Hi Petra,
My new scope sits in pieces in the lounge room. I took off the end rings and painted them all black. This is a personal choice.
If you don't paint the top three, that's ok but the bottom ring that holds the mirror assembly definately needs to be flat black. So I'm glad the Sydney weather is awful, I can get all the mods done.
One other change is going to be the collimation springs, they are a bit on the soft side. When you tighten the locking screws it moves the mirror so throwing out the collimation.
I'm going to do away with them, by using the stiffer springs
How can I help!!