Thanks guys the base is much better than the Factory issue but as has been pointed out we all want to keep the costs down.
The mount is not really as nice as yours
Rob 
but i have a another project to start, it will be a Truss dob (small one) hopefully i can make it better.
jjjnettie the plywood is just finished in 3 Clear coats and i am just now making Red LED for the base scale and the inclinometer to read at night (had to find out about resistors and things
)
Geoff the base is quite a bit lighter but pretty strong i joined the panels with Dowels, Glue and screws. The side braces hold the rear section to the base and provide good anti-flexing at the top.
I picked up the Digital Inclinometer while in China in December it was US$40