Originally Posted by Billfred

It's a dirty trick, but one I've used on two teams now: You run out of time before ship day, and the robot is still bare metal.

Solution? Tape.

Gaffer's tape is available in a whole lot of colors, and it passes undetected from about ten feet:

http://chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/33623
http://chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/36749

1618's all-black-everything look was easy; black gaffer's tape is available at any stage lighting shop. (We did paint the big panels, and just taped the rollers and angle aluminum.) For 2815's robot, we went online to findtape.com; for the garnet, black, and yellow on the claw, our total cost was in the $60 range shipped.

I'd still want to use paint if I have the time and resources, but this route is MUCH better than bare metal for my money.