FSM used th have an article in their freebie article section by Phil Kirchmeier on building an ISW resin subchaser. The article appears to be gone, its from April 2004 is you happen to have back issues handy. If you can't find it I have a copy on PDF I can mail you.
Kirchmeier goes over what is to be expected from a resin & brass ship kit. How to work with it and the like. Resin is fairly forgiving material. It cuts & sands with your regular modeling tools. It is painted with your favorite types of paint, enamel or acrylic. However it must be glued using CA or epoxy.
Photoetch railings are not too complicated on the Maine. Measure your run length between logical endpoints; prior run, bulkheads, gun tubs, etc. Resist the urge to do an entire side at once just because you have a piece of railing that long. Work inside to out - top to bottom. Tack the railings in place using white craft glue (Aleenes Tacky Glue) which grabs quickly, allows repositioning, and cleans up with water. When that is dry go back with some liquid CA to firmly cement in place.
A rap about resin is the bubbles. They can be filled with your favorite putty, CA, Bondo, etc. Surface bubbles can be filled with a piece of sprue & CA then sanded to shape. Its all very forgiving. Another rap against ISW kits is their instructions. The older kits are just exploded drawings. You may need secondary references, photos and the like.
Now that you've bought the ISW kit, they have a simple customer satisfaction policy. They want you to be satisfied. Inventory the kit when you receive it, Is there anything missing or broken -- contact ISW and they'll replace the part. You're working on the kit, something isn't right, you break it or mess up and sand it too small -- contact ISW and they'll get you replacements. Got problems with the instructions? Post back here or to ISW and ask for help. I've even heard that ISW replaced broken parts on a ship which was knocked off the shelf by a cat 2 years after the kit was purchased. Jon & Ted want you to be satisfied.
Full disclosure -- I have worked at the ISW stand at the past several IPMS National conventions and am a good friend with both Jon & Ted. I've built masters for some of the ISW products