RSSRobot

Rung Russian Military today at 12:00 - still no registration completed yet. Apparently Peterborough DVLA office aren't responding to either their faxes or phone calls. They are taking a Zil over for inspection so they will try then. Bit confused though - for some reason they thought the registration process required the drivers license too. So I pointed them at the direct.gov web site which actually spells out the paperwork needed to register an imported vehicle. Whats really worrying was Richard saying they take a couple of days to process the forms and issue a tax disc/reg no. Again - pointed out that they should do both there and then. I'm not getting good vibes here - only 1 day left and if they don't get it done tomorrow then I can kiss the Plains Weekend goodbye except as a passenger - going to be gutted all weekend if thats what happened having put all the effort into getting the OT there. Will also have the unfunny job of telling the haulage firm that the return run down to Salisbury is off and that they only have a one-off trip to Essex. At this late stage I suppose I'll cop the bill for the booked trip no matter what as they won't have time to reschedule another load. :cry: Will also have the even less funny job of telling the wife and daughter (who have a room booked at the Bustard) as they've been looking forwards to the trip too!!

Been an MOT and phoning day today. Well - it was after I got my hearing back from the missus eruption over the PKT's.... Spent the morning getting my F-250 through it's first MOT so I can use it on Thursday if all goes to plan. Had to be a Class VII due to the weight. It had to be one of the funniest MOT tests I've ever seen starting with the tester opening the door & jumping in only to realize the steering wheel and pedals are on the other side of the vehicle!! Then the emmissions test had to be repeated a few times - seems the output is so low no one believed it and thought the meter was acting up. Finally they needed the mileage - odo is electronic and I had the devil own job convincing them the 8,860 figure was the actual mileage and not the trip recording... Once home it was then a job of ringing Ryton Arms to pay for the PKT's - £860 for the three. Luckily Tony hadn't sold the third one as I'd forgotten about the one in the co-ax mount beside the KVPT in the turret. They are going off to the proof house tomorrow so the back of the OT will be un-encumbered if it gets to the plains. This just leaves me the KVPT to source and an RPG-7 then it'll be the most complete OT-90 this side of the iron curtain!! That took me up to 16:00 so I gave Richard a ring at Russian Military to check on the status of the OT's registration process - lucky I did because he'd forgotten about it. I leae the reaction this end to your collective imaginations!! He's now chasing it up and will be ringing back in half an hour. All in all a busy day!!!

Left home bright and early this morning - well, OK, about 08:00 Hrs and got to Russian Military at 10:15 for the hand-over session. Was a bit worried when we got there as there were a couple of Zils and a UAZ parked out front but no OT, However all was revealed when we were escorted to an adjacent building where they were locked up. Once out we went over the normal checks for fluids and oils then progressed to the start-up procedures. The normal one was simple enough - but the one for when the temp is below 5 deg C was impressive to say the least. Not the least reason being it starts by saying make sure there is nothing inflammable under the vehicle when doing this!! Next reason being the copious amount of smoke generated - inside the vehicle as well as out!! :shocked: Once happy with the start drills we progressed to the actual driving - at this point the grin on my face was wide enough to rival the Grand Canyon. Started off in low range - with this selection the steering tiller only work on extreme/hard lock and is useful for precision aligning as turns are abrupt. The clutch, by the way, is like an on-off switch, forget slipping it for smooth action. In high range the tiller has a lot more feel to it and can be used for progressive turns whilst on the road. Funnily enough the gear shift pattern is the same as the stalwarts!! A couple of turns around the site and I had the fell of the vehicle - including an idea of when to start turning as well as watching where the rear was swinging to. Practice (lots of it) should make things easier and second nature. At this point we stopped for a cup of coffee and found time had flown, it was gone 15:00 Hrs.... This put a crimp on me getting to a DVLA office today but after talking to Richard he's agreed to put the registration through for me on Monday via a contact he has at the Peterborough office. Fortunately he also looked at the detail of the transporterand realized the trailer needed outriggers so a phone call to Malcolm at MGM hopefull has this sorted too. All in all it was a good and enjoyable day!!! :yay::yay:

News of a different vehicle for a change!! Went down to RR today - we have an arrangement where I pay for the work to repair my Stalwart as it progresses. Mike the owner had located a donor hull to replace the damaged areas on little Mauds so I was paying for this, the transport and work to date. Thus far they have the repaired hull up and running. Not as simple as it sounds - apparently everything in/on little Mauds hull that wasn't rigidly bolted down had moved in someway. Impressive...... :-( Anyways - all is now running well, just need to check the brakes over and the mechanicals are sorted - then the hull areas need cleaning and repainting. We're getting there and Kerry & the guys at RR are doing a 1st class job. Whilst there I took the chance to get my old DMS boots out of the cab where the paramedic dropped them months ago. A bit of a mess but I've really rubbed a lot of Kiwi into them and they are being left for a day to absorb it before another application. Only thing is - the laces were cut to remove them. Anyone remember how long laces should be for 1970's era DMS boots???

Following the bombshell that the internal roads on SPTA are now public highways I've just spoken to the DVLA and VOSA regarding registering the OT. Good news is that VOSA confirm that it is MOT exempt and that DVLA see no problems in registering it - neither referred to an SVA test at all. Bad news is that DVLA reckon 7 to 10 days to process the application so - pending a miracle - it looks like I'm gonna miss the Plains Weekend for the second year running. Needless to say I am upset beyond measure at this!! :cry: :cry: :banghead:

The hand-over session is now booked with Russian Military for Friday (April 254th)@ 10:00 Hrs. I'll take the camera and video with me to see what I can get image wise.

OK - first posting. Now the holiday is over I can get on with the vehicles. Status thus far is: Alvis Stalwart: Still down at RR's - a scrap hull has been sourced to repair the cab so work is progressing there. Estimated return time is still August. I'm missing the old girl more than I thought possible. :cry: OT-90: Currently with Russian Military; the tracks should be finished by now. Current plan is to arrange a hand-over this week, pref. on Sat then the OT will be shipped down to the Plains weekend. Managed to source the PKT's for the forward hull positions - just need the 14.5mm KVPT for the turret, an RPG-7 and 6 AK's for the rear crew compartment. I did manage to score a complete medical kit for it from eBay for the princely sum of £18 LandRover FFR: Currently on SORN - a repaint is scheduled for this year. I've managed to get the wing mount boxes (c/w TUAAM's) and side mounts so externally it will be complete. Still need to replace the door tops and the hinges on the drivers door as well as sealing the drivers side fuel tanks - it's got a pin-hole leak somewhere. Pictures of all will follow as and when!!

:yay::yay:. doing my first show of the year with lee @ tilbury fort on saturday and then coalhouse fort on the sunday. yippee:)more tea to drink:coffee: