Hey all!

So, I'm planning a medium sized diorama with either an Sd.kfz.250/1 neu or 251/1 Ausf D or both and I'm wondering;

In your opinions, what are the best 250 and 251 SPW kits out there and what, if any, are their problem areas where scratchbuilt or AM modifications go a long way? If you have an opinion on any "must-have" AM detail sets don't be shy about sharing. There are no wrong answers here.

Thank you very much for taking the time.

I have built Tamiya, Dragon, AFV, and Zvezda when it comes to 251's. Of those, I would pick Dragon over the rest, with AFV coming in second. Tamiya generally sacrifices a little detail for ease of assembly so you would definitely need AM. I just built the Zvezda and found it needlessly over-engineered in some spots and not so much in others. I have another but am in no rush to start it.

The AFV kits are fiddlier than Dragon, and the plastic can be a bit soft, but they look very good when done. Dragon issued most of its kits when they were still the king of the industry so they usually come with a bunch of stuff.

I have 14 SdKfz 251 kits; half are Dragon. 3 are AFV. The rest are Tamiya, Zvezda, and ICM (which I have not built yet, so can't comment on). I don't buy AM myself, but I don't find myself really needing anything, although you can certainly swap out tool clasps and stuff like that for that better scale effect. I would likely do it for any kit not made by Dragon or AFV, but YMMV.

While only the third vehicle is an Ausf D, I just wanted to give you a side-by-side of Tamiya, Dragon, AFV, and Zvezda to compare how they look completed:

TAMIYA


DRAGON


AFV


ZVEZDA

Terry Ashley /PMMS did a comparison review between the Dragon AFV-Club versions of 251's
https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/misc/251-22/251-22d.htm
There are size differences between the kits from the two manufacturers so use only one brand in your diorama.
There are some more comparison reviews at this link:
https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/comparison.htm

When it comes to 250's I think Dragon is the only game in town, especially for the "neu" variants of the hull.
The Tamiya 250's are all the older hull and have been around for quite some time (i.e. molding technology and details have progressed quite a lot since Tamiya released these the first time).

/ Robin

I think there would be more replies to this if it was posted in Armorama: Armor/AFV instead.
Let me know and I can move it for you
/ Robin

Nathan,
Ignore the Ausf C in the first picture - it's the ancient Tamiya offering from the 70s. It has inaccuracies and is crude by modern standards. The later 90s Ausf Ds are better, but not really up to the standard of either AFV Club or Dragon. I can't comment on Zvezda or ICM as regards Sdkfz250/251s as I haven't experienced them, but I've made some of their recent trucks and they are both pretty good.
The AFV Club kits tend to concentrate on one version per kit, whereas the Dragon ones give you more options. This can be either good or bad, you get more choice in the box, but you get a lot of leftover parts. DML instructions also are not the best and it can be difficult to decide which parts you need for the version you have selected. Some of the DML Sdkfz250s lack the gearbox, which is very noticeable on the finished model as it fits between the front seats, however their Sdkfz251s contain a gearbox which is not seen as it is uder the floor and can be chopped about to fit the smaller vehicle. Neither give you figures although some DML kits contain a driver who doesn't fit! AFV Club you get rubber tracks, but to be fair they are about as good as you can get in this medium. DML tend to be seperate, you pays your money you takes your choice.