Almost every item in China is 1/10th the cost of the USA price. In China, fiberglass cloth, balsa, plywood, epoxy resin and paint are in the low-cost categories of being 1/10th the cost of US pricing.

You wouldn't believe how low the production cost is (materials and labor) to produce that $35 shirt you are wearing ... try .70 cents! The cost to get that shirt to the USA is higher than the production cost! The manufacturer sells that shirt to Macy's for $12, and Macy's marks it up to $35.

Although a broad generalization, it would be the same principle and guideline for R/C jets and every other item coming out of any Asian, or South American country.

Whatever paint these Chinese manufacturers are using to paint their R/C jets, you can be sure that it's no brand name you ever heard of, nor would you ever know the quality of. And I would venture to wonder if the paint contained lead.