[LewisM]

I have had an Esprit 80ED for a good while now, and like it very much, but the mundane aesthetic appearance of it was always making me think. That honking big dewshield devoid of any decal or colour just stood out to me like a glaring omission (the original Esprit's had the decal on the dewshield, not the tube).

I decided it needed the Southern Cross, so I had one custom made (both sides) in silver vinyl decals, as this would NOT stand out garishly and compliment the silver anodised trim. I applied that, then thought it needed a LITTLE more, kind of like the old Tak FC blue stripe, so I cut some auto-trim striping in deep blue (I may make a new one, rounding the ends instead of joining up), which matches the blue anodising on my flattener adaptor too.

It adds a personal touch to me to an otherwise mass produced, visually unappealing OTA. I am usually not a huge fan of dewshield decals, but I feel this is minimal, unobtrusive and complimentary (the Crux is DELIBERATELY not centred on the dewshield so as to respect the Rule of Thirds).

Before and after shots: