timbo

What sort of problems are you having mate? I dont have any experience of 432's or ferrets but there are plenty on here who have...

Nice vids, looks like fun. Sounds good too!

I don't think a peak time programme could afford to ignore the morality issue completely and on the whole I thought it pretty well balanced, and as Ewan said the discussion about the morality of bombing civilians does not detract from the bravery of the young (now old!) men featured. To me they are all true heroes.. I did get a bit annoyed by the constant presence of Dresden on the target maps though - i didn't think Dresden really saw very much bombing until Feb'45, whereas it was presented as a target all the way through i suspect just because of it's profile. I seem to remember reading about Harris that he was once stopped for speeding (a bit of a speed demon apparently), and when the policeman said 'you could have killed somebody sir', he replied 'officer, tonight i will kill thousands'...! Now there's a single minded war leader if ever there was one.. I also liked the .303 demo and thought that quite telling... Cheers

Surely this couldnt apply to you Jon....!? Come to think of it I have seen at least one other person turn your mirrors in...!

MY sabre definitely has it, not sure but dont think spartan does, although i should know from the amount of grubbing around underneath it ive been doing recently..! As i understand it the spartan hull was specifically chosen for scimitar 2 to improve driver survivability which seems to be a weak point on cvrt. Similarly i would imagine the new seat design and relocation of drivers foot pedals (to a higher position) is to reduce injuries..

Camping in January....brrrrrrr...! Thanks for the offer but I think I'll put up with the journey there and back..(or am I jst getting old..?)!

Sure somebody told me this a few years ago - if you have water in your petrol, pop a small amount of paraffin in, the idea being that the water 'sticks' to the paraffin, and is then drawn through the engine and burnt off? Does this sound feasible? Has anybody tried it? Cheers Timbo

Mat If you were using a pre 1960 HGV it might be quicker to drive the spartan.. Bit like the thread on here a while back about somebody buying an Explorer to tow a Matador...or was it a Matador to tow an Explorer..?! Cheers Timbo

Do you have reg nos ?

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!

Brian Look forward to seeing them - i have often hankered after armour modelling, but i have a number of full size cvrt kits and the same problem as you i.e. a lack of time to finish them all (or in some cases even to start them!).. Cheers Timbo

More sunshine please chaps There i've told you so now you have to deliver it..! There is a vague notion of doing a road run on the Friday - might help drum up more publicity as well - watch this space.. Cheers Timbo

Stunning work keep the pics coming.. Dont suppose you have done any cvrts have you..? Particularly like the suspension compression on the bulldog..

Ill be there, wallet is already locked in safe...!

Hi Paul I often go into pics for a) reference b) inspiration ! Please make sure you dont delete them..! Are you going to make it to the AFVS show this year ? Cheers Timbo

Richard I agree wholeheartedly - they should spend the money conserving the tank where it is, build a replica and they would still have loads left over.. A good replica would be perfectly suitable for the intended purpose, which i also think is a very worthy thing to do... Timbo

Mat777 Dont worry made me chuckle which is the sign of a great thread so thanks! By the way have you been involved in the design of any commercial aircraft that we should know about!!? Cheers Timbo

Nice post looks impressive in the face of it... Now, where can i find a vessel big enough to get an entire land rover into...?!

Very nice indeed. Washes and drybrushing I presume to bring out the detail? Good to see nice work in the smaller scale. Somewhere in the cellar I have the tank transporter and a churchill. Might dig them out and have a go one of these days..! Cheers Timbo

Currently there is only one saladin in the care of the society, although it is a very nice one, previously restored by fourfox.. See pic below. As Lewis says the website is self explanatory, but the vehicle register is very out of date, although a plan is being put together to try to get it up to date.

Hi jack Good choice! Outside of the more expensive turreted cvrt's like sabre and scorpion, the spartan is probably the most popular collectors variant, i think the main reason being that you can get a few people in the back and it is therefore more fun. From a general perspective cvrts tend to command a higher price than, say fv432's. This is because they are generally seen as a little easier to work on, and are smaller and hence easier to store and transport. With care they can also be driven quite readily in the public road, and are certainly more practical in this respect than 432's and the like. Also they are more easily road registered since they are underwidth, which most tracked vehicles arent. You say you are more familiar with older simpler machines but remember that most of the cvrts in private hands are unmodified from their early configuration ie jaguar j60 petrol engines. This means you are essentially dealing with 60s/ early 70s technology so not actually that complex (unless you have to open a gearbox!). The engines and gearboxes are generally seen as a weak point. As a private owner though, provided you get one that runs well in the first place, and maintain it properly, it would take some doing to break it. Engines are basically a differently tuned version of the one that Jaguar used in their cars, e type and so on. Due to the armys dieselisation programme, there is a ready supply of take out petrol engines available, and for a take out you should be able to get a spare quite easily for £250-500. Recons are also available for £1000ish. Gearboxes used to be very rare but even these are a little more available now, for a take out you should expect to pay £1500-2000. As stated for both the above though if you get one that works well, and dint abuse it you should have few probkems. The best way to check both of the above is to drive the vehicle! Due to the hideously complex design of the gearboxes they emit all kinds of weird clonks, whines and noise when running. The key thing is to be able to select fwd and reverse, and try to get rhough all seven gears if possible. Also check the oil levels and condition. If nothing else it gives a clue as to the level of maintenance the vehicle has been subject to. Other stuff to look for is the condition of roadwheels and tracks. Is all the rubber there on the wheels, are they heavily cracked ( but remember with the best will in the world they will pick up the odd stone). The rubber track pads are not replaceable so should be checked to see how worn they are. Also do a check for any bent track pins. Again as a private owner if these are in good nick when purchased you are unlikely to need to replace any time soon. The rubber on the wheels can 'go off' over time causing them to break up but these are fairky readily available. For this reason i have been told you should not buy too many spare wheels as they will break up when fitted if stored too long. There are four suspension dampers fitted to cvrts, on at the back and one at the front on each side. You will have one of two designs either Armstrongs, which are a smallish square unit (circa 6 inches square), or messiers, which are much larger and heavier and have a much more effective damping action off road. These are about 12 inches and feature a horizontal tube. Until very recently messiers were very rare but again these are now starting to be released in bigger numbers so prices may go down soon. For on road use there is little difference between their performance. If you can lift the decking you should also check the condition of the brak pads and brake bands. You are looking for wear on the handbrake bands (they are a pig to replace!), and see if the brakes are clean or covered in oil. There are 2 sets of pads on each side of the gearbox, one set for steering, one for braking, and they can delaminate if stood. On a spartan you should also check to see if the cupola traverses freely and the rear roof hatches open, neither problem is expensive to fix but can be a pain..! The cvrt is a great fun vehicle to drive although the spartan can be a little more restrictive on visibility, esp if you are short and have the smoke dischargers fitted. The gearchange is a little more tricky than most tracked vehicles as the higher the gear the wider the turning circle. This means if you go into a corner in too high a gear there is a distinct possibility of going straight on - ask me i know! Also there is a distinct step in the ratios between 4th and 3rd and if you go down the box too quickly you will stand the vehicle on its nose and probably deprive your commander and passengers of their teeth. Both these traits are easily overcome with a little practice though. I hope this helps please feel free to pm me if you would like more info.. Timbo

These always make me chuckle for some reason - presume the bren was only to be used whilst stationary..!

or get a 'jiggler' off ebay..! cheap as chips and do the job..

Most people tend to use Banisters for this sort of thing (as already mentioned) who you will find easily enough if you google them. Friendly, efficient and knowledgable..

Good effort mate and well done. Interesting that the brakes use oil rather than brake fluid same as cvrt.. PO had used brake fluid in main brakes on my cvrt and they were shot - seals so swollen i had to use stilson to extract the pistons and then replace both the pistons and the seals. Gave up completely on the master cylinder in the end and fitted a new one - so be warned dont use brake fluid..! Scary thing was vehicle had been used regularly on road in this state... Bizarrely the steering brakes were fine. Looking forward to more updates Cheers