ferretfixer

I know who makes these. They are not genuine factory manufactured 'weapons'. But cobbled together from left over parts. I was involved in manufacturing GPMGS & .50" Cal BMGs for many years. The Nomenclature was ALWAYS engraved on the side. with an industrial engraver! These have HAND STAMPED letters/ number & are NOT correct! it is as close as you will get to a 'Realistic' GPMG these days. As they are rare in private hands!....Their were a number of MAG 58's ex Indian Army floating about at one time. 'converted' to Brit L7 Spec. But these are now in private collections/ permanently with a vehicle display....

Or Lord Montagues' unwanted cast offs?.........(Allegedly!).....:cool2:

RE: 'Laid back with Flexibility'. Yes agreed, but it's not Rex;s 'Baby' any longer, is it?..... 'Drop the entry fee' TOTALY agree Terry! I don't know of any other show that charges entrant's these days? (If a member of a vehicle owning organisation) FULLY concur with the expense & logistics involved for US vehicle owners to get to a show! No entrants = NO SHOW!!!!!!!!......& it is obvious, that a LOT of people have voted with their feet so to speak. & did not attend due to the above points..... The new 'Owner' of W&P has it in built, with the 'Admin Fee' of an extra £10 for toilets & showers. You have absolutely NO CHOICE on this topic!.......Good 'Marketing'...or simple greed?.... it was ALWAYS a bone of contention, regarding the terrible state of affairs. Over toilets & showers at Beltring. Will the new 'Owners' rectify this, as they tried to do at Folkestone?........they SHOULD, if they 'force' you to pay the 'Admin Fee' of £10...... Who is looking forward to having their tents stolen, As well as equipment this year?..........Another 'Bonus' at Beltring!!!..... Mike.

Hey! What's the 'Crack' Here?..........:-D

No, I THINK He means all LMG class of Deacts. PRE April 8th 2016. ALL of this class were allowed 'dry' working actions. PRE 8th April 2016, they ALL now have to be welded solid, with NO internal moving actions..........One of the 'Bonus's' of being in the EU.............STILL!!!!! :mad:

Yes, yet ANOTHER excellent bonus/ feature of attending Folkestone!.........:cry:

Although Beltring was originally the 'Home' of W&P. I must say I REALLY liked the Folkestone venue! Not just because it was only up the road from me. I REALLY enjoyed the fresh feeling of the greenery & the MASSIVE amount of space you could spread out in! to Me & others, the ATMOS there was excellent! Sure there was a feeling of 'Anti' towards the 'new' owner of the show. For the way he imposed fees for simply attending with your vehicle(s) & the imposition of a fee for 'admin' towards showers & toilets. The lack of free transport for Armour. Which was a show decider, & 'must see'. For a LOT of members & Public alike. but when we sat down & discussed it. Where else could you get facilities & a show atmos like this for the attendance fee being charged? So we swallowed it, & accepted what had unfolded. After all, it was THE show to go to, no?.... Beltring: With it's 'Memories' of Dust & Filth that stuck to your vehicle even when it rained! The glutinous mud that abounded when it rained also.The abysmal toilets & showers that were an epic FAIL in everybody's view!......The lack of space to spread out if you didn't get a pitch early!...... Yes I will go to Beltring again. As it is THE show, but with slight reluctance on my part. As I grew to REALLY like & Enjoy Folkestone!.....I'm SURE the uppermost thought in most peoples minds now will be: 'Is 'He' going to charge the 'extra admin fee' for toilets & showers. And FAIL to provide sufficient/ efficient Facilities also?...... It is bad form though, to charge for the facilities. For people who would not need them. I for one, have modified my set up so I am totally self sufficient. but when filling out entry forms. you are left with NO CHOICE. As to whether you wish to engage with the 'facilities' or not! you STILL are FORCED to pay. If you wish to enter a vehicle etc........Clever, or Greedy Marketing Strategy? You decide..... just my own thoughts laid here. I'm sure there will be many who disagree? But that is Freedom of speech, which we are supposed to 'enjoy' in this country?.....:nut:

Have you approached the Tank Museum at Bovington? As it is a National Asset, & always short on funds. They rely on 'Friends of the Museum' to provide labour in their spare Time. To restore/ maintain most of the exhibits. With this opportunity to get a rare WWI tank engine properly restored. (The KEY point being, it wouldn't cost THEM to get this done!) It MIGHT galvanise them to get one of Their other WWI tanks up to restored running condition?.......:cool2: Just a thought.......

VERY nice selection of bicycles! I like the look of Parabikes, & have owned three over the years. However, they LOOK very nice. But they are most uncomfortable to ride I found! If you have to turn the handlebars a bit wider than the 'Norm'. Your feet foul the front wheel I discovered! HARD work cross country with only one crank tooth set available as well! :-D

VERY nicely done little 'Bug'! These were used as GP run-around's as well. & also issued to the British Control Commission. To supplement the fleet of soft skin vehicles. On routine garrison liaison duties. Much more comfortable than a small 15 CWT Truck! Soft skin as in this case, 'Specialist Vehicles'. Were not in the Army's general usage inventory during the war years, as combat vehicles with cross country capability was the priority. These Beetles were constructed at the Former VW works from parts left over from German production. The story of Capt Ivan Hirst R.EM.E is well known. In the reconstruction & limited production commenced from the wreckage of allied attacks during the war. Wolfsburg as well as other major manufacturing factories, were also pressed into use. As Major Workshop repair facilities for the maintenance & repairs on British Army Mechanical transport as well. My Uncle was also involved in Gratz in Austria, at the Former Steyr Works for that exact task! The Beetle has always bee a favourite of mine & I used to own a 1303, & also a 1944 Kubelwagen at one time. They are both so easy to work on! Typical German engineering! They thought about the mechanics who would have to work on them. I could get the engine out on my Beetle, in twenty minute's!

Yes indeed! The common COURTESY of a phone call. Would have prevented all of this Mess! The time wasted when I could have found another Haulier, the patient & understanding waiting by myself. Trying to be decent about it all. Only to find that they front out with absolutely NO responsibly for their own shortcoming. And blamed ME, would you believe. For what THEY had FAILED to do!!.... All very saddening I feel.......:-( However! On the plus side, Through this Forum. I have met in the flesh, So MANY Decent & Honourable People here. It glosses over all the negative feelings built up over all of this Mess when I think about it! :thumbsup: I am a regular contributor to this Forum myself, as are many others. & the Help & pleasure I have received over the years on here. Make it a VERY positive experience, & indeed a good feeling. Of being a Fellow HMVF Member! In the words of Sister Sledge: 'WE ARE FAMILY'........:thanx:

I need to Transport an RB 44 with Radio Body from TN23 in Kent. Up to CO7 outside Colchester. (Great Raydon Airfield) I have had the most frustrating & unpleasant experience of being let down by a Forum recommended Haulier!! It was agreed for a collection date of 30th November last year to collect the vehicle. After attempting to re contact Nigel of WHB Recovery with no result. A Lady representative Finally got back to Me, to inform Me he had had a family Bereavement. That was perfectly understandable. Towards the end of December I felt that enough time had elapsed to approach the 'Company' again. It took ages to get a reply from this Lady working off a Mobile phone only..... After some basic research, it transpires there is no company premises as such. It is based on a farm, fair enough. But they do not have an office, they do NOT have a landline number (Strange for a 'Business') there is absolutely NO way to contact them except by Nigel's mobile phone!.......I have left NUMEROUS Messages without the courtesy of a reply back from him! I have also sent LOTS of messages via Ebay in an attempt to elicit a response. Which although delayed in replies, She did get back to me. with what I felt were excuses that didn't hold up. Each excuse was met with a polite but factual reply by Me! I had been informed that he was back at work, but STILL was not replying to messages left on his phone!. I FINALLY managed to get to speak to him today (Sunday) where he got really annoyed & a stated 'Its Sunday' & Rang off!.... Well, yes it IS. But if you fail to respond to ANY phone messages. the person at the other end does NOT know what is going on!!!!! & I only did this, as some companies DO drive on Sundays in the UK. Completely inaccurate information was passed to the Lady Rep about my Truck. & I have no idea how THAT was formulated? I have tried to be charitable & understanding over all of this. HOWEVER, this whole episode has left Me with no option but to feel. The outfit is run on a shoestring, EXTREMELY Unprofessional Customer Service, Almost TWO MONTHs have elapsed since an initial agreed collection date was installed. There is no sentiment in Business we are told. & even after attempting to be VERY understanding from my end. I feel the whole mess was avoidable. All with the return of just ONE phone call !!!!...... So, time is passing, & I STILL need to get this truck to the location for repairs. So I can attend W&P this year! Can anyone recommend a RELIABLE, HONEST & Fair priced Haulier. recovery Firm to tackle this simple task? The truck can drive to the low loader, But will most likely need winching up the ramps. Or dragging up with a HIAB/ ATLAS crane. As it has a badly slipping clutch! Hence the requirement to get it up to Colchester for the repairs! HELP, PLEASE !!!!!.............. Mike.

And if you have difficulty in removing the lid from the chocolate spread jar. I suggest you use an oil filter strap wrench for this task!...............:-D

I agree! Germany I consider my Second Home! :thumbsup: Would I do it all again?.......In a heart Beat! ( as long as I had my Higher rank, gained later in Service!) :-D

Nope, nothing seen here?

Superb Work Johan! Well, necessity being the Mother of invention. As the current prices of genuine WWII Armour, are out of the range of us mere mortals! I guess yours is the only route to go! With all of this going on, I am left with the following observation: I wish I, had the luxury of time, to be able to tackle something like this! Well Done that Man!

As this was a Crime & duly reported to Police. And you have the official crime ref: number, you might try applying to the army Medal office for official replacements' perhaps? Just a thought, they do issue replacements under certain circumstance's. :thumbsup:

A useful Tip If I may proffer some advice regarding sandbags? If you want a realistic looking display with sandbags. DONT fill them with old Clothing/ Material or expanded polystyrene. They will NOT lay 'right' & will blow about in strong winds!..... I have found the ideal method. If you are fortunate enough to live near a sawmill/ lumber yard. One of the things produced as a by product, & not wanted by them is Sawdust! If you approach them & explain what you need the sawdust for. They will be more than happy for you to help yourself! Put a good quality plastic Bag / Bin liner inside the sand bag first. (NOT a thin flimsy type!) & fill with sawdust until full. The sandbag SHOULD have a pair of attached ties. If not, use some string, to close them up securely. You will then see, they Lay 'Correctly'. & LOOK like that they are full of sand, but do NOT (Thankfully!) have the weight of a bag full of actual sand!....:cool2: You can then safely carry MANY of them in the back of your vehicle, or a trailer to a display at a show.

Ask the 'Seller' if you can pay him cash. When you come to collect it!....Then see how he responds!........:cool2:

Tony, It makes you wonder what it did to your insides then!....:-D Another Crafty back door 'Chemical Warfare' item, aimed at targeting Her Imperial Majesty's Armed forces!..........:cool2:

VERY surprised to see no Candelabra & No Napkin ring!..............:cool2:

AND Nightmares!......:-D

We had it drummed into us when I was in Basic Training, back in the day. This type of equipment worn round the ankles over boots. Were termed 'Anklets'.... 'Only Fu**ing Vicars wear Gaiters' We were 'Informed' in no uncertain terms!....:-X

Hello Rainer, I too. Served many years in Germany, as was on Spear point / Crusader 80. The likes of major field exercises like these will never been seen again, sadly. The financial cost & logistic nightmare theses days prohibit such things! :cry: I crossed the Weser at 2.am in the morning in a Bedford 3 ton truck. VERY precarious with no lights & DEEP water on either side!!! you REALLY did concentrate on your driving at THAT time!...:cool2: Welcome to this website, you will find a 'Lot' of Us here are 'Army Balmy'. So you will be in good company! :-D