Jon Phillips Armor Collection
The Jon Phillips Armour Collection is a private collection of armoured vehicles owned by Jon "Welderbeast" Phillips, a mobile welder and World War II vehicle hobbyist from Hoo, England. The collection includes a replica Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. A, a restored original Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. D, and a restored Volkswagen Schwimmwagen.
Replicas
Panzer III Ausf. A replica
Jon Phillips initially converted an FV 432 armoured personnel carrier chassis combined with a FV101 Scorpion light armoured vehicle turret to produce a replica Panzer III Ausf. A in order to participate in the War and Peace Revival.[1] Construction time was 8 weeks.[2]
Marder III Ausf. M restoration
In October, 2016, Jon Phillips acquired the parts to a Marder III Ausf. M, which he is currently restoring in his shop. The plan is to convert it to IVECO 6 cylinder turbo diesel engine.[3]
StuG III Ausf. G replica
In 2008, Jon Phillips produced a replica of a StuG III Ausf. G using the chassis of an FV 432 armoured personnel carrier as a host vehicle.
StuG III Ausf. D restoration
StuG III Ausf. D, chassis number 90678 was captured by the British Army at El Alamein in the North African Campaign and was taken to the UK for tests and study. This tank was recovered from the Pirbright fire range in UK, and was then part of Kevin Wheatcroft collection.[4] The project was started on 1 May 2013 and was completed 1 July 2016.[5] The engine and transmission are not original, but were sourced through a surplus FV432 armoured personnel carrier.
- Social media
The StuG III Ausf. D restoration was openly shared on social media, with many parts being sourced and suggestions made through its Facebook page[6] and several YouTube channels.[7][8]
References
- http://www.milweb.net DIY Tank Is Ready To Go Into Battle
- Conversation with Jon Phillips, 2 August 2016
- Jon Phillips Restorations Facebook Page
- Surviving StuG and StuH Esa Muikku 10 July 2016
- http://www.MooreTanks.com Surviving WW2 German Tanks
- Stug III Ausf D Restoration
- StuG III Ausf D Restoration Part I - IV Panzer Picture YouTube channel
- Stug III Ausf D Restoration by Jon Phillips Part 1 Mick Wilson