ArtistsRifles Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 As regards being there early - for some people it is their holiday... For myself I enjoy the days of quiet before the show opens to the public. It give a chance to relax and socialise during the day, fine tune the display down in living history and go through the battle plans for the arena. Because the Red Alliance is spread all over Europe - and beyond - those few days are the only chance we get to dry run the battles as a group. Only so much can be planned on paper as the arena is by its nature a dynamic thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 I was surprised to see so many people leave in the daytime. Aren't they supposed to wait till after the show closes for the public? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FW200 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Yeah the show definitely needs to come up with a solution for that.. Either close the show earlier and make the sunday show cheaper or something.. We had almost no visitors on the sunday to our Living History pitch.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 That might have had something to do with the weather :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinkypete618 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 We had a really good show despite the mud rain etc..all the marshals that i spoke to were very helpful and friendly. What annoyed me was the lack of tracked vehicles that could not be bothered to enter the arena! probably for fear of getting them muddy no doubt! I was in the arena in my ot-90 as much as i could and even in some that i shouldn't have been in, personally i think the arena was lacking in vehicles most times! Sunday was appalling for vehicle entries as most of the lamers had gone home Saturday! This affected the crowd around the arena alot.. Speaking with the arena marshals on our cold war runs, they were quite impressed with the amount of Russian/E-Bloc vehicles attending all our runs this year and were quite happy for us to stay a little longer going mad and putting on a good show! I think that marshals or someone should encourage vehicle owners much more to attend all the arena activities to put on a spectacular display for the paying crowds rather than a dreary few vehicles bumberling around the arena a few times! At the end of the day its down to us the vehicle owners/drivers to make this happen and have some fun in the arena! Rex and his team did a fantastic job this year and it will only get better as they get more organized, thanks for an awesome time guys. Regards Nick ot-90 The marshals face lit up seeing a convoy of Russian trucks arrive. On the way out he could not thank us enough for coming out to play!! We dragged every vehicle we could out of our camp, just leaving a Gaz66 which was stuck in 2wd. We made 2 Gaz 66 and 2 Uaz 452, into the arena then Nick and Neal arrived plus others and it was great fun banging around in the mud. Commentator wasnt sure what my Uaz was so i handed my info sheet to them as did a gaz66 and hopefully people saw them and maybe learnt a bit more about the east block vehicles. I always think there is such a small number of these vehicles in the uk we need to thrash them about so people can see them and what they are capable of, espeacily in those muddy conditions!! If we got the timing right next year Nick im sure we could cover alot of the Russian vehicle fleet from armour down to all the small things!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Apparently one of the guys in 2nd Battle Group saw the OT's whizzing around, realized what they were capable of and, being a BAOR veteran, shook his head and said "we wouldn't have stood a chance". An interesting comment!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff66 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 yeh just slow down russkies for maybe 36 hours till it all went NBC!!!!:cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Yeah the show definitely needs to come up with a solution for that.. Either close the show earlier and make the sunday show cheaper or something.. The Great Dorset Steam Fair wrestled with this problem. A couple of years ago they took a pragmatic view & the show now finishes at 3.00pm on the Sunday with a reduced entrance fee on that day. Slipping out early from a show can be tempting I know. This weekend I went to new show for me but I noticed many slipping out at 4.00pm, I thought this rather unsporting as I had agreed to stay until 5.00pm. This I did but my reward for doing my duty was to queue for 1.5 hours just to leave the site through one entrance/exit. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gas 44 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 (edited) Lets be totally honest here, 90% of the vehicle show is made up by 5% of the people that slip in some time earlier than the first Friday,rope off huge areas of grass in the prime location's. Im not sure how this happens with our overseas visitors....but it does. With this in mind if i end up in the back and beyond I will go home when I wish. After reading some of the other posts my conclusion is that a lot of people using the arena do so because perhaps they cant/wont/dont drive their vehicles on the road. W&P gives the opportunity to have a good thrash round burn a few gallons,and as a bonus amuses the public. Again blunt honesty here do you do it for them or your own fun.....I know which camp I am in. Of course if your transport/fuel cost is supplimented by the show,then of course you have a duty to go into the arena and entertain the paying public. I neither want or get any monies, I pay to attend the show (which i think is GREAT value) I spend a fair amount on fuel getting there,my vehicle is on show most of the time, so I feel no need to belt around and around in circles with people watching. Sorry if this is a bit blunt but I don't try to polish a tu*d.......roll them glitter yes but never polish,your hands get mucky...... Edited August 4, 2014 by gas 44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billruston Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 We packed up Sunday about 5 in the morning, only as are lorrys was booked to leave at 9, but I'm glad we left then as it was a bugger to get out that early let alone the photos I sore of how manic it was to leave later, plus we had done 10 days and felt exhausted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Packhow75 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Seen a lot of comments along the lines of "a lot less vehicles than previous years"... Consider 2014 is the 70th anniversary of the following: Operation Overlord Operation Dragoon Operation Market-Garden Maybe like me, you want to go to the 70th Anniversary of one or all of the above - and some others... but you have limited holiday allowance... That said I did get some kit to W&P, though it was left in care of friends because I didnt have time to be there for the whole show... as am keeping my holiday allowance for WW2 anniversaries. Would be useful to have another exit gate... would also be useful to prevent 432 owners from joy riding around the support vehicle car park... dont know who it was or why, but it was muddy enough to start with! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_bish Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 "I don't try to polish a tu*d.......roll them glitter yes but never polish,your hands get mucky......" lovely embellishment on that classic phrase. Not heard the rolling in polish bit before. Will sue that one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz48 Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 W&PR is not an easy jaunt with say a 70-somthing year old vehicle from anywhere in the UK Kent and Sussex excepted. Driven or transported is not without considerable cost. Getting booked in can be a test of patience; absorbing unexpected additional cost annoying acclimatising to the differing interpretations applied by the marshals and helpers to what is and is not permitted. The lack of common politeness shown to exhibitors when an indiscretion is perceived only to note the same indiscretion is tolerated and encouraged in others. The question is it worth it with many good local friendlier shows much lighter on the pocket should you be surprised vehicles didn’t trot around an arena dominated by a bus. If for you the show was a good experience you will be back, if not you won’t, who cares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff66 Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 its not overly easy from parts of sussex, for me last year it was a 100 pounds in fuel for a return trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I think the Normandy 'affect' had some effect on this years show as it seemed very very quiet. I think for many, budgets and allowances were used up for the 70th. Certainly my last W&PR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billruston Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 This years war and peace cost £850 for me, it certainly hurts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I don't even want to think it cost me in fuel and low-loader costs as well as living costs. It is worth it while I can afford it as its the only place I get to meet a lot of friends from overseas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.303fan Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 we had 2 vehicles and 4 people going to the show from Ymond region in holland, 1 vehicle and 2 people from Lincolnshire. i think we spend 1500 pounds on transport, forgotten gear replacement, extra ropes , parts during the trip etc. we only do 1 show a year on a scale like this... :-) i will be there next time. from the first show onwards we grew a friendship between us en the organizers. i will not throw it away while the show needs to grow. ps, my main aggravation was the dam busters set up with the dog house with the name Digger. re write the whole past instead of a single name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 <snipped>ps, my main aggravation was the dam busters set up with the dog house with the name Digger. re write the whole past instead of a single name. What?? Damn - I missed that part of the show......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryH57 Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) It's understandable that a visit to Normandy 2014 would have used up an owner's holiday and their hobby fuel allowance, and therefore WPR in Folkestone would have been too far for most MV owners who did not live in the South East. However 2015 is the 70th Anniversary of VE-Day and Channel Islands Liberation, so its likely next year's show will off the list of events for many already! Another thing that needs to be taken in to consideration is the age of MV owners which is increasing, so many are less able to stand driving long distances in their pride and joy let alone camping out for a week! Perhaps the show should be held every other year in Kent and every other year in the Midlands, otherwise its not going to get some of the old time MVs to attend, that I know are out there. Edited August 7, 2014 by LarryH57 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.303fan Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 What?? Damn - I missed that part of the show......... It was at the Peace section with the aircraft replicas, i made a few notions that they could re write it so Guy Fawkes could be the main figure and war movies don't get nazi's as they offend people too. One of my best friends got a little black dog named Nigger, after the famous one and the black community respects it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 TBH, if it would have had the correct name on it I bet you'd see a lot of media about it. Before you kinow a newspaper article says; "Racist outburst at MV show", "are MV owners racists and nazi's" . Well you know what I mean, media loves to polarise at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.303fan Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 A word only has the value given to it. me as a person cannot live with such imperfections, things are as the should be or leave it completely. Just think about starting to cut out stuff, where does it end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz48 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 A word only has the value given to it.me as a person cannot live with such imperfections, things are as the should be or leave it completely. Just think about starting to cut out stuff, where does it end? I'm sure you will be told it was to avoid offending - but offending who Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gas 44 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I'm sure you will be told it was to avoid offending - but offending who TBH as born and bred English there is an awful lot offending me in this country now.....but am I in the minority ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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