Brian, is spot on here. There is a high shine finish and more matte finish which is painted rather than plated. If we can get some sun here tomorrow I will update this post with photos.
I personally like having the matte finish cars, am fortunate enough to own both, the matte finish is that not new from factory look, as if they have been in service a couple years. Either way these cars are lovely and either finish is much better in my view than most of most of what else is available, even the "matte" finish has a shine to it.
I believe the matte finish came first in terms of production, and it appears to be slightly more common than the plated high shine finish, although more common is relative as either can be difficult to track down.
Best,
Jason
