Sean N

My guess would be that this one was a Krauss-Maffei as the auctioneer's most likely to have lotted it up from the W.D. paperwork or just from the badge on the front! Coming at it from the other direction, I put this on an Axis vehicles forum. One of the guys there pointed out that an Sd.Kfz.7 was used by King George to review the troops in Germany soon after the war, and that the census number was very close to this one - H6246226 or H6246228 (it's not clear in the photo). Suggests that that number range was used for captured Axis vehicles or even just a batch of captured Sd.Kfz.7

Yes, that would have been the second guess. Your list has the DIS for mine correctly, at any rate. Why would it have 1951 / 2 for John's; is it an estimated list? That's a tidy truck, Scott, restored presumably?

Landed 14:07 BST

Yes, didn't think of that. FlightRadar just had it at 6,000, then 36,000, then 10,400, then 29,400, then 3,000. That's some turbulence!

Probably a bit later, it's 1.15 now and it's not reached Newcastle yet. Probably surprised a couple of gliders over the Cheviots.

Martyn, I take it it's the one which is down (wide open) in the photo? If so, is the rocker on it because it's just resting there, or is the rocker jammed and holding the valve open? The rocker shaft looks corroded further along so if you haven't already it would be worth checking the rocker is free. If you want to remove the valve and lap in properly it's a head off job, but it may be worth checking as Caddy says that it's not just gummed in with light rust & gunge. It doesn't take much to jam things very tightly. If you soak it for a while it will also do less damage when you do remove it. If it's corroded in, which I assume to be the case, you'd also be looking for damage to the valve stem, guide and seat, or the rocker and shaft if the rocker's holding it down. If it's bent because of a mechanical malady which has resulted in the valve hitting the piston due to a timing or some other failure you need to check the bottom end as well (piston, rod, big end, crank, timing gear)

Mine's 32 BG 48, but it's a box.

Now over Fife at 6600 ft / 150 kts

And just gone out of range.

Got it. It's left the Iceland coast at Vik and now about 200 km out into the Atlantic heading towards the Faroes, 9000 ft and 180 kt.

OK, a couple of clues. It's labelled as LV7/LD, though the part number's unintelligible, and it's stamped FV819482. I assume it's a guard perhaps for lights or something?

"Right opposite a well known Cider Farm in Somerset -- Hic!" The obvious one I can think of, discounting mass producers like Thatcher's, is Burrow Hill. Scott?

Not sure they're a feature of an early K9 though! Is that FFR quite an old photo, Scott? So if you have an early vehicle, the one in the photo can't be yours. I think we need a photo of yours. I'm starting to wonder if they are that rare. That's four we know of in just a short discussion on this thread; mine, Scott's, the one in the photos above, and the one in Gloucester. Still only a 1% survival though!

No-one know?

Full marks! Given the lack of a hatch, the fixed screens and one or two other points this may well be a very early K9, one of the first 400-odd to be built.

Just been told about another early GS truck in Gloucestershire.

True, but that's not what I was thinking of. Anything else?

That's one, what else?

In all the excitement about GS bodies - and that looks like an original wooden GS or FFR body - I didn't notice at least 3 other oddities with it, two of which might add up to a significant other oddity. Anyone else spot the differences (not the non standard indicators)?

I can't speak specifically to Footman James, but I have bought many unregistered vehicles direct from the MoD, and in each case have never had a problem insuring on the chassis number, whether through a specialist or general insurer. Effectively you have to do this in order to register the vehicle. I don't recall ever having had to renew monthly; I suspect that may be either a recent change in practice or specific to particular insurers, though normally you would not go long without registering a vehicle after insuring it anyway. There are plenty of other good, knowledgeable MV and classic vehicle insurers out there (and to be honest I've never been that impressed with FJ); if you're unhappy with FJ, take your business elsewhere!

Charlie Golf Victor Romeo Alpha (if I try to post it in letters the forum corrects it to gibberish!)

Apparently spending today in Iceland then flying to Coningsby tomorrow. I keep looking for it on flight trackers - it's supposed to be on flightradar24 - but I can't get it to come up. The guy who paid for a seat on the flight over is a UK entrepreneur called Matt Munson, who bid $79,000 Canadian, which is a touch under £43,000. He's putting comments and photos from the journey on his Twitter feed @MaffMunson.

It looks like the right one from the photo, John. Scott, is that K9 yours? We've just been discussing surviving cargo body K9s and I haven't seen that one before.

Thanks all. That confirms what I guessed, but knowing little about armour it's nice to have the experts confirm. I notice no-one's having a go on the pixie hat though! Let's try another one. These have intrigued me since I got them but I suspect they're obvious to one who knows the vehicle. I have got a couple of clues and an idea of what I think they are, but let's try without first.

I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous answer. Anyone else got a photo? I remember it as a wooden body and fairly sound but with the paint very faded.