Do they look like plastic?

Very interesting observation made by my 18 year old the other night. He just started his major in visual art after attending a high school for art for 4 years. He has genes I have no idea where they came from. Makes me look at the mailman sometimes a little funny. Just joking, he got them from my talented wife. Anyway, he visits from his dorm room periodically and comes directly to my model room in the basement. He says the other night, you know, these planes look like plastic. What are they supposed to be made of? I went through the long lecture about fabric or metal. He said, look at metal in the sun in the shade, it doesn't look like that. He gave me a long speech about shading and making it look more real. I have to agree, he had a point. I know it can be done becasue I have seen things in FSM that look real when phootographed outside. So, just when I thpought I was making headway after 22 1:48 scale done, it is back to the drawing board. I gotta learn to paint and shade with more careful attention to realism and not just getting an even coat of paint.