calibos

Guys using the maplins cases, did you pluck the little squares out, or squash them down. I dont have a pic at work, but i pushed mine down, as i found plucking the little squares out was either pulling too much out and then being uneven. Im hoping keeping them squashed for a while (not opened the case since i put them in there with all this fog lol), they will stay down.

What I did was pluck the shape down to the base of the case. Pull out the whole piece. Cut piece in half and place that half back into the empty space. I then used some black baize I had lying around to cover the foam with. I'll eventually replace with Black Satin.

Mr Coke Can meets the Televue Brothers

What did it cost you in the end? Did you end up getting stung with import duties? As another member mentioned I would consider getting the contents of that case insured. I did come across an insurer who covers astro gear but it was some time ago and I can't remember where I saw it now.

I agree with Shane that case must weigh heavier than your scope

With regard to Import Duties and VAT, I like to leave it up to fate whether its levied or not. In other words I have never played shennanigans with declared values. All I do is make sure that my orders from the states are shipped via USPS as opposed to a Courier company. Its my understanding that the situation is the same in the UK as it is here in Ireland. ie. That Courier companies customs process packages in-house and thus one is always charged Customs/VAT if its due, but that USPS interface with the Royal Mail in the UK and 'An Post' here in Ireland and that these two ex state owned carriers are much more hit and miss in terms of processing packages. I'd say 3 out of 4 of my packages in the past have escaped customs/Vat in the past.

Anyway, I gave my Aunt no instructions to underdeclare or mess around but it turns out she took it upon herself to under declare the value and marked the package as a Gift. TBH, this probably increased my chances of being charged Customs/VAT as a 'Gift' of such high value (even after being under declared) was sure to draw attention. Indeed, this turned out to be the case and I was levied €208 Customs/VAT. The figure should have been about €600. As soon as my car repayments finish next March I'll be making a donation of the difference to Cancer Research to salve my conscience. ie. I have no problem paying nothing when they fail to levy it but when it is levied and I am not paying what I should, it doesn't sit well with me. I guess my Aunt in the states still thinks of me as her little nephew and thought she was doing me a favour but forgetting that I am now a 37 year old responsible tax paying adult

At the time of order the dollar price converted to Euro was about €2150. Unfortunately, instead of charging my card for everything all at once at the time of order, the retailer in the states charged for each EP individually as it came into stock. The Exchange rate changed in the interim between order and charging, so the final figure ended up being €2300+(Customs/VAT)€208=€2508

I've definitely thought about insurance aswell. The chances of the planets aligning like this again are slim and if I needed to replace them I'd probably pay close to European pricing anyway even if ordering from the states again. 31% worth of discounts and a good exchange rate made all the difference but without them and including shipping the regular US price probably wouldn't be far of European pricing. With that in mind, I'll probably insure the case at European pricing which would be about €4500 for the EP's, €200 for the Howie Glatter Collimator and another €300 for the 2" Polorizing Moon/UHC/0III/H-Beta Filters. So 5000 Euros all in Thats mental when you think about it !!

Back to the Case. Someone on CN recommended an overlay of Black Satin over the foam. I didn't have any of that and nor did the local craft shop but when I came home I found some Black Baize. I have no idea when or why we ever bought black baize in this house but it turns out that it was just what the doctor ordered. The Cubed Pluck foam dividers I made and the White Televue box foam inserts are still under there with the EP's nestled nice and tightly into them but aesthetically its much nicer now. Shimmery black satin would probably have been OTT

Eyepieces arrived in the post yesterday but I didn't think I'd get to post the Eyepiece Case pic so soon as I thought I'd have to order a new block of Cubed pluck foam for my Thon Music Equipment Flightcase. However, I had a brainwave and used the inserts from the Televue boxes and just made the dividers out of the Cubed Pluck foam that was already in the case when my Hyperions were in there.

Anyway, heres the pic.