There are studs with ball ends on the top of the engine that the cover seats on and snaps down onto. To remove it, you have to pull it up with a fair amount of effort - they don't come off readily. No tape involved.
When re-installing the cover, you have to get everything all lined up and smack it down to get it seated properly.
When its done right, the cover will be pretty close to the coils on both sides of the engine. The other way to tell is lifting any corner of the cover - if it comes up with little effort, its not seated onto the ball end fully.
they can be painted if done right. I will have one to show you by the weekend. first time it was painted it was not done correctly. This time we are getting it right.
There are several threads on painting/decorating the engine cover. Some are just plain sensational!! There is also a write up on one of the threads on how to do it and paint used. Think Speedy did it.
RPI sells the center piece for the engine cover that affixes with two sided tape. They also make the fuse box cover. I replaced the two sided tape with velcro and just slap the covers on for car shows. I did run them on the car for a few months before switching to velcro. Just no need getting them all dirty if I'm not going to pop the hood for anyone.
RPI will paint it to match your car's paint or some other color if you wish.