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DML Sd.Kfz.251/16 Flammpanzerwagen

Dragon 251/16 C Flammpanzerwagen

The model comes in the usual style of box from Dragon, with all sprues sealed in their own individual bags, and then everything in the box sealed inside another clear bag. As is becoming normal with Dragon these days, once you have taken everything out of the box to inspect the sprues, it can be difficult to fit everything back in, they include so much! 14 sprues, with very few parts that are not to be used, these being indicated on the parts map at the beginning of the instructions. 3 sheets of photo-etched parts, a pair of brass width indicators, silver stickers for the wing mirror, two vinyl ‘hanging’ uniform jackets, 2 lengths of different type of string, 3 figures, in the now familiar Dragon vinyl that can be assembled using styrene cement. Two of which can be built wearing flameproof hoods or normal heads, and a choice of riveted or welded hulls. I will leave questions of accuracy to others better qualified than me, suffice to say that it looks like a 251 to me, and I am unaware of any major inaccuracies in size etc., so it looks like Dragon are still doing their homework!

Stages 1 & 2

This stage deals with the construction of the lower hull and running gear, and includes the fuel tank and transmission, both of which are totally hidden on the finished model, but a thoughtful inclusion from Dragon none the less, for those wishing to open up the floor panels for dioramas etc.

The running gear on the 251 kits from Dragon suffers from being none too positive, fit wise. I would recommend that super glue and a ruler be used to set these up quickly and in line with each other. Another problem that manifests itself on all the Dragon 251’s is the small piston that attaches to the rearmost axle. I have no idea what this actually is, but it is fiddly and as it joins on to the axle itself, I would suggest not fitting it at the time indicated, but instead after the axles have been fitted. The Idler mounts are also fitted at this stage, unfortunately these are non-adjustable, but I have never had a problem depicting the correct sag with the tracks on these 251 kits.