Based on an anti-aircraft modification of the Sd.Kfz 251C a platform to support the 20 mm Flak 38 supplanted the original crew compartment and the armored side plates were modified to drop down, giving the gun the advantage of being able to also take on ground targets. These modified vehicles were designed for the Herman Goering Division.
The 251/17 had the Flak38 removed and additional command radio equipment added. There is some speculation on the part of AFV Club as to the interior lay out of this version, no photos are known to exist that show the interior of this version.
The Kit
Molded in olive plastic the kit consists of 18 sprues, a small fret of PE, a set of (rubber band type)tracks, a small bag with two resin 'bonus pieces' and a mall decal sheet.
The two 'A' sprues have suspension parts, wheels and the two sides of the front tire.
The 'B' sprue consists of front suspension parts and the drive wheels.
The 'C' sprue has vehicle body parts, pioneer tools, upper body and fenders.
The 'U' sprue has interior body parts , floor pieces, fire extinguishers and dash parts.
The 'F' sprue has radios, radio rack parts and antenna.
The 'K' sprue has more interior floor, side armor and various structure pieces.
The two 'TB' sprues have benches, tool boxes, armored visor parts, head light parts.
The two 'TA' sprues have drivers seat, and various benches/boxes.
The 'Z' sprue has the towing hook components.
The two 'X' sprues have weapons one MG42, one MG34 and four K-98 rifles per sprue, clips, ammo drums and belted rounds.
Part 'M' is the small Photo-Etch which are brackets for the radio.
Part 'R' is the 'Bonus parts' consisting of two resin seats for the radio operator.
Part 'H' are the two 'rubber band type' tracks.
Part 'J' are the decals, markings for two vehicles of the Herman Goering Division.
There is no flash or ejection pin marks in visible locations and the detail is crisp on all the plastic parts. It appears that there will be extra parts not used with this variant left over for the parts box. This variant was only used by the Herman Goering Division and thus should only be finished in panzer gray. Many of the pieces are very fine and delicate, great care will have to be taken when removing them from their sprue. Although I've marked the 'suggested retail price' of $41.95 USD I haven't seen any online store "pre-selling" the kit for that. The lowest price online in the U.S. that I found was $33.55.
SUMMARY
Highs: The detail and molding of the kit are superb. The detail on the 'rubber band type' tracks are exceptional (I'm not a big fan of 'band' tracks but these are unbelievable detail wise)This is an interesting variant that looks to be a fun build.Lows: I think the 'multimedia' approach is good but the resin pieces provided could have been molded in plastic with no loss in detail. They could have used the 'resin bonus' parts to better advantage. Same with the PE fret, mostly brackets that won't be seen.Verdict: I like this kit and see great potential for dioramas. Although I think AFV Club could have better used the resin and PE parts, that's a pretty minor gripe.
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About Charles Reading (CReading) FROM: CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
I live in the mountains north of Santa Cruz California. I have been building now since the early 1990's when I rediscovered modeling. Most of my kits are built with dioramas in mind. I took a "creative block" hiatis for a couple years - 2011 to 2013. I wasn't active in the modeling world. During tha...
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