Jan Etal reviews & builds the Dragon Models 1:72 Armor Pro Sd. Kfz. 261 Kleiner Panzerfunkwagen.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

James,

Thanks for getting this review up. The build may not be complete but I felt it important to let potential buyers know what this kit is all about and any difficulties that they might run into.

Addendum

While I hope to have a separate finishing Blog, I'm not prepared to do so at this time. However, I have managed to get the two forward frame antenna supports attached. I did this by enlarging the holes on parts E3 and E4 using a #76 drill. With the holes enlarged slightly, it was easier to get them to grip the mounting dimples on the upper body. Please see the last two pictures in the review proper.







Cheers,
Jan

Another thorough and enjoyable review, Jan. The moulded grenade screen certainly does look rather on the blobby side, although I suppose it remains to be seen what might be done with some careful painting effects. Of course your photos below do magnify the thing by about five times, which does tend to reveal all limitations!

Having looked at a few photos, I wonder if this screen was sometimes not fitted to this vehicle, with the opening, or possibly the screen as well, often covered with a tarpaulin. So that could provide a solution.

Thank you Matthew for you kind words and I hope that even a more limited build review gives the reader a "taste" of what to expect from a kit.




The moulded screening will definitely prove to be a challenge when it comes to finishing. However, I am not without hope as I have tackled a somewhat similar situation with my Sd. Kfz. 223 vehicles as can be seen in the images below. The moulded on screening is just to the rear of the vehicles turret.








In my rather exhaustive research I have not ran into a picture of these vehicles without the screening and its frame. One image showed a damaged vehicle with the screening removed but its frame still mostly intact. It also appears that a tarp was often a standard "piece of kit" for these vehicles (how else to keep the snow and rain at bay).

In your picture above, what is fairly obvious is the crewman's head jutting out of the rooftop enclosure. On enlarging a similar photo, I find that the moveable "hatch" is not in evidence, perhaps suggesting that it was removed to facilitate easier egress as it might have interfered when trying to operate it with the covering in place?

Having a tarp covered enclosure is a very definite possibility. All will depend on whether or not the painting turns out looking effective and doesn't detract from the overall presentation.

Cheers,
Jan

WOW! Another 4 wheeled German armoured car, Jan? How many is that now? I was hoping for the 222 but this Was a total surprise. The antenna system looks like a real eye catcher and you must be getting pretty good at these suspensions. After seeing all these built the last little while, I think I might be intrigued enough to give one a try. As you mentioned it's a shame that that screening couldn't have been done better.

Regards,
AJ

weathering_one - AJ,

Sorry to take so long in answering but I'm going in circles and getting a bit dizzy from all the builds that I'm trying to finish. This is the fourth time I've tackled one of these body styles and while somewhat easier, the same problems persist in each version. The antenna system, while eye catching, is a royal nightmare! So far I have those front supports for the antenna located fairly well despite the locating features being all but non-exhistant. As for the screening, just check out the Finishing Dragon Sd. Kfz. 260 (#7446) thread for some hints on how I tackled it.

Once those front supports were set, I tested the frame antenna for fit.







I was lucky and it appears that I got the positioning right. I've tried the rear supports and was surprised to find that the fit is pretty bad. It looked like they would fit better but that is not the case. The 223 antenna system was a walk in the park compared to this one as at least it had some fairly positive locating/positioning features.

Cheers,
Jan

@tread_geek – Jan,

Quit an extensive review but well written and informative. Good to know that this vehicle was used up to the end of the war, so I’ll be adding this one to the stash.

I’ll be following your build log to see how the antenna goes together and for any other corrections you may make to assemble and complete this vehicle. Great job with all of the photographs especially the close ups, and plenty of them too, providing us a good look at the kit contents.

~ Eddy

@Braille - Eddy,

Thanks for dropping by and your interest in this diminutive yet unique vehicle. If I haven't mentioned it elsewhere, as far as my research into these goes, these kits appear quite accurate as far as details and similarity to the originals (prototypes). For someone with your skills you might consider modifying one to be shown in it's travelling configuration with the mast antenna disassembled and stowed and the frame antenna folded down. It seems a shame that Dragon didn't offer this option, let alone a PE screening.

Cheers,
Jan

@tread_geek – Jan,

Until you made mention of showing this vehicle with the antennas stowed in there traveling configuration I wasn’t sure how I would be displaying this vehicle with its elaborate antenna system other than out of the box. But I like this idea of the antennas being stowed so I will go ahead and plan on doing just that! This vehicle will be part of the Panzer ’46 army I have planned.

As for the grenade screens I my go ahead and paint mine as you have done by adding a dark wash and allowing that to run into the recesses and dry brushing the base color over the raised frame and screens, I think that’s what you've done on your builds and this looks quit effective. Besides, even with a set of PE screens there's not much you can see inside.

~ Eddy