Which sdkfz 251 is the best on the market? Is it the 3n1 kits or afv kits? I am planning on buying quite a few of them so I need some input where I get the most and the best for the money?
Recon

The easiest way to start is here: 251 Comparison Reviews

Then have a look at: DML 3 in 1

Followed up with a look at this: AFV Club 251

From what I can gather, there are a few issues with the DML kits as far as accuracy is concerned however, there are more problems with the AFV Club ones...Cheers, Jim

Hi recon ..... honestly if I were in your shoes and going to build a few of them as a project ...Id try one each from DML, AFV club and tamiya. My personal curiosity would want to find out the truth for myself. Even though the tamiya lacks a bit, AFV club have a nice wheel and running gear set designed for the tamiya set.
Hopefully next year sometime, I will attempt this ... dont have an AFV club yet but Im curious.
Before this year and all the new releases there were some classic 251 models made ... so the tamiya cant be all that bad. In my local hobby shop there are a few models by Mirko bayerl on show, one of which is an older 251. Thats enough for me to be interested.

Tjena PB!

I love walking into Wentzels (PB's LHS) and look at Mirko's awesome work, I do this everytime I visit Stockholm, people probably think Im weird as I never buy anything (Except the occasional magazine), just go to look at his stuff!!

I just bought the AFV 251 with Pak 40 and it is a very nice kit. Not as many extras as the DML 3 in 1 but still very nice. There is PE for the Pak 40, choice of band or indy link tracks and other stuff.

i had success w/ my tamiya 251/1 comes w/ figs if you wanna use them or do whatever. comes with decals for different divisions on all fronts (african, russian and western) havnt tried the dragon ones...yet.

Hi Anders. I know what you mean. I often take a walk in there myself ... while the wife does the shopping thing. Those models are pure inspiration. Hopefully sometime you´re in town we could meet up?

Tjena Frank!

Sure thing man, I dont go home very often anymore though, last time was about a year and a half ago. Last X-Mas I was home was in '02 and I hooked up with Brian Keuhn (Huntercottage). The funny thing was I ran into him again 1.5 years ago when my old man and I went to a medeival festival, small world!

I can buy the AFV club one for only € 22.....but I actually want to build the 251/7 (dragon kit) whichs costs € 36

and I have got to choose 1 of them

Grab the affordable AFV club then post here offering to buy the /7 parts from someone who si building the mg or pak version. Someone out there is only building one kit from the mix.

You might also try contacting Dragoncares (their email customer service) and ask about buying the /7 sprue and assocaited etch. All they can say is no.

Sorry, I'm using mine to do the engineer version WITH the pak from the box art.

There is quite the detailed buildup of the AFV club /9 late version over on WWII Modelmaker.
The thread is up to 14 pages long by now.

good luck
Mike

who just started the 251/22 BEFORE finishing the Falke or the /7 w pak, or the AFV /9 or the Tamiya UHU conversion, or.... most anything else that was ont eh bench before the 251 madness began.

I think you mean planetArmor.

From one recon to another...

I read the reviews and i'm going to do the 3 in 1's (tons of xtras can't be wrong).

Tom

Could go on for hours about Sdkfz251s, I've got 2 on the go at the moment. The Dragon Command vehicle first up. Instructions a bit vague in places, offers options on radio sets but doesn't say which does what, had to refer to some reference before making a choice. Glued the radio sets in then realised that I wouldn't be able to paint behind them with the sides on, so had to leave that side seperate while painting. Doh! Also doesn't tell you how many track links per side you need, I used them all, then found I had to take 4 out each side. Love the tracks though, don't know how accurate they are, don't care, they're workable! And if you're careful you can slip them on& off while you paint! The front sprockets on mine needed alot of work. Jury still out on the figures. Driver doesn't fit at all, nowhere near. Operators needed bit shaving out behind the knees before they would go in.
AFV Club 251/1 - don't remember any real difficulties with it. The tracks won't suit everyone - they're a bit rubbery and loose.
I'm just tend to build what I can get, ie what's in the local model shop. I will @ some stage have to build the Dragon 3 - in - 1 kits, but I'm awkward, I want the /7 engineer vehicle on a D chassis, so I'll probably buy both eventually! However I'm not totally sure about the 3 - in - 1 approach. After all, you can only build 1 option at a time, and you're paying for the extras whether you use them or not. I think I'd rather see them boxed seperately. Who wants loads of Pak 36s lying around with no carriages? And what do you do with 2 redundant short 75mm cannons (easy mount them in Pz111 ausf Ns!)?LOL.
One kit I do want is the forthcoming flamethrower version (Dragon?). However they chose to mount this on a C body, all my references point to this only being on a D, shom mishtake shurley? Mind you, the way Dragon churn out kits they'll probably bring out all the options on a D chassis anyway, perhaps I should just wait.
As regards Tamiya - well I just like building them because they go together so well. I'm not a rivet counter, so if it looks "right" I'm happy.

Hohenstaufen, P.M.M.S.have just posted the review of the 251/16 - it can be seen: HERE....

...Jim

Brilliant, thanks Jim!