The Franz Josef Tech Manual drawings were line drawings, right? I think you should go for a very small plating pattern, to give texture to the base, but then add some "Broad strokes" hull markings. Very feint hull markings, so they are only barely noticeable. An example of the type of hull markings I mean would be the Defiant, but obviously, much more feint. Take a look at TOS-HD for a better idea of what I mean. Their Enterprise has some incredibly subtle hull texturing, to break up the solid wash of colour on the hull and give a sense of scale.