Tony B

Blast from the past those pictures! No chance of any futher development both FH and RO just a memory. Might be worth trying QuinetiQ (The £50,000 spelling mistake, but that's another story) PR bunch at Fort Halstead, you may be allowed to see some of the original plans.

alternatly, stick some jerry cans of water over the back axle. makes them a lot kinder to handle.

I just got one from Lincon for my WC54. Very nice people very helpful, good price and a solid reliable pices of kit. http://www.lincon.co.uk/ Bateries are sent dry with seperate elctrolite so you decide when to bring it to life.

That you can keep a Montego running impresses me!

The Panzer units in the Island's were the only ones never to see actives service. A number of vehicles had the turrets removed and were fitted as SPG's. Also turrets were removed, mainly from Renault FT tanks and mounted on fortifictions in all three main island's. Some had the 37mm gun others just a machine gun. And a picture of the beasts in Jersey post Liberation can be found here: http://www.thisisjersey.co.uk/hmd/resourcesearch.pl (Photographic archive, keyword: tank)

Welcome Kyle. Very useful place Headcorn. I want to know when the Mustngs are about to bring my WC54 down.

Quite simple really we play with stuff that makes some paranoid individuals highly nervous. I agree with Big Ray, what ever the Police or security agencies do, there wrong!!! One only has to look at the case of the flats in London. Police officers have to take on board everything from Murder to what to do with a dead Badger. (Three months for a Badger Carcasse with out good reason) As Rob says, what's the point of getting narky? I try to have good relationship with my local Coppers, much better to have them with you than against. I'd rather they know me, and my kit, and have good reputation with them.

Welcome in Dave.

Welcome.

There was a right old wardance concerning the London Eye a few years back. You can't photograph it without permission! The whole thing ended up with the owners be told to apply mathmatical tables, as people were on public ground. I used to take a lot of pictures for court eveidence. Only once did authority try to intervene, and that was close to a military site, so I wasn't offended. I just answered the questions politley and MOD Plod hung about for a bit till I'd finished. As Snapper says on military sites I've always asked about pictures and except in extreme situations been told 'Fill your boots mate!' Museums have thier own rules, for various reasons, but with camera phones even that is getting difficult to enforce. Funnily enough Samsung banned people from carrying mobile phones in their works, for just that reason. :-D

The base design of 105 light gun is quite old. The recent sighting updates were only finished around the 1990's, and of course are subject to constant upgrade. The original trail was tubular, and I don't remember a table on the prototype. The actual production ended some time ago, Royal Orrdance were the main contractors, some were even made at Wolwich. One thing I remember is that one stage the barrel underwent a 54 hour heat treatment. To get every mark including the L115, blank firing only version, you'd need about two dozen kits. :-D The traversing table was originally thought up in the 1920's. With the improvement of recoil systems on artillery the carriage would stay stable , but if you were on soft ground there was still the problem of fast traverse. As pneumatic tyres came into use when motor transport , and hence higher speed of towing, was adopted, the problem became worse, no big spokes to grab and twist. So someone had the bright idea, carry your own smooth low friction surface with you. I think it was the 18/25 lb was the first to deploy them. I'd have to check the books to get an exact story. Firepower probaly have a lot of info, they inherited a lot of local material when the Arsenal finally closed.

Anymore rain and the air may well be very blue. :-D Actually we have been lucky to avoid flooding around the low part of the Weald.

A weather window is probably the best way. Open it, look out and see what's happening! :-D Yellow rain warnings today and Friday on the Met Office lottery page.

Whist in action the table is free, it just sits on the ground. The idea is easy traverse, it is a heavy bit of metal ideal for shearing toes when dropped. Initially it was a copied from the 25 pounder that 105 replaced. Just seems to have been discontinued on later guns. There was a prototype gun on display at Fort Halstead RARDE, where the gun was developed. It had a lot of detail changes from the final service design. Then the US got hold of it, and altered more things, including the barrel length. Funilly enough the 25 pounder was only declared obsolesent in about 1992, and finally obsolete in about 2001, when the last saluting gun was retired.

The turntable is fixed to the carriage for tarnsport by chians and a quick release mechanism. When the gun is deployed the tractor turns 180 then lines up on the gun commander and stops level with him. The crew drop the table, the commander then signals you forward. You then have to jump the vehicle enough to pull the gun up on to the table, but not so hard you bounce or breack any thing. Good game I can assure you. The gun is then unhitched and the tractor moves off to a position ready to turn in and pick up after the shoot.

For specific images, specific rules. I have a number of drawings by Olly Cook of my vehicles. I own the originals, he owns the copyright of the pictures.

Have you got the roof tents? That should just about keep you above the flod line.

Good solid bit of kit. As heavy as sin, but more relaible than a lot of modern hydraulics.

It's how photographers make their living. A standard 101 ambulnace photo is my old beast. Neither I nor previous owner have made a penny out of it.

Where was the photo taken? If the photo was taken at, or from, a public place, then you expect to have people take pictures. He has copyright of that particular image.

It was KG200 that flew captured aircraft for the Luftwaffe.

Welcome, as for the pint. With the weather round UK at the monet a pint of Brandy and a Vallium sandwich would be nice. Many regulars are off currently enjoying the mud baths at the War & Peace show, so it the peaceful time of year.

Welcome.

Welcome.

So lads, at least we be under a stylish heel!