the other it can look unfinished when compared to other ships. Maybe that'll change if I paint more American ships to match. 

The model included a metal spar deck with molded in boats as well as a boat on stern davits. I decided to include neither, as I thought it obscured the beautiful details of the sculpt. That middle section with the hatches, hoist, and cannons would be completely covered if I used it. 

Same for this lovely stern. I used a touch of gold to give a slight pop of color and have something to draw the eye. The detail on this resin is very crisp, I didn't have to do any touchups after painting the name, just a few brushstrokes in a drybrush style to leave some paint behind. 

From my research the figurehead is supposed to be a Native American war chief. My photography doesn't quite capture it, but there are some neat little details on it that I'm amazed they can render at this scale. 

And I'm sure you've all noticed as well but I've attempted upping my game when it comes to the photography of these little ships, hope you all like it! This also counts as my first entry into the Season of Scenery. I also have some small scale 15 mm North American terrain in the works that I hope to have posted relatively soon. 

-The Space Dinosaur