Simulating the wood on a deck question

Do the decks and hull have a wood grain pattern and butt joints already cast into the plastic? If so you can just use a paint to simulatye the color of the wood. Testor's Model Master acrylic deck tan is very good, as is black for the hull.
If all of the plastic is smooth, you could use an engraving tool or knife to give the planks some character, but this is a huge job.
You could also replace the plastic deck with wood. Use a thin, 1/32", model aircraft plywood for a sub-deck. Cut out any openings for hatches. Then cut up strips of basswood into planks, glue them to the plywood and apply a stain.
Of course, if you want to replicate the entire ship, why not just build a wooden model to begin with?

Long Island Ed.

If the deck has a wood grain pattern already; paint the deck with two coats of gloss black. After that dries paint the deck with wood color. Lightly sand the deck with about 400 grit paper (or finer) and the wood grain molded in the deck will just leap out at you. I do it on every ship I build and it looks great...email me and I will send you a picture of the deck on the ship I am now building.