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I hope Lee doesn't mind me posting here but this was his reply:
Delivery will be late Jan or early Feb., according to Jim Sheng of Guan Sheng Optical when I saw him in Taiwan a few weeks ago. I also saw the GSO 16" Dob. there and it is of a truss tube design, having three straight vertical tube supports. These are the same oval aluminium "TPL" tubes which as used the tripod legs with Guan Sheng's SkyView 2 equatorial mount.This is GSO's general export version. The Meade version will be a6 tube zig-zag truss tube design - same as the smaller aperture Dobs.
Weight is unknown at the moment, but it seems a fair bit heavier than their 12" Dob. and I'm told it will be packed into two boxes, with the main box being about the same volume/shape as for their 12" Dob.
Price will be a little higher at $2699, as Jim told me first-up that his raw material costs have increased a lot of the past few months due to the Chinese mainland's insatiable demand for such materials - and energy.
I also meant to say that the 16" Dob is unlike the smaller ones from GSO (which Meade also sells) in that it is much larger, much heavier, much more substantial overall - and it does feel much smoother and better balanced when moving the tube around. It looks and feels "professional" in every way.
Yes, there is a large knob at the top and bottom of each of the three "TPL" vertical truss support oval tubes, so it can indeed be disassembled in a matter of minutes.
In fact, that would take less time than GSO's Meade version because my (general export) version has six tubes, even though it still has the same number of knobs - six - I think.
It is essentially the same telescope as GSO's Meade version, aside from the truss tube set-up and the differing optional inclusions, such as finderscope, eyepieces and so on, all of which vary from importer to importer, as to what they feel is best for their market at the time and so on...
I haven't finalised those optional inclusions with Jim, yet. However, be assured it will be optioned to the highest spec. possible - and at no extra cost to you, of course, Chris. I really don't want to offer a low (accessories) spec. version of this magnificent telescope at all.
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