# Tim: Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR FQ-340



## tim (May 2, 2006)

*Tim: Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR FQ-340 (56k Noway!)*

This is a Detail I done for a good friend back in August, so apologies for the long delay on the write up Andy!

First off some Background on the Car and Owner. Andy a fellow Car Enthusiast had recently purchased the car back in May, and like always Andy spends a lot of time and money on his cars to make them their best in every aspect. So since only purchasing the car in May, Andy has put some very carefully chosen modifications into the car. Including Aftermarket Engine Management sporting Anti-lag with Launch Control, Exedy Twinplate Clutch, XYZ 355mm 6 Pot Brakes and Revolution Millenniums wrapped in Yokohama Parada Spec2's. This Evo goes and stops just like it looks.

But unfortunately as is all too often the case as we know, previous owners even careful ones with the best of intentions. Using an uneducated wash technique had taken away from the paintworks true potential. So even after first washing the car himself, Andy told me "Tim, it needs deswirled badly". So after I initially inspected the car, I was pleased to find there nothing standing out as instantly worrying as generally the car was very clean. Being a low mileage example it is what you would like to expect. Andy had also treated the car to a front bumper respray to get rid of some stone chips. So including that which was surprisingly a near perfect paint finish, overall the car was in very good condition. But the swirls were just robbing the paint from any real Gloss or Clarity. So after some more negotiation and a few delays Andy talked me out of retirement to bring his Evo back to the condition it deserved.

So on with the Detail, Andy dropped the car down the night previous so that I could get to work first thing the next morning.










































The reflection I'm aiming for when I'm finished with the paintwork 










Onto the Wheels then. As always, the wheels are done first. Thankfully Andy has only recently put these wheels on the car so are a dream to clean. They were cleaned using:

AS SmartWheels Acid Free Wheel Cleaner (4:1)
EZ Detail Daytona Wheel Brush
Zymol 100% Horse Hair Wheel Brush
EZ Detail Mini Brush
Wolfgang Finger Pocket


















The EZ Detail Mini Brush is fantastic for getting to especially tight areas, like the even smaller gap between Andys new XYZ Big Brake Kit!










These Wolfgang Finger Pockets are great for getting the back of spokes clean and getting anywhere you cant physically see to clean as you've a great feel unlike with using a brush.


















The Tyres were then Scrubbed to remove any dirt and previous Tyre Dressings. I hate applying dressings to dirty Tyres, they never last as long, but thankfully like the wheels these are brand new aswell 










The Car was then moved back and repeated to ensure that no areas were missed. The process as above was continued on all 4 Wheels again.


















On to the Engine bay, Pretty Clean just water marks and some little soiling. This was sprayed with R222 and then Agitated. No Afters I'm afraid I got a little carried away as usual 


































The Car was then thoroughly rinsed and then I started to clean all exterior trim, badges, panel gaps and edges with Megs APC and Swissvax Detail Brush to remove any trapped dirt and traces of polish.


































The Car was then rinsed again and then ready for the Wash Stage to Begin.










You can see here the water lying extremely flat to the paintwork indicating no Protection or LSP.


























I then switched to the HD Foam Lance for the Pre-Wash.


































The Car was then Foamed with Megs Hyperwash using the Foam Lance and then Left to Dwell for 5 minutes. And then thoroughly rinsed off










The Car was then Re-Foamed, and washed by the 2 Bucket Method with Megs Shampoo Plus using 0ppm Filtered Water from a Resin Filter, Zymol Wash Caddies and Zymol Sponges.


















Then I set about removing the Bonded Contaminants from the Paintwork.

First up was the Tar from the paintwork and wheels, this was Removed with AS Tardis and a MF Cloth.










































































Andy was amazed looking at this afterwards, I think I remember Andy telling me 'Oh, I didn't think there was any Tar on the Car' If only!:lol:


























The Car was then Foamed and Rinsed again to remove any traces of the Tardis


























Up next, those number plate sticky pads and the windscreen bonder the previous owner had used!

But look at that Exhaust, brings back memories of the last Evo I done not fun either! 


























On a Lighter note, while I was down there I briefly distracted myself.. I love really clean wheels and getting right into the backs makes all the difference IMO 










But I was not looking forward to that Exhaust later on..


























The Sticky Pads and Bonder were then both were removed with AS Tardis. But have a look at the state of the MF after removing the Bonder


















And finally to remove the last of the Bonded Contaminants the car was Clayed with Sonus Green and Megs Last touch as Lube leaving the Clay like this


























This was all I could get off the car anywhere, with most of it coming off the upper panels which I imagine is because the Car is an extremely low mileage example.

So finally, the Car was Foamed and Rinsed with 0ppm Filtered Water thoroughly one last time for the day to remove any particles that could damage the paintwork when Polishing.


































Here you can see again how flat the water is sitting to the paint, showing all signs of LSP or Protection have been removed ready for Polishing.










The Car was then quickly dried with a Leaf Blower to remove any excess water from the main body panels before being brought into the Unit to be Dried off for the morning.


































Out of the Water Proofs and Wellies, and Seat Cover on before getting in. Trying to show the greatest care possible so not to mark the fantastic Seats and Interior.


















And Car locked up safe and sound for the night.


























Or so I thought..

Couldnt sit down after dinner, so back down to the Unit and cracked on with the Interior.

I first of all I started with the Mats.


















Which came up very well, and turned out like this










Before on the Right, After on the Left.










And this is the process. Firstly, give a thorough Brush with various Vikan Interior Brushes to loosen any engrained dirt.










Then Sprayed with Megs APC (10:1)










Gently massage the APC into the Embroided Logo so not to damage it.










Then by Brushing the Outer Edges and Piping.










And then giving the rest a good firm brush to agitate the APC into any soiled areas.


















Quickly Extracting the Mat










Then Lightly Brushing the Embroidery with a soft long bristle Vikan Brush










And Finally giving the Mats a thorough Spray with Megs APC via the Wetvac and Extracting


















Leaving the previously soiled Mats like this


















On to the rest of the Interior..


















































Generally pretty clean, and nothing Henry couldnt sort out 










Although it was getting pretty late now, midnight according to the photo data. I got carried away as usual and wanted to crack on with the _that_ Exhaust so I could get straight into the Paint Correction tomorrow.

So here it is in all its glory..


























So somehow, after half an hour! with alot of this..









It came up pretty well like this 

















Tucked up for the night. 1.10am.


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## tim (May 2, 2006)

*Day 2*

Up bright and early and in a good mood, I was looking forward to getting cracked on with the job today. And I was in the Unit for 0830am to be greated with this, nice and dry and ready the next stage of the Detail.


















*Inspection*


















As you can see, even in natural light some of the defects standing right out. Some how from this moment, I knew this wasn't going to be as enjoyable as I had hoped.

So out with the Sungun then..










































I actually struggled to pick up the true level of defects with the Sungun. If held too close to the paintwork it seemed to just light up the flake in metallic or not show the true level from a distance.

Although it was clear from the defects I could see in Natural light the what condition the paint was in, I really couldn't seem to capture it with the Sungun.

So out with the Halogens, but these didnt prove all that much better either


























Although these were better, they still didn't seem to show them very well either except for very certain angles. So with the Halogens and my 3M Sungun rendered useless!

I really couldn't seem to capture the true nature of this beast.

Thankfully I have one more Weapon in my arsenal :thumb:










It was becoming rather clear at this point that I _really_ didnt think I was going to enjoy this one at all now..

So rather than depress myself further, I took one more glance over the car with the Sungun and cracked on with the Detail.

*Pre-Polish Prep*

Here I like to remove anything that can become an obstacle while Polishing. So having already removed the number plates earlier, I got started straight into Taping up.

So armed with some trusty 3M 3434 Blue Tape and some new 3M stuff I got to try, I began to Tape up any danger areas, panel edges and any areas I thought might be suitable for a good 50/50


























A little different from the usual Blue for sure!


































Note the single continuous piece of tape from A to C Pillar and along the Door Trims. A very wise man taught me the key to doing that 

I also masked off the Bonnet vent with some brown paper to save plenty of time later on that would have been spent clean the engine bay again.


















Next the Side Repeaters were removed where I found some more bonder but only on one side of the car. Thankfully not the same stuff as before so I decided to clean it off anyway and was much easier removed than the stuff used on the Number Plates.


















Cleaned and Taped up out of the way.










































And finally the Windscreen Washers were removed, cleaned and taped up as best as possible for Polishing aswell.


































Ready for Polishing. Bring out the Makita!










Having over the years tried out a few Machine Polishers inlcluding the infamous PorterCable I must say once you try a Makita I think you're mad if you ever want to go back to anything else, its such a solid machine.

So the tools for the day my Makita 9227CB, mostly 3M Pads/Polishes and my 3M Sungun.










So on with the Detail..










A little better idea of defects for you.



























































































Thankfully the paint was responding well to this combo and was showing excellent levels of Correction.


































And finally having worked my way round the rest of the entire car, on to the Bonnet to finish with a nice 50/50 to show you the difference from before and after.

Again those defects, clearly visable in low and natural light.


















































And finished.. the other half of the bonnet atleast. Although a pretty straight forward day in terms of detailing. I got called away on a few occasions and interupted more than once or twice which resulted another very late finish 3.30am..

Leaving me only minor areas to finish Correcting tomorrow and to the Refine finish with a Finishing Polish.










But before leaving I removed the remaining tape and quickly tidied up and took a few night time snaps 


































*Day 3*

Into the Unit for 10.30am, the home stretch!

After an quick overall inspection I wasn't happy with some areas of the Bonnet so I re-masked some bits and went over it again until I was happy it was fully corrected.


















Once the Correction was completed, I stepped down to a 3M Blue Finishing Pad and 3M Ultrafina to Refine the paintwork before bringing the Car out for a thorough rinsing as the amount of dust in places was no match for even my Zymol Duster!



























































































The Car was then brought in and Dried, before being given a coat of the Andy's own Wax (Raceglaze 55) so that he could continue to easily top up the LSP himself.

Here are some quick shots I managed to grab furth down the Industrial Estate before Andy had to shoot off 



















































Nearly forgot you're Number Plates Andy! Back up to the Unit and *very* some final snaps and one very happy Owner :thumb:


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## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

stunning and very thorough work tim. excellent write up mate


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## Maggi200 (Aug 21, 2009)

Really enjoyed that one! Amazing how well the colour hid them defects too, out of interest... how did the numberplates get attached again?


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## Jim W (Feb 3, 2007)

That's an mighty report, tim. Thanks for taking the time to share. :thumb:

Looks to be a great unit you have there - your photos are spot on, too.

One thing though, is it just me and the funny light, or, is the n/s front wing a different colour to the rest?


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## tim (May 2, 2006)

Offyourmarks said:


> stunning and very thorough work tim. excellent write up mate


Thanks Matt, really means alot coming from yourself. Hope you're keeping well mate


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## Cullers (Sep 29, 2009)

Wow! Kudos for the car and the work. As a relative newbie here can I ask what is probably a stupid ('Doh!') question? During the taping up, you used the two colours of tape. Is there any difference? Also, why did you tape down the centre of the doors and arches?
Superb job and brilliant write up.


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## tim (May 2, 2006)

Jim W said:


> That's an mighty report, tim. Thanks for taking the time to share. :thumb:
> 
> Looks to be a great unit you have there - your photos are spot on, too.
> 
> One thing though, is it just me and the funny light, or, is the n/s front wing a different colour to the rest?


Thanks Jim, I think I'd rather redo the Car before I type one of those up again tho!

Re: The wing. It is the same colour. It must just be the angle of the light. The Doors are the same colour because they are all at the same angle, and the wing is the same colour as the front end of the car because it's more in the shade. I certainly didnt seen difference in the metal. The only variation I seen was between some of the plastics and thats just the normal difference between metal and plastic panels.


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## Ruth M (Feb 27, 2006)

Any wonder it took you forever to do this write up! lol. Great work Tim, i'm sure andy is chuffed with it, looks superb


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

cracking write up and very nice work. I have seen that car about and it looks very nice.


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## mk2jon (Mar 10, 2009)

Fantastic write up,enjoyed that.


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## Guest (Nov 5, 2009)

Excellent work and great write up :thumb:, you're right I also find the work easier than the write ups


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## stevobeavo (Jul 22, 2009)

:doublesho stunning work, on a great car....can you teach me please!!


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## andy_gdon (Oct 29, 2009)

Cant see the pics in work  But it looks like an epic write up 

I think the previous owner washed it with stones, it was that badly swirled etc!!!

Since Tim got at it, the fleck in the paint really jumps out!!

Top Top work Tim - the result is truely awesome (and its still swirl free)


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## matzagrin (Nov 1, 2009)

That car is sick! 

Great job... I apreciated the whashing process and your arsenal of materials


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## Planet Admin (Jul 11, 2009)

Cool mate. What a car.
Great job:thumb:


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## chillly (Jun 25, 2009)

rich and very flakey just the way it should be. stunning work mate :thumb::thumb:


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## quattrogmbh (May 15, 2007)

Nice car and beautiful detail. Are the wings plastic on these or is it a bad front end respray? Colour difference between wings and front doors is really quite noticeable.


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## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

Fantastic write-up Tim!

Really nice work! :thumb:


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## Jody 4444 (Mar 12, 2009)

WOW what a great turn around mate and a very good write up as well :thumb:


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## NIgolf (Apr 11, 2007)

thats a superb job and writeup Tim.


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## -JP- (Jan 27, 2009)

Nice work, nice work endeed. And great write-up.:thumb:


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## martyn (Nov 28, 2005)

Awesome work Tim....

Are you back in NI? Have you set up a detailing company?

Can you supply me with another 0ppm filter...

PM me and it would be great to catch up if you are back in the country.


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## tim (May 2, 2006)

Thanks for the kind words guys, really makes the effort of that writeup worthwhile!

And even better again when you know the car is going back to an appreciating owner, cheers Andy


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## lee74 (Mar 17, 2008)

cant see the pics


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## ay4alex (Apr 15, 2009)

No pics, get onto PB!!


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## Amos (Feb 28, 2007)

lee74 said:


> cant see the pics


Turn your screen on..... lol...

As I said earlier, best job NI has seen.......


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Amos said:


> Turn your screen on..... lol...
> 
> As I said earlier, best job NI has seen.......


no pics here either - says bandwith limit reached - i.e the OP needs to upgrade to Pro


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## tim (May 2, 2006)

Hey guys, didnt expect to hit the limit so soon! Seems photobucket hasnt like the traffic today, reached the bandwidth limit in less than 12hours 

Thats the account upgraded, so the photos should be back up soon


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## angajatul (Oct 14, 2008)

amaizing car and amaizing detailing....


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## paulmcmillen (Mar 3, 2008)

WOW - excellent job done!


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## ChrisJD (Apr 15, 2009)

An excellent thorough write-up.

Car look very nice indeed. Great job.

Chris.


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## Lemongrab (Jul 27, 2009)

That's one BEAUTIFUL looking car. Congrats on your work, it looks splendid.


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## rsdan1984 (Jul 31, 2009)

stunning car and thorough detail!


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## Rasher (Mar 6, 2006)

great detail, great car


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## nickygixer-k5 (Jul 7, 2009)

excellent write up and work:thumb: these evos are becoming popular on here now and in answer to someones previous post the wings are aluminium and not plastic. Good work though:thumb:


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## vRS_Pagey (Jul 6, 2009)

They look awesome when they're dirty, now......breath taking. :thumb:
Completely unrelated, but how do you upload pictures directly to the page rather than a link?


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## Edward101 (Jun 5, 2009)

Great write up and very nice photos. Great finish on the evo and a job very well done :thumb:


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## JCW85 (Oct 29, 2009)

What a write up! Thank you for taking the time to share the project with everyone. Fantastic looking car bet the owner was dead pleased!


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Well i think it was worth it mate.

Epic write up and stunning work

:thumb:


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Wow,excellent job...nice car....


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

fantastic work and write-up tim :thumb:


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## MarkJ (May 13, 2009)

Good write up, great work and a good car there mate


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Excellent work :thumb:


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## COLZO (Sep 4, 2008)

Owned Subarus for over 8 years but the EVO 8 just looks stunning. Great write up and amazing work. :thumb: Did you find the paint quite thin?


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## adam87 (Dec 11, 2008)

Superb write-up, really enjoyed it! 

Stunning work to


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## Ashtra (Oct 17, 2007)

cracking job and write up.


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## Eddy (Apr 13, 2008)

I reckon thats the most in depth wash stage I have ever seen, love the way you did all the wheels, then moved the car a bit and did it again.

Mega kudo's to you.

car looks FAB


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## KKM (Dec 10, 2007)

My cup of coffee almost went cold!!

Stunning work!! Thanks for sharing.

Car looks amazing now

:thumb:


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## prkprk1 (Dec 12, 2008)

Great write up and results

Top work :thumb:


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## MRGTRSman (Mar 6, 2009)

Very nice work enjoyed write up,car looks completly stunning

Evolution Connoisseur myself


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## kiza132 (Oct 3, 2008)

Excellent work and brilliant write up... look forward to seeing more...


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## Andy_RX8 (Jun 6, 2008)

Top job mate, a very good detail/write-up.

One thing tho not a go at you in any way but would it not be a good idea to tint the windows of your unit so no-one can see what you have in it at night?? Wouldnt want someone breaking in.

Awsome evo and detail.

Good work.


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

That is one epic detail mate!! Looks absolutely superb!! :thumb:

How many times did you wash the car? lol.


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## RP Stevie (Jan 24, 2007)

Stunning work, really really good. Nice to see a stunning northern ireland car.


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## dsms (Feb 1, 2008)

great work man, truly!


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## Mr Gurn (Dec 9, 2009)

As a scooby owner i shouldn't like that evo.... but it's stunning!!!!

That is a truely amazing job, and with the times you were leaving your unit it shows just how dedicated you are!!!!


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## wallzyuk (May 29, 2007)

Love these cars, best colour too. Nearly bought one but decided to order a new focus RS. Brilliant write up.


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## andy_gdon (Oct 29, 2009)

Tim did such a good job that keeping it mint has been effortless!!!

I have decided to sell the Evo now in favour of a newer car so if anyone is interested I can fire you a full spec etc

Many thanks

Andy


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## [email protected] (Sep 22, 2009)

sorry to bring up an old thread but,

tim what is the big light you have on the tripod, blue hint of it??


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## HornetSting (May 26, 2010)

Great thread Tim, really enjoyed reading that. What a great car, one of my faves. What is the tool you used to clean the mats etc? That did a really good job, great turn around on the whole car.

Thanks,

Ben


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## Xploit (Nov 16, 2011)

What a result Tim!!


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## rsrob (Apr 12, 2009)

Came out very well, nice


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## Adrian Convery (May 27, 2010)

Very good detail and enjoyable write up :thumb:


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## slobodank (Nov 17, 2010)

cracking job!


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

I remember reading this the first time round and loving it. :thumb:


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## Sportspack Mark (May 24, 2007)

class job! good work


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