Kevin Wheatcroft Collection going public on Feb. 27th!

[r_hufschmied]

The Wheatcroft collection will go online on Feb. 27th, check this announcement on Axis History:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtop...85b6f6944b0a29


One word: WOW!

[philip turland]

well it has gone public but it doesn't work all that well at the moment

unless i am doing something stupid

cannot see full pics, cannot maximise anything. very un-finished.

Shame, i was really looking forward to this going live.

[r_hufschmied]

Yup, expectations were so high that I was a tad disappointed as well at first. But hey, we now know (finally!) what he has in his warehouses. I mean, not one Hetzer but three! Two FAMO's not just one! Two StuG's, I didn't even know he had one! 4 Flak 37's, the King Tiger front glacis ... the list goes on and on!

I have no doubt that the site will be added upon over time to give a more complete picture, and let's not forget that it's brilliant marketing. It will have people checking back weekly to see if there's any updates (I will at least).

And remember, the guys doing the site are a business and will keep the best bits for print and that's fine by me.

I say WELL DONE Mr. Wheatcroft, keep up the good work!

[r_hufschmied]

There were (and are) some discrepancies though. When the site went live the Panther A (Early) was listed as Late (?) in both the inventory and the current projects. It's now fixed in the list but still in error under "current projects".

And Panter Nr:2 listed as a D? With a kugelblende? Can someone educate me as I still haven't got the latest Jentz publication, this is surely in error or?

[r_hufschmied]

This link is far more rewarding as of now, be sure to move the cursor over the indicated pictures under each picture frame and you'll see what I mean:

http://www.militarymodelling.com/new...AN=132&v=1&sp=

[Mat Holloway]

im going to sound really stupid now but how did this gentleman acquire all this armour? Is he a business man? or lottery winner!!!

[Bob Carter]

Kevins father is Tom Wheatcroft who owns/owned Donnington Park race track and the Grand Prix car collection there - collecting evidently is in the family and I believe Donnington was recently sold so there's a cash infusion as well (maybe some of this money will go towards a military vehicle museum). Kevin has been in the military vehicle spotlight for approximately 20 years , if any of you were regular readers of "Wheels and Tracks" you'd remember his ads for vehicles. He's more well known as of late for his work with and vehicle presence at shows such as the War & Peace Show at Beltring and Tankfest, Bovington, Dorset as well as his Panther restoration on TV - and of course the controversy over the APG Tiger where Germany was supposed to restore it on a lend/swap deal and it showed up in Wheatcrofts possesion, which from what I've heard he's now restoring for the germans.
My only complaint over the unveiling of the collection and the new website is - where is the for sale section ???

[Mat Holloway]

Thanks bob, you cleared up a few questions i had

[r_hufschmied]

... and of course the controversy over the APG Tiger where Germany was supposed to restore it on a lend/swap deal and it showed up in Wheatcrofts possesion, which from what I've heard he's now restoring for the germans. My only complaint over the unveiling of the collection and the new website is - where is the for sale section ???

Last I heard the APG Tiger I is being shipped back to Aberdeen ASAP. Apparently the Tiger isn't the only APG vehicle in Wheatcroft custody, I've heard of two more that were previously at Münster that are now supposed to be in storage in England.

There must have been quite some falling out between Aberdeen and Münster but there has been no official statement or comment to either confirm or deny rumor. From what I've heard the Germans were expecting to keep the Tiger I once restored (as they've kept many "returned" vehicles in the past) and were thus unwilling to complete the agreed restoration as APG wanted it back. Kevin Wheatcroft stepped in offering to do the restoration as he needed a template/reference vehicle for his "Big Cat" project, a very ambitious project to build accurate replicas of Tiger I's for sale to museums and collections. I say again, this is all hearsay and there has been no official statement from any part concerning this.

The part about the Tiger I getting shipped back to APG is solid though and it is scheduled to happen during 2007.

[RTY]

Few photos, low resolution :-(.

[jtrowbridge5]

the tiger was scheduled to return to the states at the end of last year courtesy of the American air force, but the plane they intended to use a galaxy I believe ?? was involved in a crash landing so they have put everything on hold to this year
dennis.

[nmk]

wheatcroft whereabouts

Is my understanding correct that the restoration shop is in California? If so, does anyone know where?

[r_hufschmied]

Is my understanding correct that the restoration shop is in California? If so, does anyone know where?

No, the "Wheatcroft Collection" is located in Leicestershire, England. You must be thinking of the "Military Vehicle Technology Foundation" set up by Jacques Littlefield, that collection is in Portola Valley, California.

These two are the top 2 of the "heavy hitters" of private military vehicle collecting and they cooperate when needed to manufacture or source parts for restorations.

[nmk]

Thanks, r_hufschmied. I did get them confused.

Does anyone know if the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation has a website, and whether they are open to the public?

[PanzerJohn]

This should do ya!.

http://www.milvehtechfound.com/index.html