How much weight does a fully powder-coated frame add to the robot? Anyone ever do the math?
Also, what about polishing exposed aluminum as an alternative? You can make such parts bling pretty well that way.
The only year we powder coated our bot was in 2003. Up close, it looks like it went through a war (given the nature of the game, that is fairly close to the truth). Such battle scars don't show as much on bare aluminum. Our 2004 robot looks much better after the fact.
You can also paint your lexan guarding or use vinyl graphics to add color and style to the bot. We used vinyl coverings this year:
Example
3193 uses spray paint for plastic and sprays the inside of their lexan - looks really sharp and doesn't get scratched:
Example