Good progress recently. This post brings me up to current.
I got smarter when I started building the main sections of the bulwarks. I made duplicates of the covering boards and punched the holes through the lower layer of the railings at the same time as I punched the holes through the covering boards for the bulwark posts. Much smarter than when I did the forward sections (and easier to keep the posts vertical).
After I get the bulwarks painted (I'll remove the railings for that) and determine where they need to be notched for the deckhouses, I'll trim the posts flush and install the upper layer.
Second photo shows the main bulwarks planked. The forward section has been spray painted. The planking detail did not disappear but I quickly realized that enough paint to cover the styrene is not enough to fully coat the wood. I'll go back and touch up the hawsepipe wood. I need a bit of filler to close up the gap between the wood and the styrene. I hand painted the wooden posts that will be exposed on the inside. I'll lightly spray the inside of the bulwarks this week.
Planking had a lot of the same problems as the earlier section except, too late, I realized that I needed to have faired the bulwark posts as if they were ribs. Also, I pulled the thin sheet styrene (my base layer) too tight and it didn't arc around the curves but ran point to point (post to post). The longer, thicker bottom plank wanted to bow out a bit more than I would have liked. Consequently, there was more art to fitting the normal thickness planks around the curved stern. The tension from the bends also pulled the styrene loose from the wooden posts. Bottom line -- the bulwark planking is a lot more wavy than I would have liked.
I also made the bulwark sections for the boarding gap. They are set back a bit. On the original, hand rails flip up and the bulwarks are three stacked boards. I opted not to get that cute and they'll be fixed in place.
Since I've caught up to today, update posts will be a bit more infrequent. After painting the bulwarks, I'll turn to planking the exterior deck areas and then start on deckhouse sides.
Landlocked/Ken