Hi All,
I took a couple of weeks off to clean up my workshop which was, frankly, unworkable. It was such a mess I didn't want to go in there and when I did, I couldn't find anything! Well, 3 garbage bags, 2 vacuum cleaner bags and a whole lot of sweat later, the workshop is clean and organized (I can't believe I put away over 75 bottle of paints the first night!).
That being said, I'm on to my new project, which I hope to have done for the AMPS nationals at the end of April. I should make it with some time to spare, provided nothing cataclysmic occurs in the meantime! So here's what the new adventure is going to entail: DML's SdKfz 251/17 ausf C. I'm going to add the Eduard PE set and a Jordi Rubio barrel. I could try to turn one on my lathe, but I think this one is little beyond my skills at this point.
I've only found a couple (less than 12) pictures of this beast and Tom Jentz states in Panzer Tracts #12, "No original reports have been found revealing technical data or when and how many were produced." But, he does state on one of the photo captions, "In early 1943, the 18.Batterie/Flak-Regiment "HG" was sent to Tunisia with nine of the 2 cm Flak 38 auf SPW." Most of the pictures show the vehicle in dark gray, but the kit instructions show some pretty funky paint scheme in Tunisia and Poland. As I haven't done a vehicle of the Africa campaign in years, I'm thinking of doing an HG vehicle in late Africa color: 1/3 gray and 2/3 Afrika brown. This should look really neat and be a real eye-catcher. Here's where I stand at the end of the first session:



Disregard the ammo cans in the above pic, they just happened to be there when I took the pic!





I wasn't overly impressed with the fit of the torsion bar arms. They were fiddly and needed some coaxing to line up properly. I hope I got it right or it's going mess things up later. We'll see once the road-wheels are done and test-fitted.



Here you can see I've already drilled a hole in the bottom of the hull for the bolt for the base. I'll superglue the nut in later tonight. More later.
Regards,
Georg

Georg;

Hi! I'll be watching this for some inspiration! I have this kit in the stash, and am in a semi-Flak 38 fixation - done a Flakpanzer 1A (Dragon 6220 OOTB build), Flakpanzer IV (old Tamiya kit), a Horch DAK gun-truck with Flak 38 on back (Tamiya / Tamiya), the Dragon Flak 103/38, and soon enough expect to do this one you are into, so...!

I've heard about the fiddly torsion bars - the larger challenge seems actually to be getting those bars set high enough so that the front wheels will touch the ground when the tracks are put on! I've read somewhere that a way to do this is to dry-fit those fronts on, and assemble a bottom run of track for both sides, and then set the torsion bars ... and set the rig onto those track runs on a table and let the whole thing set up tight. You may well be planning something different, but thought I would toss this up sooner than later

I cannot recommend the JR barrel - if it is the same JR 2cm barrel I have, it's awful. Of course, this is just my opinion, but the flash hider- the most visible and key element of adding a 2cm Flak 38 metal barrel, is very poorly-done on the JR barrel- no holes for either the collar (slot holes) nor the cone.

I typically use the RB barrels (great flash-hiders IMO), or, if having those knurled grip-bands is key, maybe another brand - There are several out, some with knurls - and I think all look better than the JR item.

The styrene barrel can actually be drilled out pretty nicely - at least in the cone, for that matter.

Can't wait to see what transpires!

Bob

Hi All,
This week has been kinda hectic, but I was able to get some more work done on the 251/17. I'm not totally happy with the suspension, but I think this thing is going to get put on a scenic base. I've got some time to think about that while this thing comes together. Anyway, here are the pics so far:





Currently, I'm starting the interior and the first Eduard PE bits are being added. So far, so good.

Bob- thanks for the heads up on the barrel. Luckymodel has them for about US$5 and shipping is free, so it's great deal by any measure.

I'll have some free time tomorrow, so with luck this will move along nicely.
Regards,
Georg

Have to agree with Bob here. The Swedish Ebay-like site called Tradera has a glut of Jordi Rubio barrels for sale just now. Many are getting rid and purchasing the likes of RB barrels ... great prices and quality-wise ... and in a different league. The Jordi barrels were a great item in their day, easily beating gluing and sanding the plastic halves together, but are not really an improvement over modern molded barrels.

Nice start Georg. Will be watching.

I like where this is going, looks like it's going to be great.

Hi All,
My wife is out this afternoon and as there are no chore around the house to do today (the dreaded "honey do" list!), I've got some time to get some more work done on the '251. I enlarged the hole for the bolt and affixed the nut in the lower hull:





I also spent some time on the driver's area in the interior. Using some of the EDuard PE set, I affixed the armor plate on the driver's seat back and added the springs to the radio operator's from the DML kit parts. I also began work on the instrument panel. The gauges are included printed on a paper sheet to be glued to the back of the panel, which I did. I then coated them with some "crystal clear" for lenses. I think this will get another coat at the end of the next session.



Anyway, I needed to fill to monstrous locating holes for the fire extinguisher, which I'm going to replace with the kit part detailed with PE. The best way to fill holes like this is with stretched sprue as the tapered end will fit any sized hole. Just glue into place, let dry and then cut off the excess. It doesn't shrink like putty and doesn't need sanding like superglue.



All for now, more later.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
The build continues! I was able to get some more building time in on Saturday, but didn't have a chance to upload the pictures until today (Monday). Here, you can see the interior is really coming together. I'm not really sure how much will actually be visible once things are closed up, but I'll know it's there.



Here's a top view. You can see the bracket for the gas-mask on the firewall covering those locating holes. Also, I now have real pedals! They were a royal pain to assemble and glue into place, but they look pretty cool.



I've only got a couple of more pieces to add until I prime and base-coat the interior. With some luck, I should be doing that by the end of the week! More to come.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
The interior continues apace. I had to deal with some pretty nasty knockout marks on the inside of the panels. I wasn't sure what would be visible, so everything got sanded down.



Here's what things looked like after the session was done. I decided to add the rear plate, too. Lots of Eduard PE for the driver's compartment!



Here's a better shot of the compartment from the top. I'm not sure how much will be visible once the hull is closed up, but it sure looks damn cool right now!



From the other side.



And yet another view:



I'll post tonight's work tomorrow. All for now, more later!
Regards,
Georg

I love this kit, I have two that I'm looking forward to building. I look forward to your next update O Great Pumpkin

Hi All,
Jeremy, well here's tonight's installment. Last night was an OMG night. I found that I had messed up the hull rear and NEEDED to fix it. If you look at the rear end of the hull, you'll see that the rear plate i bent inward and this would cause the upper hull not to fit. So, I cut the bottom part off and re-aligned it. There were some gaps, but nothing that a little putty couldn't fix.



Next, I worked on the rear doors. The Eduard PE set gives you the frame for the the fire extinguisher and you are expected to use the kit part as a basis. Unfortunately, there is a HUGE locating rib on the back that fits into the door. This has to be filled, so a piece of leftover sprue came to the rescue.



Here's what the doors look like with the extinguisher in place. I did adjust the extinguisher after I took the picture.



I added a couple of brackets to the inside of the hull, fitted the door hinges (after some foul language and a small repair).





That about wraps up tonight's work. I think I should be able to get a coat of primer on this thing tomorrow evening and get a base-coat of paint onto the interior sometime Saturday. We'll see how it turns out.
Regards,
Georg

@ Looks sharp - keep up the nice work on the model,

screw the H-D-L!

Really enjoying this build. Keep it coming!

Hey Greg,
What, dare I ask, is H-D-L?
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
I was able to get some more work done on the half track tonight. First up was to put a coat of primer down on the interior. The primer was nothing more than Rustoleum red primer in the can. It's going to end up being panzer gray, but with all the PE and extra stuff, I needed a firm base to start with.







While the lower hull was drying, I started on the cab. The visors were a pain and truthfully, they really didn't need to be molded in clear plastic. The vision blocks are the only things that need that treatment.





That's all for tonight. With some luck, I'll get more work done tomorrow.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
The weather here in NJ has gone from winter to early summer in the span of 3 days, which is the slowest it's gone. Anyway, I spent the weekend doing stuff out and about, so this evening was spent in the workshop working on the 251. I was able to get a couple of coats of paint into the interior, using my house paint/ windex concoction, lightened with flesh-toned craft paint. A couple of sprays later and the interior looked like this:



You'll notice that I pulled off the masks on the gauges which do lend some much-needed color to the driver's compartment.



Here's the rear of the hull. Not too much to add.



Finally, I was able to cut the radio out of its molded-in frame and attach the Eduard Parts. Then, the whole thing got a red-brown primer coat.



This will get a an over-spray of gray later this week and then (if time allows), I'll try to get the cab fitted. From that point, it's going to be all exterior building, with the exception of the fighting compartment proper. That should be an interesting proposition by any measure. See you soon!
Regards,
Georg

Looks good Georg...

Hi All,
This weekend was my wife's birthday, so I wasn't able to get too much done. However, I did get some construction done last week. Here's what I got accomplished:

The instructions would have you hang the radio from the upper hull. With the firewall in place, this is impossible, so I tore the radio (and its oh-so-delicate mounting bracket) off and fitted the upper hull, once it had been painted. I then painted the radio and glued t into place on the firewall (it can't fit anywhere else).



Here's the other side of the cab, w/the gas mask container painted and in place:



I was also able to get the jerry can mounts onto the back doors. I used the ones from the Eduard set and bent up one to show a small accident somewhere along the line. I'm going to have to remove some of the glue splooge before fixing the rear doors in place.



Here's how the model looks with the front hull attached and the fenders on.



Here's the hull rear with the top grab handles in place. The instructions would have you add a heap of foul weather tie-downs, but these are not visible in period photos, so I won't be adding them:



Here's a frontal shot of the current status:



All for now, more later.
Regards,
Georg

Nice, Georg. Lunch at Mosquitocon this year again?

Bill,
I'm not sure. Neil & I have a table to sell our excess stuff, so I'm not really sure how it's going to work. I'll keep you posted.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
I got some more work done on the 251 this evening. I'm still waiting for the Flak 38 barrel, so I'm doing stuff that doesn't include the gun just yet. At the current rate of progress, I should have this one ready for AMPS. So, here's where I stand right now:





The stowage bins are on. I opted not to use the PE parts since the plastic ones look just fine. The side-brackets for the doors are mismarked on the instructions and should read F-39/39 instead of C. The muffler is in place and the driver "knows" are glued down.

I was able to start work on the fighting compartment doors. These are extremely thin molding and I took care not to mess them up. The first parts of the hinges got glues in place here. I haven't added the ammo bins, but that should take place tomorrow night.



Here's a shot of the brackets for the doors. They are very fragile and need to be handled gently and carefully.



That's all for tonight. More tomorrow, happy modelling!
Regards,
Georg

You're SELLING????

Holy ####, stop the presses, LOL.

Bill,
Yes. I've got a couple of boxes of stuff that are either doubles, stuff I don't want, or airplane stuff. I've got them marked for quick sale, so stop by our table at the hsow and check them out.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
I got some more work done on the 251 tonight. This was primarily a small detail job, placing most of the tool brackets and some plastic parts related to the side doors. Things are SUPER fragile right now, so I'm going to wait until tomorrow to take pictures. With luck I'll get the rest of them done tomorrow night and then be able to get pictures.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
Here are some more pictures of where I'm at right now. You can see the tool clasps have been added.






So I didn't have to mess around with PE that wouldn't have enough to grab onto, I used stretched sprue to fill the locator holes.





From the earlier session, I got the Notek light mount into place. Here it is:



I've finally broken down and started the gun. Various different bits from the end of last night's session.



Also, my RB barrel for the Flak 38 arrived today. They are very finely made and make the Jordi Rubio barrel look like a club. Thanks to Bob W. for the tip! Onward and upward. More tomorrow!
Regards,
Georg

Saw this online, and I thought you might like to know about this little kit: http://www.jaguarmodels.com/pics/hf577.jpg

I'm not entirely sure that it's the halftrack you're building in the picture though, but it looks like it.

-Conor