We come to the end of a quite exciting week here at the workshop. This week, we saw a lot of smaller tasks completed, with its pinnacle being the fitting of an MG 34 into the machine gun mount of our Sd.Kfz.223 Ausf.A 3.Series.
Machine Gun Mount: Fitting the MG 34
Work continued on the front body and has now been completed; it is now ready to be removed from the chassis and sent off for sandblasting and priming on Monday. The rear body should return once we drop off the front body. Having a bare chassis is quite a sight here in the workshop, a sight we haven’t had for a long time now, but this will now allow a lot of other tasks to be completed.
The team gave the chassis a thorough clean, as a lot of dirt from other tasks had accumulated all over the place, and started to do the tracking of the four-wheel steering. Already pencilled in for next week will be adding oil and grease to all the mechanical parts, as necessary, as it will be a lot easier to do it now, rather than with the body in place. The dynamo was located and removed from storage; all it needs now is a good clean and the manufacturing of a clamp to be put in place. We also contacted the auto-electrician so he can start tackling all the electrical cabling for the vehicle.
The machine gun mount has seen incredible progress this week. We have fit-tested an MG 13 and an MG 34 to the mount, and it does look amazing. Our vehicle will, of course, be equipped with an MG 34, and with it in place, allowing us to manufacture the bracket that holds it in place when the vehicle is moving. This bracket is now ready, primed, and with its leather upholstery all done. Very few tasks are left to have the machine gun mount complete, so we plan to paint it in its correct colours very soon.
Beyond the Workshop: Organising Our Library and Planning Ahead
In other areas, we started working on suspension wishbones for the Sd.Kfz.261. These were cast, exactly like the originals, and needed to be machined, leaving them ready to be placed once the team has some spare time. We are planning on focusing on our third German recon armoured car, the Sd.Kfz.261, once the Sd.Kfz.223 is complete.
Finally, we made some progress in getting our library organised, with a volunteer from Portugal. He spent two days organising and putting some of our books on shelves and also took the opportunity to tidy up too. Volunteers are very important to achieve what we do and welcome everyone who wishes to volunteer some time with us. Please feel free to contact us if you have the skills and expertise that could help us.
Make sure to follow our Workshop posts and updates on our Social Media channels to stay informed about the latest developments. If you would like to see the amazing Sd.Kfz.223 unveiled and in action, make sure to join our Membership program and book your place for our upcoming June event. Have a great weekend.
