Jim,
A hearty welcome! At the end of your build, when you go to register (assuming you're going ELSA) be sure your application states Vans Aircraft Inc. as the manufacturer. Your registration and aircraft plaque must both show Vans as the manufacturer. With your final paperwork, Vans will send you an affidavit to this effect, which the FAA will accept. Apparently, when the Aircraft Registration Branch "gives birth" to your plane, they consider Vans as the manufacturer and yourself as the "assembler".
Just so I don't sound like a know-it-all, I learned this lesson the hard way, and it took me MANY months to straighten out. It was, in fact, possibly the most difficult issue of the entire RV-12 process!
I purchased many tools for the specific purpose of building my '12, and now that the process is complete, I'd be happy to part with my pneumatic riveter, my squeezer, most of my clecos, etc. for a fair price.
Again, welcome. This blog was more helpful to me than any other single resource in my build. My plane came out great, and I knew practically nothing when I began. I went with every option except for the dual EFIS. The auto pilot is quite decent, and the ADS-B is to-die-for! I retired off the Airbus A320 in '08, and the EFIS in the RV-12 is superior to that, IMHO.
Jim Rogers
N448JR