Hi Dominic, I'm getting near the planking stage of the Victory which I must admit looks to be a daunting task. In a nutshell is it best to first soak the ends of the plank, then bend, ( I have the pliers type plank bending tool ), and then pin it to the frame and allow to dry. When dry remove plank, glue and repin back in place, is this the best way of doing it ?. Like yourself I intend to paint the ship, would it be useful as each plank is glued to the hull to mark with a pencil where the frame's are, would this help me later when cutting out the gun turrets to miss them. With regards to the painting, I have purchased the Admiralty paint kit but have no idea when, with what colour and what parts to paint. Perhaps I can bug you a bit later with regards to this when I have completed the planking, which will be a long way off yet. One last thing, I have glued the rear upper deck in place and when the mast is pushed through the two holes it's at a slight angle. Looking at the plans this seems to be how it looks, leaning slightly rearwards, is this ok or should they be upright. I knew I should have started with a canoe but so far so good, a few mistakes but it's coming along ok. I know your build is on hold at the moment but thanks for your time and pictures posted so far, they really help people new to the game like me, regards Dolly.