Sd.Kfz 250/1 Ausf A – The Planning Begins - Inside Track | Renault TSF Tank Kent

Some years ago we disposed of one of our Sd.Kfz 250/1 Ausf A in a swap for the Roscoff Sd.Kfz 223 Ausf A. The Sd.Kfz 250 A was largely newly made – the superstructure was a copy of a Normandy survivor. The grandson and namesake of the famous Louis Bleriot had commissioned the building of the hull and a number of the interior parts. We acquired the project from him together with a host of 1 ton and Sd.Kfz 250 parts in the 1990s. The Sd.Kfz 250 Ausf A was one of the first vehicle projects completed prior to the establishment of the Foundation. The chance to acquire an extremely rare Sd.Fz 223 Ausf A through an exchange for our Sd.Kfz 250 appeared initially weighted in the sellers favour. This concern lasted for a short while until it sunk in what we had acquired – the complete chassis of an Sd.Kfz 223 with a good number of original superstructure parts. The problem now was how would we replace the Sd.Kfz 250 A. Gone were the days of cheap and easy parts sourcing. We already had the essence of the Sd.Kfz 250 A Frundsberg project in the form of the original hull, chassis and most of the required suspension and drive train components such as the Variorex pre select gearbox. We also had an engine, all the road wheels, swing arms, angled steering mechanism and dashboard. What parts we did not have were limited in number and we knew what we were looking for having restored our exchange example and a significant number of Ausf Bs. Knowing exactly what parts to look for is a completely different prospect to the challenges we are normally faced with. What we faced now was very different to the early years - getting the detail right. Who was the assembler? Who provided the chassis, who assembled and provided the armoured hulls etc. Parts have been gathered steadily over the years. The focus is on originals in this regard. It is surprising just what has turned up. An example is a recently acquired rifle rack. This is a very visible component on the right hand internal sidewall. The images alongside show the exchanged Sd.Kfz 250’s interior and a copy of this rifle rack in position.

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