Custom Paint

[coherent]

I would appreciate all input everyone here can provide.

I think it sounds interesting. I'd have to believe there is a market for such customizing. Obviously not the kind of stuff just anyone could do. I look forward to seeing some of the results and more information.

 

[Joao Carlos]

$200 count me in if its black cf! As for stickers, I agree they look toyish on the drone, but on the remote they look good.

People flying black drones... is it a bit easier to spot on the air? From my (limited) airplane experience it would make sense for contrast against sky/clouds.

 

[damitjim01]

paint/stickers add weight. While it's not much, I'd rather shave weight and increase fly time.

 

[walker16]

The only way to shave enough weight to to gain any flight time would be to remove the camera and gimbal.
That would pretty much defeat the purpose of buy a p3

I can live with the added weight of a few coats of spray paint and the 12 seconds of less flight time....

 

[louforgiveno]

$200 count me in if its black cf! As for stickers, I agree they look toyish on the drone, but on the remote they look good.

People flying black drones... is it a bit easier to spot on the air? From my (limited) airplane experience it would make sense for contrast against sky/clouds.

Yes, it is a lot easier to relocate in the sky after looking away....like you said the contrast makes it stand out a bunch more than white.

 

[MattRCGeeks]

paint/stickers add weight. While it's not much, I'd rather shave weight and increase fly time.

Also, the GPS module sits on the underside of the top part of the shell. By putting stickers or decals over it, you'd be obstructing GPS signal. That's never a good thing...

 

[acherman]

I just disassembled and painted my P3P last night - flat black. Looks awesome so far. Probably do a couple more coats tonight, and reassemble tomorrow night. Then I have to do the battery caps. I pulled one apart that isn't working (got wet), and they seem easier, other than the glued(??) in center tabs, but that's minor. I will probably do my 4 working batteries tonight too since they're quick and easy.

 

[acherman]

Also, the GPS module sits on the underside of the top part of the shell. By putting stickers or decals over it, you'd be obstructing GPS signal. That's never a good thing...

A thin film of paint or plastic will not hurt the GPS signal one tiny bit unless it contains some ferrous flake or similar.

 

[JHammy123]

Me and a buddy did this last weekend. Turned out pretty sweet. It's also a lot easier to spot in the sky.

 

[Alex_]

Me and a buddy did this last weekend. Turned out pretty sweet. It's also a lot easier to spot in the sky.

Love the smoke

 

[Joao Carlos]

Nice pic with the smoke... looks awesome!

 

[acherman]

Reassembled my P3 Pro Black Edition tonight. [emoji6] Looks badass like stealth mode. Just need to finish the battery caps in the morning and recalibrate everything. I wish I had gone further and done the camera and gimbal. Maybe next month.

 

[Joao Carlos]

Looking awesome! How hard was it to disassemble/re-assemble? Any problem with removing the screws? Did you follow a guide for painting and assembly or just did everything like a pro?

 

[acherman]

The absolute worst part was popping the clips for the top cover. The arms were okay, but the ones on the main body area were a pain. Screws all came out pretty easy - I made notes and took photos of what screws went where. I did a full disassemble, so the only masking I did was the antenna coax where they exit the landing gear at the top (left the antennas in the legs for painting), the gold Phantom emblem, and the LED light pipes on the battery caps. Oh, and there is a small light pipe on the VPS module cover. Anybody know what the button and LED on the VPS module are for? Assembly was a snap. Get it? Haha All screws went in fine, cables were good, no issues at all really.

 

[Joao Carlos]

Awesome. I just got mine (4 flights in) and since I wont have money to buy another in a decade or so, Ill postpone this mod for now. Maybe if it is still alive in a year. But I envy your P3PBE!