This was a really intriguing thread to read. As someone who's been really dead set on basing my paint job off a pre-existing one (Al Montoya's design from his days in Winnipeg), it really has me thinking about whether its still a good idea. Personally I think that I would be able to make enough changes to the design to really make it personal, especially in the color scheme, but Im definitely on the fence about it now.
Also, this is probably one of the most civil debates I've seen on the internet ever and it's incredible haha. Not used to people being able to debate for as long as this thread is and not get completely out of hand.