jchinuk

Ignoring the wisdom or otherwise of these cuts (no politics please !) I read somewhere that vehicle numbers may be reduced by 40% from current. On this basis I'll be watching the Withams tenders most closely for the following:

 

Warrior

Chally 2

Foden DROPs (yes I know some already out)

MRLS

Wolf

 

What would your choices be...?

There is a fair chance that the C2s and AS90s will end up in the fancy storage facility at Ashchurch, a "shrink-wrapped" MBT is a sight to behold!

What is mildly annoying is that the P1154 (the proposed supersonic Harrier) was cancelled along with the TSR2. If we had developed that we probably would not be buying the JSF!

jch

I think I'd rather have seen the tank museums money go on restoring or at least preserving some of these wrecks than the fancy new frontage to the building.

 

Even a simple canopy over them and removing the plant growth would help slow the deterioration.

Or spending ££££ on a Tiger that rarely runs?

jch

check the all important words of the Museums act in that they CANNOT SELL any item directly to anyone and that any item for disposal must firstly be offered to any other interested Museum,Once this criteria is follwed then and only then can it be allowed to be placed out to tender normally for scrap value.

 

Happened at Firepower witrh forced closure of the Rotunda.

I think the balance of the old Rotunda collection is at the Snetterton museum, they even have the old name plates from Woolwich. Sadly it's still outside, though I'm guessing the air in East Anglia is less hostle than SE London?

There are several preserved guns around the Larkhill Camp, again which would benefit from being indoors.

jch

You make costumes out of it. I'm waiting for someone to ban fake barbed wire in case some numpty uses the real stuff instead ...

 

Andy

Thanks Andy, you learn something everyday, well I do anyway :shocked:

got a short length of it last year from asda ! (halloween aisle).....looks ok on Jeep front bumper.

While I abhor the Americanisation of Halloween, I don't quite get the connection between barbed wire and spooks and ghoulies! Unless they supplied REAL barbed wire to keep the little "trick or treaters" off the grounds.

I shot this at the Battlefront museum, Snetterton last weekend and could not get any details from the staff, any ideas?

 

Thanks

Rob

I visited this collection yesterday, the trailer has a "Shorts" ID plate.

It says "Trailer Two Wheel Director". As it's parked along with the training aids (and field kitchens) I suspect it's some sort of demo or training device?

Hope this helps.

jch

 

Do they want to do a wallet check to see how much of a mug punter you are or what?

 

R:banghead:

I think that just about sums it up

Having just read an article on the Budge Collection in the current issue of MMI, what was the reason that the collection was disposed of. Being only into MVs for a year now, this was the first time that I'd heard of this incredible collection.

Budge's Open Days were legendary, I went in 1989.

How about this lot, http://www.kooblekar.com/

jch

I've seen silhouette "tanks" mounted on small railway trucks, which are towed along a set of rails. They were about that size, I presume to give the impression of a larger target further away?

Perhaps the idea was the same.

jch

As a child I remember vividly when in the 1960s several army recruiting display units were staying overnight here in the camp and they had a few very large model centurions as part of the display. They were made of wood and metal some painted silver others green, I think they must have been about 1/6 scale as I remember my arms weren’t wide enough to pick them up.

 

 

Cheers Stan.

In days gone by I remember large scale models of armour (in Army Recruiting shops) and ships (in the Naval shops), I always assumed they were donated by the manufacturers of the real vehicles, as they would be very expensive as "shop display" items.

But I'm willing to be proved wrong on that.

jch

if the Tiger 1 in the Bovington collection is a tank-chav magnet then surely the Kugelblitz turret and for that matter the Jagdpanzer 4 L/70 would have been too,

 

Steve

I like the concept of 'tank-chavs; :shocked:

I understand the Jagdpanzer IV L/70 ended up in the US, via Beltring...

jch

I don't think there is any evidence to support this oft quoted rumour.

I think that obliquely this is true in parts (literally), the French gun fitted to IDF Shermans was developed from the Panther's gun.

The French briefly used Panthers post-war, basically using what was left around the country, sadly the Panther was no more reliable in French hands, than it was in German colours.

jch

I believe it's lacking engine & transmission, items alledgedly junked only a short while before it was passed over to Bov!

If you mean when it was passed to the care of the TM originally, that may be true.

I visited the Shrivenham collection back in the 90s the KT was at Shrivenham painted in deep bronze green with a silver interior, just like a Centurion of the 50s. The interior was in reasonable condition, forward of the engine bulkhead, aft of that there was an empty engine bay containing a few concrete to balance the tank. It was at least stored indoors.

It was labelled "Royal Tiger" at Shrivenham and kept there (remember a educational establishement) as an example of "how not to do it".

jch

Thanks for the inside info, though sadly the news that "no further action" will be taken will not get the same news coverage.

jch

Has anyone any insight into this story, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1309728/Guns-rocket-launchers-missiles-seized-police-Worcester-house-raid.html ?

Is is really an "arms hoard", it looks more like some poor blokes collection of arms and ammunition to me.

The phrase "West Mercia Police said the pre-planned operation was launched as a result of 'received intelligence' but refused to elaborate on who tipped officers off about the weapons cache." sounds vaguely sinister, either police reacted to gossip or are out to stop people collecting such material.

jch

Does anyone know of any large scale models of teh Centurion tank. I recal (but most likly are wrong ) a radio controled centurion some years back. have had a look at different models but the largest I have found was a 1/25th scale model and cant see it being a RC model.

Is there anyone who knows of a large scale model I can get. would love to get a 1/6th scale model to build. In the process of trying to adapt a 1/35th scale model gun tank into a BARV but its slow going!! :-D

Tamiya did (still doing occasionally) a 1/25th Centurion back in the 70s, it featured a complete interior. I have seen this model converted to radio control and it's possible that Tamiya released it with remote control (drive-by-wire :-D), but I don't remember that version on the UK market.

I don't think there is a larger scale Centurion on the market, but Armortek do a Comet in 1/6th scale, but for a price.

jch

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/13/taranis_rollout/

 

Eddie

Apparently Ryanair are planning to use the technology to save money on pilots, basically the aircrew will be in a shed at Luton and the cabin crew will be replaced by a vending machine and a tape playing the safety instructions.

jch

I bought a sand coloured one of the 'Henglong' Tigers a few years back, it even had engine/gun/machine gun sound effects, and generates it's own 'exhaust' fumes from a small oil-soaked heating element, buried inside it's back-end, quite convincing too, especially if you use a little drop of diesel or WD-40, or good old 3-in-1 oil, in place of the supplied 'substance'... not sure if it was light sewing machine oil or soap liquid, but still lots of fun for £70!:cool2:

Still advertised, http://www.modelzone.co.uk/smoke_sonds_bb_firing_rc_tiger_1-details.htm

jch

 

 

 

Marty

Looks like a Steyr RSO chassis, quite rare though a cab will not be easy to find.

jch

I think that this is one museum that is a must see. I will be planning a trip to Switzerland in the near future.... Won't tell the other half about the museum yet though :-).

This may help, http://www.armeemuseum.ch/index.php?id=35

Links to Swiss military museums.

jch

Wow......what a collection, and such variety.:nut:

What is the tank conversion in the last picture?

 

I understand that the Centurion in the last picture is a Swiss conversion intended to carry and 'plant' (hence the crane) the turret into a pre-built defensive position. It's an odd conversion and comparatively recent (80s).

jch

I found this while trawling the odder parts of the interweb,

http://www.alpinforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=35579

A brief (automated) translation,

The Foundation for Historic Army equipment shortly HAM collects two examples of all Swiss army vehicles.

In Burgdorf at the site of the former AMP so are hundreds of trucks, jeeps, tanks, motorcycles and carriages stored and preserved for in roadworthy condition for posterity.

But it is no ordinary museum where one just like that time on Sunday with kids in tow, sucking ice can marvel at the tank without oil and are not suitable for navigation in mock war scenarios. The vehicles are roadworthy and be moved again and again. Groups of 6 persons can visit by appointment. The vehicles are owned by the Confederation and therefore belong to the taxpayers.

In September, the open day is see who it sometimes will.

jch

So how many guys are here are going to be building there own Tiger Tank? (magazine advert on telly tonight )

Looks like it will be very good detail 1/16 i think ......

Far too dear, you can get a Trumpeter King Tiger in 1/16th (and a much better kit) for under £350!

The part work one is poor, which can be gleaned from the website http://www.ww2tigertank.com/. The insides seem to be obtained by scaling up the old 1/35th Academy kit and though they have changed a few things, they have made some of them worse. It needs a lot of fixing to made an accurate model, it's an early Tiger interior in a late Tiger exterior for start.

The outside is better, but again not perfect. Apparently the manufacturer has already received complaints about providing the wrong type of track and has promised to change that. I also notice the wrong kind of loader's hatch, upside-down vision ports, bad profile on the turret and turret bin, a front spade that shouldn't be there, etc. etc.

It's also moulded in an odd ABS plastic, not your usual kit plastic and the parts look very crude, especially at the price.

jch

Read somewhere a while back about a large museum at Catterick barracks, from what I remember it would partly consist of the vehicles left over from the army transport museum at Beverley (the ones that weren't given back to their owners). Anyone know any more about this or have any information on it anywhere?

I think it was going to be for the National Army Museum owned exhibits formerly at Beverley, however, I think the proposed museum project is stalled.

The Beverley collection was owned by several organisations and seem to have been distributed around the country, some of the railway exhibits (and the "Mk.I" Crusader) are at the National Railway Museum's Locomotion Annexe, at Shildon. Some items, for example Kitchener's coach, is at Chatham Dockyard, under the RE Museum's care. The narrow gauge exhibits were moved to a railway in Lincolnshire (I think). Some of the vehicle exhibits are at the REME reserve collection at Borden (not open to the public) and some vehicles are at Bovington (notably the Churchill Mk.II).

jch