One bugbear of mine is the prevalence of dead matt finishes, especially on aircraft. I’ve read a large number of pilot memoirs over the years, and there are quite a few examples of people wanting high gloss on their aircraft, because it reduces drag and gives them a couple of mph more when flying. The opposite, wanting a matt finish, is relatively rare. I can only remember one example. The reason given be that it minimised the reflective “flash” that occurs when the aircraft turns across the sun...
There are very many pictures showing smoke staining, fading and chipping on aircraft though, far more than I have been able to find for armour. Some BoB era spits have almost no paint on the wing walks.....for example.