As to the OP, generally no. Just dang hard to make plastic look as good as finely finished steel but that doesn't make all plastic guns butt ugly. There are some that there is obviously no hope for (even some of the ones pictures in this thread) but some can look OK to good. Case in point, these are pretty nice even when compared to standard Ruger MKIII's:
Not much plastic visible. IMO the factory photo doesn't do it any favors. The front and rear of the frame are checkered, grips are very nice and the bluing is pretty good for a $300 gun. Far more oh's and ah's than any Glock.