This week in the workshop, we saw continued progress on the windscreens for both Sd.Kfz.223 projects, while work has begun on our Jagdpanther as we prepare to bring it back to full running order.
The Wheatcroft Collection Sd.Kfz.223
Martin has finished machining all the windscreen parts for this vehicle. These are now with Tom, who is assembling them ready for fitting.
Weald Foundation Sd.Kfz.223 Ausf.A (3.Serie)
The windscreens for our vehicle are nearing completion. Terry – our resident “Paint Wizard” – has painted the first windscreen, and we are now finishing the second. Once both are complete, that will be a full set ready to fit.
It’s worth noting that no surviving original examples of these windscreens are known to us. Everything has been reproduced using wartime photographs and measurements taken from fragments and parts that survived the war. It has been painstaking work, but we’re confident the result is as accurate as possible.
Jagdpanther 411
With the Sd.Kfz.223 projects approaching completion, we’ve turned our attention to the Jagdpanther. This vehicle needs to be up and running properly so we can move it – which in turn allows us to access our Sturmgeschütz III for its own work later this month.
We’ve acquired 120 litres of Avgas to fuel both the Jagdpanther and the StuG III when the time comes.
Alex and Martin stripped down one of the carburettors and fixed a long-standing flooding issue. This had been an ongoing problem we’d attempted to address before – noticeable because the exhaust on that side always smoked more heavily, indicating it was burning more fuel than it should.
However, during a recent start-up, we noticed the engine was still misfiring. The team are now removing the engine deck to service the magnetos, which we suspect may be the cause. This is also routine maintenance that needs doing periodically, so it’s a good opportunity to address both issues at once.
Looking ahead
Next week we’ll continue work on the Jagdpanther, with the magneto service the immediate priority. The Sturmgeschütz III remains on the schedule, but realistically we expect to turn our full attention to it towards the end of the month once the Jagdpanther is sorted.
