Sparrow,
Your observation about the tracks being brand new was exactly the sort of thing going through my mind as I wrote the OP, but my reference photo was a nice big clear pic of replicas on the assembly line. I ultimately don't care that much about precise replication of anything when it comes to the tracks, I just thought the so-called semi-gloss paint was obnoxiously glossy and wanted to flatten them out a bit.
I carefully sanded the tracks back a bit and re-painted them with the same paint mixed with Tamiya flat. It's not as bad as before but not awesome (it was a quick re-paint, after all), so I'll get back to it near the end of the project if I really feel like it.
Thanks very much for the feedback and advice, guys!