I'm glad to see that everyone thinks that the clocks were worth the wait. overall (quality issues aside), I'm quite pleased the way that this batch turned out.
now, what I want to know is who was the unfortunate soul that received the backing card for the battery, without the 2032 battery?
2016.aug.23 update
I managed to box up 6 clocks last night and should be able complete the remaining 6 tonight so that all can be shipped tomorrow. the hot air tool is due to arrive tomorrow as well, so there's a chance that I can correct the faulty solder connections on most (if not all) of the other panels this weekend and try and then take care of the last few people on the reservation list
if this fails, I have 14 more panels en route to assemble the last few clocks regardless if the repair attempts do not prove successful