eddy8men

hi fella's can't get the pics of the carrier on the forum, i think it's because the format is wrong as they are bitmap and might not be supported by the forum software but i'm a right spaz when it comes to technology although i've not struggled before, if no one can come up with an idea on how to load them i'll get my techno mate to sort it but might take a while. all the best eddy

hi alistair i like the t16, it's a better thought out machine than the bren so i say get it if you can, but don't rush it, if it feels right don't hesitate to buy it but if it's borderline then keep looking for a bit longer, i'm glad i didn't go for those 2 t16's from saracen exports as they were really poor and i ended up with the mk 1 from midwest military, if i was you i'd start waving some cash at the aussies and canadians and see what happens, i'd reckon on 2 bad' uns or 1 good one for $10k and then another £2.5k to get it shipped over. if i can find a valentine chassis out there i'll go halfs on the shipping with you . i'll get a resto thread going when the container gets to liverpool eddy

that sdkfz 251 will get some people excited, sunny bosnia, i was there in 94 with the duke of boots welcome to the forum eddy

thanks andy don't need the axle and track for my carrier but i'll pass it on. just like to say thanks for the links you've posted for me, i owe you a pint. cheers eddy

thanks for posting the pics bob. eddy

hi fella's kevin we'll have to get together for a chat, i had the same idea reference parts, i was also going to see if i could get another vehicle/carrier parts in there, trouble is i got an email from john at midwest military saying he had already shipped the container, bit strange that as i asked him for help finding the major assemblies. i didn't even get to buy any panels from him, i've a feeling he might of got wind of my plan to chuck some more gear in the container and thought sod that. maybe i should have kept schtum about it. anyway the pics of the carrier arrived via email as well and now that you all know that i need to source all the missing components from the uk i am appealing to all the carrier parts horders out there to take pity on a poor working lad from manchester i'll post the pics tommorrow when i figure out how to change the format to put them on the forum but basically as i mentioned before i need the engine and rad cheers fella's eddy

adrian you're not arrogant, you're just an expert in you're chosen field, and when i grow up i want to be just like you

i just like looking at the pictures it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy ignorance is bliss

no pressure then to get her ready in time for A & E

great i'm going, might even have the carrier on the go by then. cheers eddy

i was just thinking , damn ! it would have been nice to have been on the scene in the eighties and nineties, but do you know what those guys from the eighties and nineties were probably thinking. damn ! it would have been nice in the sixties and seventies. i think the availability of kit is an ongoing saga and when you look at it like that it seems obvious that these things will become more scarce to find in "project" condition but at least they are still available for now and in twenty years time you know they'll be looking back at us newbies and thinking it was easy for us "back in the day". eddy

you're probably right adrian, i think i might be guilty of over romanticizing the greasy enthusiasts and as you know i'm no old sweat when it comes to the hobby it's just that one story i read in the windscreen magazine has inspired me but the difference between then and now is striking, it was about the recovery of a sherman barrv from pounds yard by 3 guys armed only with a few tools, a new battery and a bit of cash, to me it was the ideal way to go about it,a few mates having a go at it, they got it going and shifted in a couple of days then cleaned and painted it battleship grey because that was the paint colour that was going cheap at the yard (i think it's still that colour now) and if i remember right they did it all in a month in time for a show, that's the kind of thing that i had envisaged when i started looking for range wrecks to recover. trouble is us "guys" are still out there but the opportunities aren't because tanks are so valuable now there's no fixer uppers in any yards. don't take this post as a moan, merely an observation, i bet those guys with the jeeps wished they would have bought 6 or 7 grizzlies instead. eddy

i love that kind of stuff, just wish it was me doing the digging

i agree that more shows in the north is what's required, i wonder if the local mvt might get something going, i'm going to join the mvt so i will suggest it although i feel the paperwork and commitment required to organise something like that would be enormous so not something i'd like to tackle if i'm being honest but many hands make light work, you'd think the iwm north would do something along those lines but i've not heard of anything. eddy

i wondered who it was that was restoring the three churchills !!! i believe the trouble with ww2 armour is the exponential increase in value that has happened in the last few years which i believe is both good and bad for the hobby, good because previous wrecks fit only for the scrapper now seem like prized gems and are now economically viable and bad because it's pricing out the true core of the hobby, the greasy enthusiasts. to be replaced by the men with money and that means it's run as a business which in turn might lead to people forgetting why ww2 kit is so valuable in the first place. it's because of the sacrifices made by the men of the last world war, it's in honour of their memory that many get into the hobby to begin with, i know i did. it's not all bad though,men will come and go but that armour will last an awfully long time once it's restored. eddy

the plot thickens ! :cool2:

i believe nigel montgomery has it. can anyone confirm this eddy

not much work needed here, as you can see, drop of red lead and a couple of top coats and it'll be reet

hi fella's all this talk of churchills has made me remember how i started out on the forum, it's funny looking back now but i first saw the sheffield churchill on the "churchill register" and it was this tank that gave me the idea of how to get into the world of mv's. my plan was a simple one ,find a range wreck in reasonable condition, recover it ,paint it green and simply swap it for the sheffield tank :cool2: which incidentally was very complete, apparently it was driven on to the plinth after which the oil was drained from the engine while it was running in order to seize it up and stop anyone moving it later, (restorations of ww2 gun tanks don't get easier than that) , unfortunately there were several flaws in my plan the first one being that you can't get stuff off the ranges as easily as before and even if you could it might have proved hard to get sheffield council to swap it but in my tiny little mind it was perfectly feasible but then again no one could ever accuse me of being overly realistic and if i'm being honest i like it like that. eddy

hi fella's thanks for the heads up on the mlu but i'm already a member, infact it was on mlu that i saw the carrier advertised for sale alistair i think you may be right when you say i might have to put the range stuff on the back burner at least for a while as i'm not sure where i can find the time to restore the carrier and carry on with the other stuff, we'll see what happens. cheers eddy

hi andy nice one, i hadn't realised that anybody else would have a carrier and be so nearby if he's ok with me having a good look round it would go a long way to help me restore mine. books and advice is great but there's nothing like getting your hands on something for getting to grips with it. many thanks eddy

the polish lads are like politicians, they'll do anything if you pay 'em enough

thanks mate you're right i'll need elbow grease,a tin of green paint and a big pole (my labourer, marek) eddy

hi try the churchill register http://freespace.virgin.net/chris.shillito/a22new/register/uk.htm regards eddy

hi fella's now, there's a few people out there that knew i was interested/obsessed with getting some ww2 armour off one of our ranges and i'd like to say that dream hasn't died or been replaced by the carrier it's just that i'm a little impatient and didn't want to wait any longer so i've cheated and bought something and besides i'll need it to get me around the impact area i decided to take the plunge and go for what i believe was a good carrier in restorable condition and i'm hoping that when i open that shipping container i won't be disappionted.i bought the carrier on monday from a chap called john at midwest military in minnesota for the asking price of £5500 which seemed fair enough,the bad bit is it'll cost another £2500 for a 20 ft shipping container, although seeing as how the carrier is only 12 ft i might be able to squeeze a few more bits in there like an m3 half track or a couple more carriers but i won't tell the other half just yet, as that would ruin the surprise for her when we open the container at liverpool docks.:shocked: so now we come to the inevitable begging for parts plea for those of you gracious enough take pitty on a first timer,i'm gonna need an engine, box ,rad,oil cooler and steering wheel with bevel box, the rest i'll get from halfords :-) my priority is to get the thing going and start enjoying it as soon as possible, the restoration proper can wait til stuff comes up. if anyone is intersted in helping me restore and display the carrier then let me know, my intention is for it to be displayed at every oportunity, whether i am there personally or not isn't important getting a bit of armour "out there" is my goal so you would be welcome to take the carrier to display on your own (just bring it back again), i don't know how the idea will pan out but i'd like to try it, maybe we could get a group of like minded guys together, we'll see. here's the link to the carrier any help or observations are welcome, this is my first go at this so i'm going to need a bit of advise and help so don't be shy whatever you can offer in the way of help will be much appreciated. http://www.midwestmil.com/brenmk1sale.html (no pics now, only a little write up) cheers eddy