Looking at the parts and the few pics I find online, it seems that the rear door inner handles were spring loaded.

To operate, one would lift to open the door, but then the spring would return the handle to the horizontal position?

So if that is true, doors modeled open would still have the inner door handles in the horizontal position, right?

Anyone got a period photo with the rear doors open showing this?

Mike


any yes, anal-retentive has a hyphen..and AMS is all caps.

I have been looking into this also as I am getting round to finishing my 251 but I can't find any info

the osprey halftracks book didn't give me any of the answers I needed

only the big A can save us...

The doors on the D were spring loaded, but could easily jam. No spring on the C though.

This is not a period pic, though it does show the spring arrangement. This is taken from Chris Hughes, aka the 'Toadman's disc. It is well worth getting if your're modelling a 251. I'll keep looking for a period pic.

Vinnie

Proof! There ya go gentlemen!



Photo is from "Tank Power Vol X 224 SdKfz 251 Vol II" by Janusz Ledwock from Wydawnictwo. Another must have book on the 251.

Vinnie

Try the Ryton Publication (Uwe Feist) covering in detail the "Schutzen Panzer Wagen"...




...It is not the blitz, it is the krieg!

Swami Buktananda

Perfect, that's what I thought AND it saves me from cutting up the DML parts to show the handle in a position out of horizontal.

Mike

Mike, it's well worth cutting up the parts anyway! It's fun. Naw! Seriously, it's worth replacing those moulded springs with some copper wire wound round a drill bit, they look much better if you're leaving the doors open.

Vinnie

True, a friend made some jigs for this with a piece of piano wire and a dowel handle the ease the strain of twisting..

I've planed to just cut out the top 1/3rd of the molded in spring and slip my new wire one over the remaining 2/3rds. this way all I have to glue is the top portion.

I was hoping I was not going to have to cut off the portions of the latch rod above the guide tube where the locator pin is and move it to below . This would require cutting the center section where the handle mounts and re-alligning that too.

Looks like it's all good!
right, back to the bench.

Mike

those pics are great Vinnie thanks for clearing that up !!

Vinnie,
Nice pic of the UHU. Looking forward to Dragons kit on this coming out this year.

Cheers
Alex