To Wash, Or Not To Wash...

Good question, probably one of the top 100 in plastic ship modeling IMO.

Problem number 1 is the seams. They really are hard to deal with.

Over the years there's been a lot of efforts by modelers to putty and rescribe them.

There's a wood replacement.

Modelers have hid them with bundled sails etc.

If you can live with the seams or putty and rescribe, USN Light Gull Gray looks good for weathered wood.

Testors Radome Tan looks good for new wood.

But a good try, and I'm doing this with my Heller Victory, would be to lay down basswood 1/16" strips side by side, stuck down with superglue.

I did that on my America.

Wooden decks on a warship were kept in pretty good shape.  Warships had very large crews, and swabbing and stoning decks kept crew busy as well as improved look of ship.  Merchant ships, however, sailed with as sparse a crew as they could get away with, so the decks would look much more weathered.

Applying a wash to bare plastic can be problematic- it may not come out as you intend.  Better to put down some color near what you want to end up with, and then apply a wash on top of that to heighten relief of detail. I often paint with the colors Greg suggested.

That is some SERIOUSLY good looking decking!

Steve

Temujin

Just to put a completely different idea in your head how about decals!

http://www.uschivdr.com/products-in-detail/wood-planking-decal-series/

Lots less work and could look great, if they dont work you can strip them a lot easier than a failed painting attempt.

Phil