Hi Guys,
Tom,
Sorry for not responding sooner....
Masking you say?
It's usually easier to mask a flat horizontal surface, but it will be tedious either way you go. Being good at masking is tougher than being good at painting...my opinion. You can NOT be in a hurry. Easier said than done!
I have spent as much time masking as any other major procedure on one of my more complicated ship projects....
I spent 3 hours masking on Sunday morning, just to paint half of the vertical surfaces on 1/700 BB62. Today, I airbrush almost everything. I did hand paint the raised deck details on my 1/700 BB62 with a small pointed brush, and I used the pre-mixed airbrush paint for this. I am talking about the haze grey vertical deck details here.
Order of painting you say?
I painted the oil based paints on first...deck tan and deck grey and allowed days..to dry. I would then be ready to apply the acryl colors. I have found this to be a good practice.
You can mask right on top of fully dried oil based paints and not have any paint lift away when you remove the tape...usually.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness to be sure.
Going backward a year or more to my 1/350th Missouri....
Here I am saying hello to Jacques from L'Arsenal, (staged picture), and I am doing quite a bit of masking on the stern of the main deck. Yep, I wrapped tape around all of the different deck details after painting them haze grey, and I always listen to music! Can't do without the opti-visor either!

After masking, I painted the deck tan color in this area...then unmasked...
Here is what I got after spending some"quality" time masking!

Results will vary! They do for me. Even after masking and painting, some touching up is usually needed. I would save the unused portion of pre-mixed paint for the airbrush just for doing touch-ups.
Tom,
The area you mentioned near the aft main battery director and Mk37 director tower, I have not spent much time on yet. I will remember what you said about the 40mm gun tubs in this area not being 360 around.
I keep finding 1/700 projects to intervene....
Back and forth, back and forth...that is soon to change...
faithfully submitted, Tony Bunch