Goodday sirs. Well, looks like the question got a good answer and would expect nothing less. The black was probably closer to a very dark coffee color, but did appear "black" for the most part. And, of course the "running rigging" was not tarred. "A Modeller's Guide to Rigging" by A. Richard Mansir gives a very good over view on ship rigging and practices and some good history. Also, the internet has a wealth of info on the subject as well. A number of the ship model kits would lead the modeler to finish the model "natural", with no coloring. (note my model of the Rhoda Mary pictured above.. built virtually per the kit instructions with no modifications) As the modeler gains experience, and the research begins, a library is created and changes are made to better reflect accuracy in the model. Being far from perfect, I could give a long list of the errors I have made on my models. The 3ft rule truly does apply and certainly not to try to insult the general public, but the model is really a pile of "sticks and strings".. although beautifully and intriquitly rendered at best. I like to render my standing rigging black and my running rigging with a variety of colors from light tan to dark tan. I use linen line and acrylic paints and do a final wax. I built a model of MacKay's "Flying Cloud" a number of years ago. A 3 year project that was 90% scratch built along with a ton of research, the end result was a mass of rigging and chain that boggled my mind. You had to sit and stare at it to begin to see the detail. And... I did not rig her with sails, but did include a portion of the running rigging associated with sails. I will probably do something similar with this Frigate model. Hope you all are enjoying the build as much as I am. Bring on the questions.
Regards,
Dennis