>---------------
>Normal behaviour. If you need to modify the Toolstrip then you will need to specifically surface it as a property of the Form.
>---------------
>Could you please tell me what this means or how it is done?

Hi,
In the base class form something like :

public ToolStrip InternalToolStrip
{
     get { return toolStrip1; }
     set { toolStrip1 = value; }
}

then in the Derived form you can access its properties e.g:

this.InternalToolStrip.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Black;

Regards,
Viv