I think whoever put the blurb in about burning own paint must have misread the information from the Optimus web site (in the UK Shelterbox site, it clearly shows an Optimus stove):

• White gasoline is generally a clean and energetic fuel suitable for use in liquid fuel stoves. Availability is good in North America. In Europe and other parts of the world, availability varies. Usually, you can find white gasoline in Outdoor shops. An alternative to white gasoline is heptanes that usually can be found in paint shops, hardware stores and similar.

Not a tragic flaw IMHO, and I still like the idea.