Armour Dreams

[Jonathan Moore]

Originally Posted by RichardT10829

Absolute exquisite work !

Thanks Richard.

Afternoon All,

The ammunition for the MG34 machine gun, in the early versions of the Panzer ll, was loaded into saddle drum magazines, these were stored along the hull side behind the driver.
The saddle drums were expensive to manufacture, bulky to store and apparently they had a tendency to cause stoppages, so later models were supplied with Gurtsacs to hold the ammunition. A canvas bag with a steel top, it was still quite complex but easier to store and cheaper to manufacture.

[Jonathan Moore]

The Gurtsacs were stored in the same area as the saddle drums but the storage method was far simpler to manufacture, being just a horizontal lip that the Gurtsacs slipped over. You can just make it out on the picture below.

The interior picture is from the Tank museums Ausf F and as I have no pictures of the interior of a Ausf C with the MG34 ammunition stored in Gurtsacs I have had to base my work on the information that I have.

[Jonathan Moore]

Bolted to the upper left hand side of this structure, would have been a carrier for the radio operators gas mask canister.

[Jonathan Moore]

Two more...……..

[Jonathan Moore]

I am trying to finish all the components in the area around the radio operators seat. The loading plan shows the gas mask container holder, a water bottle or feldflasche holder ( marked in blue) and a bracket to hold the morse code key (marked in red).
You can see the morse key and the water bottle brackets on these two internal pictures in the panzer ll at the tank museum.

[Jonathan Moore]

And my attempt.

[Jonathan Moore]

I am feeling a bit crappy so I decided to follow the Governments advise and self isolate myself in the workshop.

I finished the lining panels along the inside of the hull and made the box for storing the radio operators head set, other than that there nothing to report.

[Jonathan Moore]

Evening All,

I hope that you are all safe and well.

I haven't done much since the last update as the sun's been out and it's time to get the garden done. I have started the polyurethane casting mould for the road wheels but I am waiting for a new cutter to arrive for the milling machine and at the moment it takes a little bit of imagination to see the finished item.

Apart from that, I now have eight track return rollers with tyres on but not finished, as the polyurethane takes about eight days to go off and I can't finish machine them until they have hardened.

Jon

[Jonathan Moore]

Evening All,

A week of lock down done and I heard on the radio it could last for 13 weeks, so progress will slow right down but it will continue until the materials run out.

I have finished the mould for the drive wheels, it's made on the same principle as the return roller mould but bigger. I am worried that because of the amount of polyurethane required, about 6.5 litres, it will have problems filling from a single pour and although I am loth to use a double pour, I have constructed the mould with two pouring holes.


Jon

[Jonathan Moore]

Evening,

I thought that before I get too excited and cast all ten, I had better see if they fitted first. They still need fettling but I am pleased with them.

Jon

[Jonathan Moore]

Today, was the day, when it was all tested. Sorry for the sound quality in the video, it's the camera's fault. Everything worked as it should do, there were no oil leaks, so I am a happy man. Although there are some small modifications that I am going to make. Now that the engine has a load on it, even if it is no where near what it will have to deal with, it's exhaust note has changed and is quite pleasant, in a noisy sort of gruff way.

https://youtu.be/LyIzzA4MhoU

Jon