The first time I really noticed the Stern thincoat dimpling was on a PotC that had been unboxed just a few day prior. I think it really showed up on that game as the colours are more on the lighter side. At the time i thought it a one off issue. Interestingly my Elvis has little dimpling.
As for recent reproduction playfields I can see a little on the CPR Firepower playfield, but very little on a first run mirco AFM - and you don't get much faster, plus its renowned for airballs. I think the ceramic clear coat goes some way to proving that a quality clear coat does add some protection although it may very well be the European ply as well.
