Napoleonic

[hammurabi70]

I have obtained some 1/4800 Napoleonic naval vessels.
http://www.tumblingdiceuk.com/product-category/12400-naval/14800-naval

Any suggestions on how to approach painting them?

[Landlubber]

For some reason I can't see the pics at that link, but my guess is that those are some pretty small ships.

So, my advice is...very carefully! 

Not sure what your painting experience is, but I would recommend a thinned down acrylic paint for the base coat (pick whatever color you think works best)...then drybrushed colors (again with the acrylics) and some washes. If they are metal models you'll probably want to prime them first so the paint will stick.

GW acrylics are good, as are Vallejo and MSP.

Post some pictures when you're done! Or even some works-in-progress here in this thread. Napoleonic ships are so cool looking.

[hammurabi70]

I don't think the website shows any.  They are one piece casts, which is the idea of making them small, and about 1" long.  My thinking is that they are improved-counters! Originally I was thinking of using GMT's game SAILS OF GLORY for rules but use the 3-D models for gaming.  Dave Manley is updating his rules, which might prove the right solution:
https://www.thewargameswebsite.com/forums/topic/napoleonic-naval-ruleset-recommendation/

Meantime I have to worry about painting them, which I surmise is rather more demanding than doing WWII tanks!  I have not done ships before.  Paint the hull first or sails?  Are sails best-done cream rather than white, not to mention trying to get them 'dirty' after having been aloft for long periods.  I need to find some general guides on hull colours too!

[Landlubber]

I found some pics online. Man, those are some tiny ships!

If it was me, I'd paint the hulls before the sails. For the sails, maybe paint them in white or very light gray, then hit them with a brown wash (maybe GW's Agrax Earthshade or Seraphim Sepia). That would bring out the details and make them "dirty" as you were describing.

But yeah, at that scale, I'd highly recommend thinning down your paints. Will be very easy even with acrylics to cover up details with the paint.