Painting drones?

[Abitasteve]

Does anyone paint drones? I have Mini 2 and would love to have it painted rather than a decal. It would seem to look better and be lighter. Thanks

 

[Tony McDrone]

I have painted a phantom 2 vision+ that I still own. DJI eventually released the Phantom 4 Obsidian that looks very similar to mine(black) in color.

Maybe check a local hobby shop. You may find a painter there.

 

[old man mavic]

@Abitasteve there is nothing to stop you from painting your drone any colour you like
just a couple of points to be aware of if you do
do not use a paint with a metallic finish as it could interfere with the GPS reception
make sure that it will not damage the plastic used to make the body of the drone
and finally if you have the refresh package make sure it does not invalidate the drone from being replaced under the scheme

 

[CactusJackSlade]

@Abitasteve there is nothing to stop you from painting your drone any colour you like
just a couple of points to be aware of if you do
do not use a paint with a metallic finish as it could interfere with the GPS reception
make sure that it will not damage the plastic used to make the body of the drone
and finally if you have the refresh package make sure it does not invalidate the drone from being replaced under the scheme

What the old man said, and also Tony Mc Drone. I painted a Phantom black and no issues, but BE CAREFUL of what paint you use. I have painted plastic before with the wrong paint and it stayed tacky for weeks! I ended up having to strip it down and re-paint it. Krylon makes a plastic spray paint, but always do a "test" before painting the whole thing

 

[boblui]

Some paints attack the plastic and make it crack so be careful.

 

[icecoldgin]

@Abitasteve there is nothing to stop you from painting your drone any colour you like
just a couple of points to be aware of if you do
do not use a paint with a metallic finish as it could interfere with the GPS reception
make sure that it will not damage the plastic used to make the body of the drone
and finally if you have the refresh package make sure it does not invalidate the drone from being replaced under the scheme

Correct. Paints with metallic ingredients will degrade your RF signals.

This is so common with metallic car tints and the RFID systems installed on the car windshields

 

[Starz]

Hydrodip is another option.

 

[Capt KO]

Decals are inexpensive and look awesome. Does not void warranty and are removable. Took 1/2 hr to install and No mess.
Good luck

 

[G Saunders]

IMHO, FWIW, you'd need to pull the drone apart, upper and lower shell, unsolder the motors from the flight controller, take off the arms, and remove the gimbal and boards to get a good job. If you're good at using a spudger to pop open the case and can keep track of all the little screws and figure out how to get the arms back on, and solder to the tiny little points on the board, have at it. I don't think masking and painting the drone without taking it apart will get a good look?

WrapGrade.jp makes wraps with lots of overlapping pieces and few seams visible that can look like a paint job with a little patience or practice. If anything needs to be repaired, pulling the wrap off destroys it.

DecalGirl's drone wraps have fewer pieces that don't overlap so the drone's case shows at the edges. But, they're quicker to install and make a neat job. And, if the drone needs repair, it doesn't destroy the wrap job.

 

[Tony McDrone]

I’ve done both, paint and apply decals. Removing the decals are so much easier if you don’t like them. Painting it is permanent. I did like the paint outcome for awhile, but later changed my mind. Had to buy a new shell.

 

[Crouching Leopard]

DJI do a paint or draw on it decal kit. Let the kids draw their own patterns etc, and after a few weeks, peel them off, put them away and replace them. Easy, no affect on performance, happy kids or partners, no mess, and no warranty issues. Oh, it also cheap and easy to apply.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Does anyone paint drones? I have Mini 2 and would love to have it painted rather than a decal. It would seem to look better and be lighter. Thanks

You just loose to much resale value with Paint, consider getting a Wet Suit or a Skin as they both offer benefits and neither takes away from your Drones value.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain.

 

[Newislemedia]

I've tried decals on my mavic 2, they never adhered to the surface well, constantly peeling off. I was going to paint mine but didn't know that could void the warranty.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I've tried decals on my mavic 2, they never adhered to the surface well, constantly peeling off. I was going to paint mine but didn't know that could void the warranty.

Your much better off with a Wet Suit as we use a high Quality 3M adhesive and offers a lot more function also.
We offer the Forum Members a Discount : Email me at [email protected]

You can check out all the colors at Phantomrain.org , I think you will like the 5 minutes it takes to install the Wet Suit on the Mavic 2 .

 

[paintmydrone]

i dont believe in not painting my drones, i paint my drones all the time and sometimes i paint a friends drone and on acaition a friend of a friends. i havnt painted a perfect strangers drone yet but there is always hope. i think its wierd if you dont paint your drone unless your twelve and live with mom. some ideas that i havnt done yet are your favorite nas car, stock car ,top fuel ebay has a gang of stickers for cars, kiss army or maybe the general lee? who doesnt love daisy dukes? ill tell you who, people who post false info about painting drones, so grow a flap and take the plunge and you might just discover new about yourself. bye for now

 

[rwilliam99]

i dont believe in not painting my drones, i paint my drones all the time and sometimes i paint a friends drone and on acaition a friend of a friends. i havnt painted a perfect strangers drone yet but there is always hope. i think its wierd if you dont paint your drone unless your twelve and live with mom. some ideas that i havnt done yet are your favorite nas car, stock car ,top fuel ebay has a gang of stickers for cars, kiss army or maybe the general lee? who doesnt love daisy dukes? ill tell you who, people who post false info about painting drones, so grow a flap and take the plunge and you might just discover new about yourself. bye for now

How do you prevent paint from getting into the internals of the drone? Don't you have to disassemble the drone before painting?

 

[paintmydrone]

lowers the resale value! i dont buy things to sell especially drones ,i fly em till they are to broke to fly ,but then again im not twelve and live with my mom...on another note some asked about paint getting inside...so remove the props and tape off the exposed motors.theonly body piece i remove is the bottom,just two screws and a little plastic pry tool the bottom is the easyest body part to remove second to the battery door- dont remove battery door.then i remove the two buttons and charging led light dim wom do we bee from botttom, tape off expossed drone bottom, cut a little bar shape to tape off the light at the nose,tape charge and sd port,shut battery door,i dont tape side vents or head light screen...it takes a little common sense and a small degree of diy skills to achieve. in the past i wouldnt remove the bottom and individually tape off each component and for the three big vents i would get some knapkin and roll litte spliff shapes and shove em in each vent with a poke to fill the voide, sometimes i would cut in with model pant brush, somtimes i wouldnt- pends on how it looks and use clearcoat, paint lasts longer and the gimble, im not sure what its called so ill call it the "gimble well" drape you tape about an inch past the edge because thats going to be pushed in with a poke filling the voide in the gimble well, ill include pics , can anybody tell me how to post a qualty pic? the ones i post look liked blown mud. take your time and good luck,bye for now

 

[paintmydrone]

updated stckerage

 

[anotherlab]

If painting your drone brings you enjoyment, go for it. Not wanting to paint it is also fine. I'm way past the age of 12 and no longer live with my mother, but I have no particular desire to paint my Mavic. Not sure why anyone would want to mock other people because they don't share their same tastes.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Not sure why anyone would want to mock other people because they don't share their same tastes.

I think dragging up 2-1/2 year old threads, the 'paint my drone' usuername, and the post #15 hint indicates the poster would like to do this as a service to other drone owners.
Those way their posts are made / put together indicate to me the poster might be young themselves.

You're right though, some may like the idea of painting, many won't.
I'm an automotive spray painter and professionally paint plastics as part of that trade very often.
I can see the uniqueness custom type applications paint can give, but see wraps / skins as a much more user friendly, changeable, non invasive method vs paint.