mat777

Fantastic work you guys are doing!

I would very much like to volunteer for helping out if that is possible, however I wont be free of uni commitments until the beginning of July - it looks like you are doing such good work, that there wont be any jobs left to do by then! :laugh:

Hi N.O.S,

I did read your recommendation but it depends how much she can supply the jackets for (and I assume they are new ones?) - I was looking to find a secondhand one on the jacket forum purely to keep the costs down

thanks,

Matt

Hi MHillyard,

If they fit a 39-41" chest I would be interested in one of them. Would you take £10?

thanks,

Matt

I am considering buying one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270574970478&fromMakeTrack=true#ht_1806wt_1163

as I need something smart-military looking for a fancy dress party at uni soon, and am astounded at how cheap it is!

However, what keeps nagging at my mind is... it looks very slim and fitted to the point where I am wondering if it is a female version? Or is it male and do they all look like that?

thanks,

Matt

Thanks for the advice guys. I would definietly get it done by a pro still, I just dont trust my painting abilities.

The comments on cracking paint are interesting, all the old jackets ive seen are faded an worn but never cracked - did they manage to get the paint to soak in in some way?

I have joined the vintage leather jacket forum now so I shall see if they have any suitable attire going cheap!

Fair enough Dave, i dont know much about the exact details of the A2's. How does that one differ?

As a poor student I would love to get a proper A2 but you mention £600, my budget is closer to £60! One day.....

I suppose it wouldnt bother me much as if I cant tell the difference at first glance, then neither I suppose will most other people, and it is indeed an experiment until the day I have a job and lotsadosh to get a proper one...

regards,

matt

Hi Dave,

I have seen this on ebay:

Genuine leather, by an American make, looks as near as dammit as far as I can tell to an A2, for £30, would that make a good base jacket? As for the artwork, I would definitely get it done by a pro... my painting skills are shocking!

As for the subtlety aspect... anyone who knows me knows I am not a subtle person, so I am not too worried about standing out

Sorry to hear that Steve, but judging by your sig you do certainly have a lot of brilliant projects on the go!

Half an hour or so on photoshop had the LB's pinup suitably altered with the bomb from Thumper:

and an extra 10 minutes had the design finalised. I'm not happy with the font, or the colour and design of the bombs, but the movie Memphis Belle script is no available as a font, and by this time I was fed up of scouring the internet for the correct little yellow bombs:

Before I go ahead contacting artists, my first job is to scour ebay and buy a suitably cheap used but not too shabby A2 (or A2-style repro). I will probably be looking at something around the £40 mark - it doesnt have to be a genuine one or too thick and warm.

I have been reading this as well as your full website and I must say I am amazed at your skill, perseverance and attention to detail!

I wish you and the plane the best of luck in her new role as an exhibit

Thanks for the encouragement guys! I have a million and one designs floating round my head right now!

My current thought is - "Liberty Belle", but in the font of the movie-style Memphis Belle, with LB's pinup girl leaning on a bomb instead of a bell. There may possibly be a little yellow bomb tally underneath as well.

However, a few things bug me - firstly, my shearling jacket was bleedin' expensive and I am still not 100% sold on the idea of what it would look like afterwards. Secondly, it is one of the later types made of several small panels with big seams down the back, so printing would be awkward.

I am now thus thinking along the lines of buying a cheap secondhand A2-style jacket to replace the tatty and too-small similar brown faux leather one I currently wear in slightly warmer weather, and doing the art on that.

I have yet to find somewhere that does this sort of design/printing in the UK though... I suppose my other option is to lean on student friends that do graphic design and art!

cheers, Matt

Aye theres the rub mick, but look on the bright side at least it is a cvrt not a chieftain. Could you not get hgv test and ask to borrow the lorry off him? You could offer to take him as passenger if he wants to get out and about!

I had a brief look at the current HGV test rules and theory test when I was dong my car theory 2 years ago... it is frightening!

Taking an HGV test and borrowing the truck sounds simple enough but I imagine these days it is a lot of time and money involved.

Something however has just occurred to me - would moving a Spartan around infringne the restrictions on driving a pre 1960 HGV on a car licence? Would be a good excuse to get another piece of tasty machinery!

If all else fails and you are really stuck for important transport Mick, as I was telling Lew earlier there is a company called Acorn who are based out near Huntingdon (so not a million miles away) who do a lot of business moving traction engines around the show circuit in that area.

I am currently the proud owner of a dark wool shearling jacket (curiously it is the RAF wool trimmed cuffs/waist style not USAF elasticated cuffs/waist style but has an american flag label in the back of it), that I wear every day round uni in this bloody freezing weather.

I have seen a few people in the past at airshows and the like with pilots jackets that have nose art painted or printed on the back of them, and this quite took my fancy. The problem is, and I put this question to you gents... would I look a massive prat walking round normally with something like the Memphis Belle's nose art on my back?

Ryanair launches new "super-economy" seating

Thanks for the reply. so assuming I did mnage to butcher the hole in the dash, there would be no way to drive it off the coil ignition.... would the alternator work as a generator?

I have an old land rover in which I am wanting to fit a rev counter but only have a standard 52mm gauge hole in the dash. I quite like the idea of an old aircraft rev counter from a spitfire etc. (something with a max of 5000rpm or so), are there any that small? I have seen a few on spitfirespares.com but it does not list the dimensions. Also, would they be drivel off the LT coil signal like normal?

Thanks,

Matt

Hi Timbo,

glad it made you laugh - it left me a bit red-faced

I havent been involved in any actual planes yet (I'm only a 2nd year undergraduate engineer), but suffice to say a few of our model aircraft and gliders built for the course have had a few spectacular crashes.....

Thanks earlymb

Basically, I am just doing some preliminary research on a project I have forming in my mind for when I have a job and some money in several year's time!

Having seen the Centaur and seen what a compromise it is (who ever did think that welding a land rover to a CVR(T) would work brilliantly?), I idly wondered if it would be possible to do a better job. I've not taken any measurements but I reckon the tracks from an M2 or M3 would fit nicely under the wheelboxes of a 109 or 110 2-door. A little jiggery pokery with the location of the rear axle to relocate it level with the drive sprocket and bob's your uncle. It would certainly be different as well!

Hi Gents,

I am msot sorry for the delayed reply, what with only just having joined and not being online much during exasm season.. I completely forgot about this forum!!!

When I am next home from Uni I will get some pictures for you.

thanks

Matt

WHOOOOPS

As N.O.S just pointed out - they are awfully realistic looking tracks! I didnt realise it was a model forum!!! I thought the skirting was some wood in a shed or something.....

It's ok.... I'm not that much better at designing planes either!

I was idly browsing the prices of track bits from M2 and M3 trucks (a long story!). I was somewhat struck by this though:

An american wants $4000 for some

http://www.g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=54909

Whereas a UK vendor wants just £80 for these

http://www.armortek.co.uk/Forum3b/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3160

Why the price disparity? :shocked:

In the back of the garage at home I have a metal tommy helmet in green, I think it is a WW2 version, in good cosmetic condition. I also have a black helmet of the same shape, with a faded white A on the front of it, but unusually the helmet is not metal. It appears to be some sort of plastic or composite, almost like record vinyl or bakelite? I have literally no clue what it is but it is tough and heavy. finally, I have a gas mask in a good condition original card box with "L" on the front, the mask itself is of the type with 2 glass eyepieces and a rubber nasal valve, and is also in very good condition.

I have had them for many years and have long forgotten what I paid for them, but I am having a clearout and have absolutely no clue as to what they are worth

Apologies if its been posted already or this is th wrong board, but,

http://fbhvc.co.uk/2011/05/24/2011-survey-now-underway-2/

as most of the MV's on here are pre 1981 then filling this out would greatly help the FBHVC

welcome, another landy! yay!

 

Mark

indeed! welcome from a fellow newbie and LR nut!

hmmm i see

oh well, back to the drawing board

hi everyone

i have had in my mind for several months a germ of an idea... it seems that prices for jaguar xk6 engines have rocketed (about 2k for a decent one?) whilst you can still pick up perfectly sound j60 from withams for £500 tops..... you can probably see where im going here!

how easy (and cheap) is it to strip the green paint, convert to 12v, and fit an e-type inlet manifold? i know the compression ratio is also different due to the cam, but i presume the carbs would make most of the power difference? would it be a viably profitable operation? i need something to keep me occupied over the summer!

regards, matt