I am having my inspire airbrushed ( just the shell and battery covers ).  I know nothing about paint but I do know it is a durable paint consisting of a base coat, main coat and clear coat.  My question is this...Will this have a detrimental effect on aircraft control or frequency interference?      Thanks

Not at all. However to do correctly certain parts of the body should have a small amount of material removed prior to refinishing to allow for the increase in size associated with application of the finish so an interference fit isn't created which causes chips. The plastic only needs to be abraded with a grey scotch bright pad to allow for proper adhesion. Keep in mind any areas not fully abraded will eventually experience adhesion problems. There is no substitute for mechanical adhesion. The professional should also be using some form of surface converter to allow for the base coat to adhere to the plastic. Although most painters won't know it's a surface converter they should know it as plastic primer which depending upon manufacturer is very thin, usually clear, and melts very quickly into the surface.  Base coat should be applied utilizing only as much as necessary to cover. The clear coat won't need to ever weather the elements so it should be kept to a minimum film thickness to help prevent chipping and limit the increase in weight. Last but not least many professionals don't know that the white side panels on the lower air frame are attached using very thin double faced adhesive and are easily removed carefully using a heat gun and if wax paper is applied to the adhesive during preparation and refinishing can be reinstalled without needing any new adhesive. Also the battery top is easily removed by sliding thin picks in where the tabs retain it, then the board unscrews with four Phillips screws completely separating the top from the battery. Next there are a set of small molded tabs that have been melted over the clear led diffuser that only need about one millimeter of material removed with an exacto knife and the diffuser can be removed, once it's removed the battery top is easily refinished and the white button can be popped off the diffuser by gently prying at the base so it too can be refinished easily. When complete the button simply snaps back on while the diffuser is reinstalled by putting a very small amount of hot glue on each molded tab and immediately installing it before the glue cools.

njabinc Posted at 2016-3-23 06:46
Not at all. However to do correctly certain parts of the body should have a small amount of material ...

Thanks njabinc...great info...I will post a picture when the first one is done

Just make sure the paint you use doesn't contain actual metallic content.
I once painted the radome on my boat radar and suddenly the performance was awful.......
The best way to test is paint something plastic similar to the bird and put it in the microwave for a few seconds with another piece of the same plastic unpainted.....if the painted piece  sparks or its warm when you get it out compared to the non painted piece.....its no good for the bird....you definitely don't want to impede the GPS etc performance by shielding it.

Harb Posted at 2016-3-23 16:47
Just make sure the paint you use doesn't contain actual metallic content.
I once painted the radome  ...

Thanks Harb.....I will make sure there is no metal content in the paint.....I will double check with my painter to make sure.

What colour??

Any paint that is legally distributed to repair facilities in this country isn't allowed to contain any heavy metals. We have to test our exhaust filters for their presence prior to disposing of. All the metallics used today are either aluminum or mica.

grantfbrooks Posted at 2016-3-24 00:01
What colour??

Color combination will be similar to njabinc's avatar

njabinc Posted at 2016-3-24 08:32
Any paint that is legally distributed to repair facilities in this country isn't allowed to contain  ...

Told my painter not to use any metallic paint...still looking into it

njabinc Posted at 2016-3-24 11:32
Any paint that is legally distributed to repair facilities in this country isn't allowed to contain  ...

Ally would be an issue....mica would probably be ok, but I would still test it regardless.

njabinc Posted at 2016-3-23 06:46
Not at all. However to do correctly certain parts of the body should have a small amount of material ...

Thanks a lot, especially for the tip about the side panels on the lower air frame!

harb@bigpond.ne Posted at 2016-3-24 17:01
Ally would be an issue....mica would probably be ok, but I would still test it regardless.

I will,,,thanks ....harb