The deck plate seems to have limiting nubs cast into the hinge loops that rest against the cab. I wouldn't recommend bending a casting but a small amount of pressure in the case of mine was enough to get it to sit on the tender deck on level track. Obviously it still rises up a bit when under way on uneven track, but as close as the cab is to the tender on this one with the kinematic drawbar, I can't say I've noticed it when on the track running.
I like the gloss paint on mine. It definitely shows fingerprints as one would expect but they wipe off easily with a microfiber cloth. I'll probably consider putting a pair of nitrile gloves or something along the lines of that into the box for handling it in the future. My photos seem to exaggerate the texture of the paint with sort of an "orange peel" appearance, however in person I feel like it doesn't look quite so textured. I took it to the train club this evening and most people seemed to like it for being something different than we're used to. They weren't painted flat black in real life after all so they were shiny at least once before they got covered in soot and road grime. Obviously the excursion look of 1218 that Lionel wanted to portray would have generally been clean and shiny as well.
