Karel Kirss provides a review of German Halftrack Crewmen, a four figure set by DML in 1/35.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

If anybody is unsure on how to make an "in the box" review, see this text book example. Precise description of parts and excellent photographs. Nothing more needed. Nice one Karel.

Do the figures actually fit the Dragon 251's as is shown on the box art? Dan

I was thinking the same. The seats in a 251 are very low, the two sitting figures look like they are sitting high in they're seats. Has anyone made this figure set? It is quite an old set. Do the driver and radio guy fit into the seats of a 251 ? do you need to do a bit of mods to the legs of them I liked the way Chaz Young used the MG man in his "Point ler Hoc" Dio he done a while ago. Dragon Figures are great I've always loved them. Nice Review. Cheers Geraint

Is it just me, or does it look like there is a lot of flash on these figures?

Thanks to all for your comments!
To panamadan and Geraint - I have to be honest, I haven't build these figures yet, so I can't say for sure, that they are going to fit Sd.Kfz.251. But I think, that if these figures are made for Dragon's halftrack, then they should fit into a Dragon's halftrack.
Karel

I've built those figs, and.....

.... they do not fit in DML 251 (at least in the first "C")

Driver's must be cutted nearly half centimeter to get inside, the radio operator is impossible to fit in its place, and one must r-arrange the foot of the two standing figures to get inside the half-track between the two seats

I've to try them in AFV's 251 but not done yet

Thanks for the info! I looked at the driver and he looks like he would be happy're driving an Opel Blitz truck. Ive got a 3 in 1, 251 "falke" and there does'nt look like much room in the cab area. Thanks again Geraint

I 've Encountered the same problem that Driver and Radio Operator does not fit into the Dragon halftracks.
Legs and lower bodys form the Sdkfz 251/6 Auf C had to be used in place. And still had to shorten the upper torsos.
Radio operator still had some clearance issue to the top of the vehicle roof.




It was disapointing that the figures "seated" did not work from out of the box. The Machine gunner and track commander worked out OK when mounted to the finished model.

These figures are really designed only for the SdKfz 250 series. The box art shows the officer with the binoculars resting up against the inside of the 250/1 hull which is the dead give away. That is also why the legs are bent so much on the driver and R/O- to sit higher as you do in the 250 series. The seated crew will not work in any SdKfz 251 kit without substantial modification. Even the MG firing crewman may not fire on a flat trajectory in other vehicles.

The figures may fit in some trucks or the sdKfz 7 with some simple mods such as moving the hand position and perhaps feet, but I have not tried them - I did use them in the first issue dragon sdKfz 251, but with forced perspective like cutting down the legs and sanding the boots down to just the thin boot top as well as removing a lot of the buttocks and taking out the belt section (behind the seat that isnot noticible.

In reality, the kit is quite old and suffers flash and heavy mould seams like others of Dragon's early efforts. For the effort required to fit them to a 251 series vehicle you probably should just cobble together pieces from the spares box and use replcaement heads such as Hornet heads - it will be just as much work in the end.

The seated figures (both of them) are like if they were seated in a chair, and the position in the 251 is more like in an sports car, with the legs nearly straigh,compare them with the figures that DML provides in some of the 251's.

In my case both standig figures needed to be modified, changing the feet angle

If someone compares the driver figures provided by DMl in the 250 series and the ones in the some of the 251 half tracks can notice the size diference, the second one is lessthan 90% the sizeof the first, it makesme think than anithingis wrong (I think in the 251)