My 12" Skywatcher Flextube scope arrived today. Setup was quite easy though the manual in the box is for their normal Dob. I see the Skywatcher Website has the new manual available for download.

First impressions: a very nice looking scope, and the sliding truss moves smoothly, as does the rotating base. Movements generally seem quite smooth.

Today was nice and clear all day, and the night was crisp and clear when I took the scope out for a first light. Within about 15 minutes a parade of clouds drifted in from the south, attracted by the new scope. So I only had time for the briefest of looks, but that was enough to tell that (a) I'm going to enjoy the light gathering potential of this scope, (b) Movement in both axes is nice and smooth, and (c) I need to collimate the scope (!).

Once it's collimated and when I have another clear evening I'll post some more impressions.

Jonathan