Okay, this picture isn't very good, but there's something I want to talk to you about, buddy to buddy.  Have you ever found something fully stellar but it's made of plastic and it looks like it's made of plastic?

Have I got news for you!  I found silver nailpolish  at the dollar store, and it works like a dream to make plastic look more metallic.  Now, this picture is definitely twenty-two shades of awful, but I haven't painted the knives yet, and you can sort of tell the difference.  The light reflects differently.  Better.  The knives look flat, and the other stuff has dimension.