FPV Drones in Paintball Battles: Built to Take Hits

Hey, it's Josh Kolonia from Cosmik Drones. I fly my FPV drone through paintball chaos at Skirmish—games with thousands of players sometimes—and pull footage from the thick of it. My rig gets hit hundreds of times a day and doesn't quit. Here's the breakdown.

Straight Into It

Skirmish Paintball Fields can pull thousands of players for the big ones—paintballs everywhere, woods and bunkers packed. I fly my drone right in with FPV goggles, cutting through the action. This is what I get:

That's my drone in the mix, paint smacking it left and right. I run it close—past trees, near players—and it takes hundreds of hits a day, no crashes.

The Rig: Shendrones Squirt V1

It's a Shendrones Squirt V1—3-inch frame, light, full ducts on the props. The ducts stop paintballs from shredding the blades. I've got foam padding on the frame to soak up hits and plexiglass over the electronics to bounce them off. Paintballs hit at 300 feet per second—doesn't faze it. After each flight it looks like this:

FPV Drone after paintball

Paint all over, still flies. It's under 500g with a 4S battery, good for a few minutes per pack. [Josh, what's your mAh?]

Built Tough

Every component's silicone-coated—keeps the solder pads from shorting out. Paint's wet, conductive, and gets everywhere, but the silicone seals it off. It's a thin layer over the boards, stops any juice from bridging contacts. No shorts, no smoke. Here's it mid-flight, eating hits:

Paintballs slam it—hundreds a day. Ducts protect the props, foam takes the shock, plexi and silicone keep the guts running. I wipe it down after, and it's ready.

What I Capture

GoPro's on top—[Josh, model? Settings?]—grabs footage you can't get otherwise. Low runs over bunkers, tight moves near players, tree-line chases. Here's one:

That's my drone tracking through the mess. Ducts let me push close, FPV keeps me on point.

Safety Matters

Thousands of players—safety's big. Ducts mean no exposed props, foam softens any bumps. Skirmish crew's good with it—they've seen the clips.

Why I Do It

Big games, tough drone, solid footage—that's my deal. Questions? Hit me up.