I will follow along as I was not happy with building the Dragon kit. As you say,it has nice detail but it didn't fit together well.

That one is looking nice!

But I recall having fit issues with Dragon, especially their earlier kits.

Tim W.

Where things currently sit. This weekend I hope to get a lot done, but basically she's built and just needs some touch up before decals and weathering.

Jerry I fully agree.Their 251D isn't too bad, although it's not a great fit but the C is apalling fitwise. I had to do some real surgery to the back end to get it to fit and then use a load of green stuff to get rid of the gaps. It's really badly designed. Parts for parts sake I thought. There are some great things about the kit like the detail and spare parts but the lousy fit killed it for me. (I've got three more C's in my stash to build as well which I'm not looking forward to!) I've built a couple of the 250 Neu kits and they went together okay or at the very least a lot better than the 251. It's a real shame as the detail's really nice on all the variants but the bad fit and the crappy instructions took most of the pleasure out of the building I usually get. In fact thinking about it I've still not put the decals on the 251C yet as I was so pissed off with it I put it on one side once I'd painted it as I'd lost patience. I'll have to finish that off at some stage. The main gripe with the decals is the splitting of the SS runes. I don't know why they do that as Tamiya don't. I know Germany has some strange laws about displaying SS runes but on a kit in a sealed box? I can't imagine your average German modeller going ape because there are SS markings as an option. Mind you the decals on their 251 kits are really good I've found. Loads of choice with number variation in styles and colour. I bought three or four round about the same time and took all of the decals out to put in my decal box so I didn't get paint on them while I was building. I have a strange system but I am very messy when I model. It was only then that I saw the variety and also the choice in divisional markings. Mainly Heer but spoilt for choice nonetheless swapping them between kits. To be honest I'm not sure which sheets came with which now but it's all relative anyway as I usually finish them as SS tracks.

I've been really impressed by some of the builds we've seen and nice to have some variety as well rather than have 20 examples of the same tank. That's why I suggested this campaign as there are so many variants between the two types when you think about it we're spoilt for choice. I didn't know a great deal about either when we first started out but with the 250 you've got the Alte and Neu body shapes with all the different variants and then A-D on the 251 plus all the variants. One day I may get around to building all of them lol. Mind you with Dragons instructions, if I had hair it would have gone grey or I'd have pulled it out by now.

I really haven't had that bad a time with mine.

Hated the old Tamiya Ausf C, on the other hand.

Shell, it's a bit crap by comparison to the offerings about now isn't it. I recently found a couple I'd built years ago and looking at them now they're very crude. I took out the bench seats contemplating replacing the insides with DML spares and putting wall stowage boxes in then decided it was a waste of time and perfectly good parts so put them away again. I may stick them on ebay as spares or repair as some people will buy anything lol. Their D types not bad. Not as good as DML's but passable. I don't know about the 251/9 or Stuka das fuss as I've never built those but as they're D types I'd have thought they weren't too bad. I have a feeling someone built the 251/9 on here and it turned out okay.

Although they are crap and lack detail inside, for that very fact I am planning getting a couple more to make the missing variants. I mean, if I have to scratch the interior anyway...

Grey Matter has a resin set to make a /11, and the water barrel in the Tamiya kit is a step towards a /8, so that is two more one can make right there.

Right now I have:
/1 (Tamiya Ausf C, AFV Ausf D, Falke)
/2
/3
/6
/7
/9
/16
/17 (w/ 2cm Sf)
/17 command
/20 Uhu

I know AFV made a /4, and there is a /10, /21, /22 and /23 out there. Are there any for the /5, /12-/15, /18, and /20 I have missed?

Shell, that's a great collection by the sound of it! They get quite addictive don't they.

I've made a start on the new one. It's the straightforward Tamiya 251 D. I've got to say it's a lot more enjoyable to build than the DML ones but lacks detail. Swings and roundabouts really. Straightforward Tamiya build in that the instructions are clear and everything fits together nicely but a lot of work to get it looking half decent whereas the DML one I built had loads of detail but was a crap fit and decorum forbids me from expressing my opinion of their instructions as it would involve a lot of swearing. There are some weird anomalies with this kit. The storage boxes on the hull sides for one. There's no bottom or facing wall to the long box just a seat back! As I plan to put kit in them and not use the rifle racks (the occupants will be debussing over the sides so will be holding their weapons) it caused something of a problem. The back of the box is hollow (very odd) so I put some plasticard over it and dropped it down a couple of mil to give it a front and used a couple of planks from a 251/7 kit cut to size to put a floor in it. You won't see the wood grain but they were just the right width and I was being lazy lol. With that out of the way the basic interior was done.



I bought a big box of Dragon 250/251 spares off ebay a few months ago for very little and combined with my own spares I managed to find all the bits I needed to correct the very bare interior seeing as there literally was nothing there.



As you can see I've added both driver and radio ops MP40's and spare mags. The map holder( I read somewhere that's what it is but I don't know for sure), spare lenses for the visors and the grab rail under the MG 42's armoured shield. Really obvious things so I can't understand why they've omitted them.

The radio's not bad at all and I'd go as far as to say it's better detailed than the DML one. It even has the connecting plug for the power source (I assume that's what it is) so I've been poring over photos working out how to connect it all up. I made a speaker (which looks like a laxative tablet close up in the photo but looks better in real life. Honest!) out of one of the tubes that protect paint brushes cut to size then filled with Humbrol filler. Worked quite well for an experiment so I may fit speakers to all my 251's now. I drilled out the points where connections are made and used 15amp fuse wire for the cables. I used 5amp for the headphones cable as it's very thin and I can twist it to have two single strands at the top to connect to headphones. I can't do that until I've mated the top and bottom hull though as I don't know how long it needs to be yet. I've added conduit from the antenna mount feeding down to the radio. Odds are you won't be able to see any of it once I've got the machine gunner in but I know it's there.



The driver that came with the kit was too big when in the seat (even with his tiny head. Tamiya's new figures seem to have unfeasibly small heads) so I used a DML one instead.I'd amputated his feet when he was going into a previous DML build then decided against having a driver. Ironically he'd have fitted in this one as there seems to be more room but you can't see that he's footless fortunately.
I'm going to crack on with it again tomorrow and put in some stores and do the internal weathering. I've made a start on the benches, giving them a burnt umber wash to give a bit of depth in between the slats on the bench seats but it could do with a couple more washes as it's a bit uneven. I'd have preferred to use DML seats but they're moulded to the floor on this one and as it would be quite major surgery for something minor I decided against it. I can't see this taking long to finish being quite a simple kit. Then I can make a start on the figures.

Nice work, Karl.

You're making me feel ashamed for simply putting a top on mine for want of interior detail.

Thanks Mark, it's my favourite bit so don't worry about it lol. I'm not one for PE etc as I don't have the patience but like to get the detail about right on open toppped vehicles if I can. I like adding all the bits of kit that would be lying about inside to add the human element and make the vehicle look used. I spent a bit of time earlier today sorting out bits and bobs to fill the back up with and to hang off the grab rails for that lived in look.

I must say I love the Tamiya 251, first haltrack I ever built. I like the idea of adding DML parts to bring it up to speed with the other kits as well.

I'm working on the DML 250 Neu right now, and if I were a good consistent modeler, I'd be in this campaign, but I tend to start and stop and start and stop, etc. Been checking out this campagin for a while though, lots of great info here.

Speaking of fitting issues (my 250 isn't that bad actually) I often hear about AFV Club halftracks being nightmares in terms of fit. I built their 251 a while ago and it was pretty decent, and a fairly pleasant build too.

And that ends my streak of simply lurking on this thread!

-Conor

I'm building AFV's 251/20 Uhu right now and the detail is good, but the plastic is a touch soft and there is quite a bit of flash and excessive ejection pin marks to contend with. Haven't had to mess with that stuff in a while.

G'day Shell

Looking good, but I think you'll find German WW2 fire extinguishers were dark grey or dark green, not red.

Regards

Rob

Rob, I've seen original examples in red, grey, dark yellow and an olive drab type colour.

http://www.militarymodelling.com/sites/1/images/article_images/Wheatcroft_053.jpg

I've had a very productive day today, albeit a long one, working on the interior and filling it up with kit. I'm quite pleased with it as it stands. I remembered to check as I went along this time that the upper hull wouldn't be obstructed by ammo boxes etc as I did once before. I'd got everything in and then the top wouldn't fit as I'd not taken the angle of it into consideration. Doh! I've done a dry run and I was right. You can't see the radio. I wouldn't feel right however just giving it a cursory lick of paint against detailing it properly and wiring it up. I'm going to leave off the grab rails until the end as I know that I'll knock them off. Same as adding the front suspension etc. It tells you to do it at the beginning in all instructions but I always end up catching it and breaking it so leave it till last. Here's where it stands now...

Bit of wear on the floor


Filled up...








I've put some ammo boxes and one opened box to the left of where the gunner will be standing firing the MG42 so he's got easy access for relaods. I'm using the gunner out of DML set no 6159 Panzergrenadiers LAH Kursk set.I've got the straightforward crew 6193 but as I'm finishing it as a Wiking vehicle the SS machinegunner is perfect for it. I've checked his pose with an old one out of my figure graveyard awaiting paint stripping and he fits perfectly. I've got a couple of sets of them so I'll use a new one rather than the old one that needs cleaning. I've picked out the figures I'm going to build for the debussing infantry. No major surgery yet as I've mixed and matched leg halves from the Kampfgruppe Von Luck set and used the two smocked torsoes as well.
My next job is the one we all love, painting the tyres on the road wheels. I've had enough for today so I'll do that tomorrow when I'm fresh
Love to hear any ideas or critiques of it. I've noticed looking at the pics there's a couple of bits need tidying up It's really helpful yet demoralising looking at the photos on the PC as you see all the bits you've missed or messed up.

Looks like you have the situation well in hand already. A nice detail most folks don't know is the drivers and gunners in tanks and the drivers in tracks like this were actually authorized to wear their caps backwards. In summer they often didn't wear them at all.
J

Thanks Jerry. I hadn't realised that about drivers. I'll bear that in mind for future builds.

My finished Sd.kfz.250/9 not quite how I hoped to have her finished, but will learn from each build.

Looks great to me, Linus!

After some fit problems with the upper hull fitting I got the base coat on

and the camo color


hope to wrap this one up this week

Thank you Mark,,,too kind.

Coming along nicely ! great looking early war track.
J

Well I was going to cal my build finished until i looked at the photos

Guess I need to add some dusting to the interior to tone it done a bit
Comments and suggestions are always welcome

Looking great Linus,

Targeting this one as part of my crusade for pastels dust – not only on the interior but also on the wheels/tracks/mudguards/surfaces where travel-dust would collect. Bonus is that it can take the sheen off panels that’s wouldn’t /shouldn’t be shiny (see Constructive Comments forum/Experiments in Weathering for details).

Cheers, Tim