Re: [MV] Tanks

Richard Notton (Richard@fv623.demon.co.uk)
Thu, 15 Jul 1999 22:43:55 +0100

-----Original Message-----
From: Sixshoot45@aol.com <Sixshoot45@aol.com>
To: Mil-Veh@skylee.com <Mil-Veh@skylee.com>
Date: 14 July 1999 21:58
Subject: [MV] Tanks

>Does anyone know anysite where there's a picture of a Ferret? I don't think
>I've ever seen one before....
>
I think there has been several good responses to this.

>One time on The show Extreme Machines, they had a guy, I think he was in
>England but I don't remember, he had a tank, painted bright yellow, one of
>the worst colors for a tank but I guess to avoid something like in the thread
>Moron Alert.
>
This was a London resident who apparently had a grudge about people taking his
street parking places and the police in general. He had a FV433 Abbot SPG and a
FV101 Scorpion painted bright pink, one sported a large foam rubber hand
denoting the quantity of two, which is highly offensive here and can be regarded
similarly to the US near equivalent using only one finger; the other vehicle had
a large plastic pig attached, which needs no explanation.

For the MV collector this gentleman was a total disaster and had the potential
to generate enough do-gooder angry lobbying to stop the hobby dead here.

It is reputed the gentleman was finally caught out by not having an appropriate
driving licence for tracked vehicles and apparently was not sufficiently
interested enough to go through the test procedure.

>Anyway, he was driving it down the roads and interstates, could you do this
>in the U.S.A.?
>
I have no idea, but the FV 423/433/434 and Scorpion family are within our width
limits and with the appropriate driving test on a vehicle steered by its tracks
and licence endorsement following a driving test pass from the Govt examiner
they are legal to drive on UK roads.

The Scorpion is a better interstate blaster with its + 50mph speed whereas the
FV433 Abbot will eventually struggle up to 30mph.

>I imagine he doesn't do to good in gas but only an idiot would try and cut
>him off!
>If you could, wouldn't you have to plug the barrel and get some custom treads
>so you wouldn't tear up the road?
>
The gun has to be de-milled here and a certificate issued by the proof house
accordingly, it must be covered on the highway although a small muzzle cover
will usually suffice.

The FV 432/433/434 series vehicles are never seen without their track pads
although these are unboltable, it may be supposed at some time the mil used them
without pads but I have never seen any photos of such. The track is connected
with rubber bushed pins and virtually "silent" except for link slap as it
contacts the drive sprocket.

The Scorpion family has moulded-in track pads that form the running surface for
the road wheels on the inside and the load surface on the outside, when sinking
slightly into soft surfaces the skeletal track link "ears" assist in obtaining
grip. The links are fully rubber bushed on the pins. These vehicles are
aluminium armoured and in fact have a ground pressure slightly less than a fully
equipped soldier in average size boots thus giving excellent mobility over very
soft ground.

Richard
(Southampton UK)

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