[Arran]

I don't know if I would leave the Lotus leaves off the sides and the back myself, even with those on there it would be hard to mistake a new paint job with an original one. What I would do, just to prevent the set from being misrepresented, is to paint or engrave the date of the new paint job somewher, and the name of whoever painted it, not out in the open but perhaps on the bottom or the inside, with a clear coat over it. In Canada it would be difficult to create a forgery anyhow, almost all of the sets up here originally had a brass tag riveted to the chassis with the model and serial numbers on it.
Best Regards
Arran