Brand new shiny Z8, right out of the box, and I've got it torn to pieces. Two feet of snow outside - figured what better time to get to it? Wandered the web some and came up with some real choice tips for improving the scope. Here's my hitlist so far: - Loctite OTA seam. Done. - Add handles to OTA above pivot bearings. Done. - Add spinner handle on the tube up by the secondary to aid in aligning the scope. Done. - Replace spotter with Telrad. I'm planning to pop the original spotter off and just drill the Telrad base to accept the same mounting screws. I also replaced the white foam tape with some good 3M body moulding tape after seeing a few comments about the Telrad falling off when it gets hot and the tape fails. In process. - Flocking. In process. (Ask me about this - I need to get my post count up! - Resealed and repainted the base after seeing comments about the particle board swelling and going south when exposed to moisture. Gotta figure that's a given, so what da hey, eh. Done. Added a rubber bumper to the inside back of the rocker box. Already managed to stumble knock the tube into the stand once just screwing around with the mods. The bumper looks suspiciously like one of the new legs - why reinvent the wheel? - Added a setting circle to the base. That was tricky. Yet another "ask me!". Done. - Found me a nice digital level for elevation. I've seen a few posts about adding a counterbalance weight at the bottom of the OTA, and figure kill two birds at the same time. The level is quite heavy and should be more than enough to make a killer counterweight. I've got a piece of "C" shaped rail that will accept a sliding carrier. Mount the level to the slider, move as needed, and twiddle a knurled knob to set it in place. So ... did I miss anything?