RecyMech

Nil illegitimi carborundum ! :beatenup: You'll sneak up on the bugger one day & take it by surprise...then it'll work just fine:-D:-D Keep at it ! H.

Nice one Andy, nice one ! Wish I could make it down in person but sadly not.......Just hope some kind soul will be waving a video camera about on the day ??...anyone ?? H

Afternoon all, Have just (almost) completed the first test build of the 1/24th scale Saladin kit (just the engine louvre mesh to add) Have pasted up further 10 large pics, here;- http://www.kitformservices.com/standard.html Just scroll down to Saladin & click the little camera icons to view. Hope you like it & all comments very welcome. Best regs....H

Evening all, Just a hearty thank you to the fellas on here how have kindly helped me out with details for the 1/24th Saladin kit over the past few months. First sample casting sets arrived last week & I'll shortly be getting stuck into the test build & instructions....if I can just remember how it all fits together :undecided: Will post up again when the first test build is done, but in the meantime, you can see a picture of all 469 kit parts here;- http://www.kitformservices.com click 'Military Range' & scroll own a bit. Best regs........H

Guess that makes it one-nil to the Cromwell then ?. (Two nil really cause its British & that's enough on its own!) H

Would'nt want to get the bill for all the copper pipe & unions....hope the plumber gave you a quote in writing :D Cracking ingenuity though. H

Steve, Speaking AS A MANUFACTURER ....you're quite right, it would have lots of commercial potential (or would it given the costs involved), but so do 1000 other subjects & their followers feel the same way about their passions as you do about yours. I hear it every single day "Oh you must do a nineteen canteen so & so it would be a big seller". The simple fact is that these things cost money & lots of it. AND, quite often the people who cried out for it at the start some how go quiet when it's actually available & needs paying for. The plastic kit manufacturers won't touch it (not in 1/24th/25th anyway) with a bargepole unless it looks set to guarantee sales in excess of of 50,000. Purely because of the massive tooling costs. Resin manufacturers tend to stick to 1/35th for military subjects (for obvious reasons) which then leaves odd balls like me doing 1/24th civilian truck & military subjects in 1/24th. Heres a taster for you...in 1/24th scale a complete, fully detailed, from the ground up, kit of a Diamond T with it's trailer, in resin, white metal & brass etch, would cost in excess of £600.00. Now if you'd like to purchase the first run of 50 kits at that price I might be interested. Howard @ KFS

Only a week to go now & I pick up the sample castings of the 1/24th Saladin from the casters. Thens it's a good two week slog to test build the kit(s) & prep the instructions sets. Nearly there now. Will let everyone see the results in due course:cool2::cool2::cool2: H PS Pete Those are the very same div signs I'm supplying as decals with the 1/24th kit (well, one of several alternatives anyway)

There is no D/T in 24th or 25th as far as I'm aware. A 1/24th Antar is on the cards (long term) along with it's trailer to carry the 1/24th Conqueror we`ve got planned....but as I said...long term. Howard @ KFS

Only a week to go now & I pick up the sample castings of the 1/24th Saladin from the casters. Thens it's a good two week slog to test build the kit(s) & prep the instructions sets. Nearly there now. Will let everyone see the results in due course:cool2::cool2::cool2: H

Ah, nice one Andy, thanks for that Not a view I saw very often though....mine was usually 'lower down' & rather more mud splashed...happy days though !! H

Andy, Looking at the various books & publications I have on Conq, it seems the driver controls are laid out the same as Cent (well the gun tank anyway)....is it just like driving a slightly bigger Cent then ???? Left stick driver ! H

Keep at it Andy...still very much looking forward to seeing (& hearing) her run properly. Who gets the honour of the first thrash over the slab by the way ? H

All good things come to those who 'hurry up & wait'. H

Bummer, sorry to hear that Andy....never mins s**t happens eh? You'll crack it though, besides at her age she's allowed to be temperamental, right ? H

You're doing a great job though Andy. Nil Illegitami Carborundum mate (dont let it grind you down) Looking forward to seeing the vid of on the slab. Keep it up. H

Quote Waggy;- The tank eventually became totally submerged in mud and was unrecoverable and it is alledgely still there. I have also heard another story relating to this same incident claiming that the driver died in the incident? The Chiefy that missed the hard crossing (which was clearly mine taped) at the Causeway on Saltau was a troop commanders tank, it was late 1974 or early 75 & it was the 13/18th Royal Hussars (QMO) on their very first exercise in BAOR having taken over from QOH. It was the early hours of the morning, the driver was driving with the hatch open & his gas kit under his seat, the gun was over the rear & therefore the turret bustle above his head. The tank nose dived into the bog & the water line in the turret came up to the B47 radio. The driver could not drop his seat due to the gas kit & unable to escape drowned in the mud. The troop commander made several attempts to dive down under the mud to rescue the driver from within the turret, by this time the driver was already dead of course & due to the gas kit under his seat the troopie could do nothing. Six Chieftains, linked up with their tow ropes tried to pull it out & failed. The first Cent ARV, B Sqn, raced to the scene via Bispingen village high street, (out of bounds to tracked vehicles), in order to get there quickly. In doing so it very nearly sliced the roof off a Beetle with its spade while making a neutral turn. The Beetle had 2 German civvies on board who later reported the ARV to the German Police. Once on the scene the recy mech tried a quick tow chain pull using the heavy recovery chains from the front of his ARV to the back of the Cheiftain, this failed. The next attempt was a 1;1 straight pull, having turned around & dropped its spade, the Chieftain moved very slightly but the ARV broke its winch rope. A second Cent ARV, A Sqn, arrived 30 minutes later & a 2;1 pull was laid out. The Chieftain WAS recovered & did not sink without trace. L/Cpl H Whitehead. Recy Mech, B Sqn LAD, 13/18RH. 1974/5. (yes it was me) H

Quote;- Doesn't it look so much smarter than a Stalwart? Interesting, different, curious, yes....but smarter than a Stolly?...never. H

Oooooh, you're deffo getting there Andy, starting to sound so much better now. :wow: Could only get the one vid, have to wait for the other till it uploads or something it says. Shall try again in the morning. (Fresh box of tissues at the high port) BRILL...keep up the great work. H

Quote;-On the civilian cab TK's, there is no removable panel between the seats to access the front of the engine ( as in M series), so no choice, you would have to drop the rad on a KM or TK. Agreed, but my only point was, as the rad (on a TK anyway) is not that difficult to remove it just makes access to the pump that much easier. You can see exactly what you're doing & you're sitting upright rather than working through a hole. Coolant has to be drained anyway so might as well drop the rad would be my choice. H

Ah, noted. Ta H

Just my two pennyworth.....after leaving the mob & taking up civy spanners I regulary used to work on KMs & TKs.....to change a water pump I just used to drop the radiator & then sit under neath & do it. In my defence it's been a long long time since I did the last one but I don't recall it being a problem doing this way. H

Waggy, Ah yes, that brought back a memory.....the sickly smell of cooking coolant....let me think what was it called AL-7 or something like that was it ??....& were'nt the bag charge bins filled with the same stuff around the liners ? By the way I never did get to find out what a 'vent tube' was (its been 30 odd years I think I have the term right) .....out of latent curiosity can you fill me in? Cheers. H

Good progress...ironing the bugs out one by one....SO looking forward to hearing it & seeing it on song. Cracker. H

Having never tried to buy one I could'nt swear to this, but I would guess that any early mark Chiefy would have been constantly updated with mod kits (pretty much as we were doing in service), therefore the chance of accidentally buying an early mark, as such, I would think is pretty slim. Even the ones we`ve seen pictures of on ranges & on Slab Common have mostly got as far as having laser range finding kit kitted. I think you're biggest worry is simply going to be the L60 regardless of which mark it is....even the very last ones built are now 'old'. best of luck though. H