Apologies to aficionados of 1980s cult TV programme The A-Team. George Peppard’s character as A-Team leader John ‘Hannibal’ Smith regularly uttered the line: “I love it when a plan comes together,” with a degree of smug satisfaction, typically at the conclusion of every show as they prevailed over the baddies – which they always did. As I recall, he usually puffed on a big Havana cigar. Which is probably something you couldn’t do on TV now, victorious or not!

Bear with me; the 1980s reference is quite relevant here. On 4^th July this year, I was similarly rewarded with a degree of smug satisfaction as the new bronze statue of former US President Ronald Reagan was unveiled outside the US Embassy in London. 2011 would have been Ronald’s 100^th birthday. The tribute was revealed by a blue drape, which fell away right on cue. In fact, it fell away in two stages, which made the reveal all the more engaging – especially for those of us who knew how it was done.

A couple of weeks earlier, our good friend and regular customer John Quartermaine of Future Events popped in to the Magnet Schultz factory to pick up some more electropermanent magnets. (Type GMP, if you’re interested). These small devices are permanent magnets while unpowered; apply power and they cease to be magnetic.

John and his company were responsible for many aspects of the Reagan London tribute on US Independence Day, including  the complete design, construction and management of the event for the Ronald Reagan Foundation as well as the statue unveiling. He attached our electropermanent magnets to the central hem of a large blue ‘reveal’ cloth draped over the 10-foot-tall presidential tribute. At the right moment, a press or two on a control button and the cloth separated along its centre line, revealing the old cowboy-cum-leader-of-the-free-world in all his bronze smiling glory. A great plan that came together. Great weather for it too. Check out this YouTube link.