earlymb

Ours is only 4 days older

Sorry for the off-topic, but what's the d.o.d. of your Willys?

I find the lack of original primer a bit odd, it might indicate the paint was completely stripped during an earlier rebuild? As for RAF blue, the RAF had loads of WW2 jeeps in service after 1946 too so it's certainly not historical incorrect.

If a Sten will do too, Denix makes a very decent replica.

Jeep heads, both WW2 and post-WW2, are easy to find. A CJ or M201 head is perfectly usable and shouldn't cost too much. Just stay away from the low-pressure industrial heads as used on engines to power generators.

A lot can happen to a jeep in 75 years, but these markings aren't correct to WW2 regulations. I'm afraid I have to stand by my earlier comment, sorry.

I agree with the above comment, I think these are post-WW2 markings applied by a previous owner. Also, the '82AB' is on the wrong place of the bumper, it should be on the passenger's side (left when facing the jeep).

Not at all. At worst vendors will have to put a sticker over such symbols at public shows. It won't influence the collector's market at the least.

I use https://postimages.org/ to post pics on forums, it's free and easy to use but no guarantee whatsoever if/how long they'll stay up though.

I doubt the 2 Hurricanes photographed from the side are the same, the camouflage pattern is different.

I completely agree. We all know by now the toilets can be improved so I think we should now focus on trying to come up with workable suggestions instead of describing the same problem over and over again, which will only ensure everything we say will be completely ignored by the organization, and rightly so. We will have to start thinking as an entrepreneur for this, as for us this is just a hobby but the organizer will need to make a profit or the show will over, it's as simple as that. So the central question is how to get the best possible toilets for the least amount of money? This is a different question than how to get ANY toilet for the least amount of money though. So, my suggestion as I already wrote is to use the toilet blocks/trailers (rather than the individual toilets) as used in Folkstone and concentrate them per field in 1 or 2 locations to keep the number of cleaners needed down. This is more efficient (and thus cheaper) in manhours while these blocks are easier and quicker to keep clean than the separate toilet units used this year. In Folkstone they were concentrated too and I think most here will agree they were as good and clean as you could reasonably expect. Part of this is because those block toilets would actually flush into a shared waste unit, which makes emptying them also more efficient. I could be wrong but I think the cost is not so much the difference in hiring the blocks vs. individual units, but the manhours required to clean and empty them. If those can be cut back enough we will have made significant progress. I like this show. It is my yearly vacation and I like to go through the stalls, walk around the living history and vehicles, talk with friends and even have a spare hour to read a book sometimes. The sheer size and variety is part of the attraction and I would be very sad to see it go.

Overall, it seems those portacabin/trailer-type facilities as used at the Racecourse are better suited than those individual toilets, as they at least could flush and are probably easier and quicker to clean? There has to be a reason there are (and always have been) so many complaints about the facilities at the Hop Farm, while most will agree that at the Racecourse they were as good as you could get them, even if you disliked the site itself. What was the difference in type, numbers, concentration, attendants etc.?

Good chance that isn't a factor, often military material is supplied by the US with the condition that it is never to reach the civilian market but scrapped or destroyed. A friend tried to buy a lot of non-flying ex-USAF C-47's (ex-Vietnam) that were supplied to the Thai airforce. The Thai were willing to sell until a single phonecall from the US embassy stopped it all as it turned out they were supplied to the Thai under a similar condition. They were sunk as diving objects for tourists in Thailand and not properly anchored, and after the first passing storm they were gone. None has been found back. He described this incident in full in his book 'The Dakota Hunter: In search of the legendary DC-3 on the Last Frontiers' (by Hans Wiesman), complete with photos.

Check if a Dutch export registration plate is valid in Belgium, France and/or the UK. If it is you can just insure it and drive it back via the Hoek van Holland, Dunkirk or Calais ferries or the Tunnel.

I think most people wouldn't mind walking a bit further if they know the facilities will be clean and stocked. I think there is a compromise possible here; if each field only has a single central block with toilets (maybe 2 for the largest fields) but there are enough on that spot and they are kept clean it may also mean only 1-2 full-time attendants per block are enough, instead of the 4 you would need to cover the same field if the facilities are spread over several smaller blocks? Concentration would also mean it's easier and quicker to have them emptied etc. That could save a lot of expensive manhours while keeping the facilities acceptable. I think this is more or less what happened on the Racecourse?

That depends on what you can arrange with the seller. The best option would be to trailer it back to the UK, since the seller has to turn the registration plates in as proof the vehicle has been exported. You can get Dutch export plates, but I don't know if those are valid in the UK (and Belgium or France if you choose that route). You can insure export plates though. If the seller cooperates you could drive it back on the Dutch registration and under the seller's insurance and then send the registration plates back to the seller once you reached home, but that implies a great deal of trust. I would look around in the UK first.

I am friends with the Arena crew and it's true that the quad bike guy tried to make a serious fuss, so we ended up making a new track with a 432 that mostly avoided the bike path. Once the new track was visible enough (after 20 laps at full speed in the 432 :-D ) the other vehicles just followed it. Another thing is that on the far side of the Arena (towards America's Field) there is an underground gas pipeline. It has always been there and never was an issue with the old W&P, but suddenly now it is so the gas company made sure that strip was cordoned off and no vehicles were allowed on it. So much so, an official had to be in that area to make sure it was kept clear and there was a guy from the gas company to keep an eye on things. Apparently at least one vehicle ended up in that area and the guy immediately started snapping photo's... This is just a narrow strip near the far edge of the Arena so it's not that much of a problem.

"This Unic P 107 was a regular unic that came from Norway. According to the owner, the body for the Flak came from a barn in Normandy. The owner has it for about 25 years." Source: http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_French_Armoured_Vehicles.pdf

Quite a lot of exhibitors come from all over Europe and even beyond, and some have to travel hundreds of miles to get home and maybe back to work on monday morning? So ending the show on saturday night isn't that daft at all. Packing up earlier than saturday afternoon is an individual choice, and not something the organizer has any influence on. I guess the weather was a big factor here, and there will always be people that leave before the show ends, regardless on what day that would be.

I was at the show for a full week from sunday to sunday and had a great time! The lack of space for latecomers has always been an issue and usually it's resolved by moving a few lines, not everyone needs 2 football pitches for 3 Landy's. As for the Unic, this is how it looked under the blue tarp:

They used whatever fabric was available. We have an original 60lb tent (think it's called that? For 6-8 people) in our group and the fabric panels range in colour from brown to khaki.

The transmission with several driveshafts (also used for its big brothers) is what makes this vehicle an excellent offroader.

Good eye, took a while before I spotted it!

Officially, the sale of goods outside the stalls-area has always been prohibited, even in the old times. I'm sure plenty of people will put some stuff next to their tent again so it will be interesting to see what happens. Of course you can always just put a sign 'feel free to ask questions' next to your items, and if an official makes trouble you just explain to him you're only displaying your collection of 'slightly used Landrover parts' and if he would like to know how many versions of that steering wheel there have been? :-D At least one trader has announced on his facebook what stall he will have, so there is definitely a list. I think they just didn't bother to put it on the website (yet).

If they don't it's because they didn't think of it. Amazing how fast an identical paintjob gets annoying, regardless what vehicle is under the paint.