Tamiya Sdkfz 251-1 in 1/35th Scale.

[Alex Gordon]

G'day Chums,I'd like to join in with this one if I may.

 

 

The obligatory what's in the box piccie.

 

As well as the machine there is a frame of bods.

 

I've been having a bit of a play at painting a few bits.

 

They all look a bit like gargoyles but careful brushwork will bring out the best of the detail.

 

For the princely sum of £12.50 there's lots to go at.I'd quite like to do something like this

 

 

Photo found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sd.Kfz._251

More soon chums,thanks for looking in.

[Robert Stuart]

Good to see another Sd.Kfz 251 here.
There are plenty of pictures of these on the interweb if you are looking for inspiration.

[IanC]

Ah, another trip down memory lane...

 

Good to see this classic being built, complete with gargoyle squad. 🙂

[AdrianMF]

What a classic kit! Looking forward to the build.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Muchmirth]

This one looks good! What a bargain.

[Maginot]

Excellent choice! Built one of these back in the 70s, too.

[Alex Gordon]

Hello again Chums,a bit of progress to report.

 

Robert,thanks for popping by old fruit.You are not kidding about the amount of photography there is out there,this site http://www.sdkfz251.com/ has a phenomenal amount on its own.

 

Ian,Adrian,Muchmirth,Maginot,thanks chaps.This kit is a classic indeed,it's nearly as old as me.

 

 

I started by cobbling together some of the driver compartment bits.

 

 

Then I had a go at the axles.

 

They are intended to turn once in place but they won't go into their respective holes without a bit of attention from the cordless drill and a flat file.They are also handed to location so I had to look out for that one too.

 

Once masked off and in place the big bit was glued in to stop them all from falling out again,that was a bit of a fiddle.

 

The seats were my next victims.

 

I found this photo here https://pzkpfw3485.tistory.com/2245937

 

 

which got me digging about for gen on the backrests.I found enough to go at here http://www.sdkfz251.com/about_us.html with these three photos

 

 

 

Out came the plastic card.

 

I didn't quite make the right shape on the tricky bits so I had to fill in the corners.Once there's been a coat of paint I doubt it'll be too visible.

 

Thanks for looking in Chums,more soon.

Edited January 15, 2023 by Alex Gordon

[Alex Gordon]

G'day again Chums,a spot of progress to show.

The rear doors are an interesting thing.I realised that the bits are handed to each side and made sure that I didn't mix them up.

 

 

Once put together they are double articulated and move freely but are completely devoid of latches and other furniture.More scratching in the future then.

 

I thought I'd put the running boards on before the wheels,it'll make painting easier.

 

I duly fitted up the air filter unit and then the running board and stowage boxes to the hull.That's when I found this fairing that is supposed to fit behind the filter but doesn't and there is no positive location for it.A bit of a look at a few photos,oddly difficult to find,convinced me that it shouldn't sit as it does in the kit and led me to chop the vertical pipe off the filter top so that it all would go together.I still don't think it's right so it might come off and go back on again yet.

 

Anyway both running boards needed a little persuasion to sit against the hull with no gaps.

 

More soon Chums,thanks for looking in.

[PeterB]

That bit on the filter may cause you problems later with the covering plates that you can see catching the sun in your B& W photo! Might be worth checking now before you glue the upper hull on. Are you sure it is meant to go there as there is no sign of it in the pic as far as I can see?

 

Pete

Edited November 21, 2022 by PeterB

[Alex Gordon]

Hello again Chums,Happy New Year to one and all.

 

Pete,thanks for chipping in.It is supposed to go there but I'll come back onto how it goes in the next instalment.

 

Real life has taken more attention than I'd have liked but there's been time to do some work on the gargoyles.It is surprising how time consuming the removing of part lines and the refining of tunic hems and cuffs can be.

 

 

I asked the question "What colour is Feldgrau?"

 

 

Image found on Pinterest here https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6d/f3/20/6df3206a14d22e06c6b4f9c2c6b6741f.jpg

 

 

Image found here https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1120/3680/files/German_Unteroffizier_1939-1940_large.jpg?v=1488125612

 

 

I found a few other places to look while I was at it;

 

http://www.lloydianaspects.co.uk/modelMiniatures/paintingGermanWW2Infantry.html

 

https://festung.net/original-wehrmacht-uniform-and-equipment-items-10-of-each/

 

http://modelismo.wehrmacht-info.com/modelismo-1942-archivo-de-colores-de-referencia-de-modelos/colores-uniformes-ww2/?lang=en

 

https://www.panzermodels.co.uk/blogs/news/wwii-uniform-painting-reference-guide-for-vallejo-paints

 

https://www.super-hobby.com/products/GERMAN-ARMY-UNIFORMS-HEER-1933-1945.html

 

I started with Revell 47 Mouse Grey enamel and added a drop or two of dark green.

 

Figure painting isn't my strong suit but the way these figures have been moulded should help me along a bit.

 

Thanks all for looking in,more soon.

[Alex Gordon]

G'day again Chums,just a tiddly bit this time.

 

@PeterB Hello Pete,that lump does interfere with the fit of the upper hull.

 

 

Photos of that area of the machine seem to be few and far between,the most revealing I've seen is this one,found here https://c7.alamy.com/comp/HEJ25P/a-historical-world-war-ii-german-sdkfz-251-halftrack-hovers-about-HEJ25P.jpg .

 

 

I'm going to leave it there because it covers a hole in the side of the engine bay.The top face has been filed away so that the upper hull will sit down properly.

 

I've done a bit more on the gargoyles but not enough to warrant any piccies,there will be more attention given to this build once I've finished my Spitfire and Meteor builds in the next few days.I want to enjoy this one and give it a bit of a proper work through.

 

More soon Chums,thanks for looking in.

[AdrianMF]

Great to see this old classic being built. I recognise a few of the "gargoyles" from my teen figure building phase - those moulds did the rounds!

 

Seeing all the detail makes me appreciate the engineering of the Matchbox kit even more - I was pretty impressed at the attention paid to ease of construction when I built it.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Mukund SB]

Thank you @Alex Gordon for the collection and sharing of references and detail explanations. I am closely following the progress. I almost signed up for this GB with the same kit. but held back since i did not want to over commit .... Enjoying the build ....

[bissyboat]

Nice start to the Hanomag and the troops. I paint the uniforms mixing German grey with olive drab and light blue. I had to make a few swatches before I got it right. ⚓😙

[Alex Gordon]

Hello again Chums,just a couple of odd bits this time.

 

Adrian,thanks old chum.There wasn't much wrong with Matchbox kits,the few I've built were well worth the effort.

 

Mukund SB,thanks for dropping in old fruit.I do try to show as much reference as I can,I very seldom match the build to it but it's there and hopefully saves the next one along the path a bit of leg work.

 

Bissyboat,cheers old bean.The number of different shades of Feldgrau in the photo upthread it wouldn't surprise me if someone had started with maroon and still arrived at a useable shade .

 

Now that I've finished my Spitfire and Meteor I can get my head back into this one.Look at all these wheels.

 

 

The front wheels go together  with no problems and the joint is hidden on the inside anyway and will disappear under a coat of paint.

 

White paint has been sprayed onto the relevant bits,Tamiya acrylic instead of Berger enamel this time on the basis that the acrylic won't yellow over time.There's another coat or two needed yet.

 

There's been a bit more done to the gargoyles too.

 

Now I need to sort out a decent Panzergrau.Thanks all for looking in,more soon.

[bissyboat]

The faces look excellent. ⚓👍

[Alex Gordon]

G'day again Chums,a little more to show.

 

Bissyboat,thanks for chipping in old fruit.I've read all sorts of comment on Tamiya figure moulding,some of it quite unpleasant.For my money their figures can be very good and far and away better than my paintwork can do justice to. I've given the faces a second coat of slightly lightened base colour,Humbrol 61 Flesh,and slightly reddened base colour for lips and ears.The effect is very subtle and I'm not the best photographer.

 

 

I've tried a bit of paint on the wheels to find out what's best for Dunkelgrau.On the left is Humbrol 67 which most stuff I've read boils down to as an out of the tin recommendation.The centre wheel is unpainted and the right hand one is in Humbrol 32 which to my eye has a slight greenish tinge.They both seem a tad dark in my opinion but I'm getting nowhere with finding out what it should actually look like.

 

The consensus seems to be that Dunkelgrau is RAL 7021 which Revell reckon is 9 Anthracite https://content.revell.de/downloads/usa/TES_Revell_Paint_Match_Guide.pdf

 

https://panzerworld.com/german-armor-camouflage

 

https://ral-colours.co.uk/ral-classic-colours/grey-shades/ral-7021/

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234961582-panzer-grey-what-would-i-use-in-172nd/

 

If anybody has any thoughts or enlightenment please feel free to chip in.

 

More soon Chums,thanks for looking in.

Edited January 24, 2023 by Alex Gordon

[Trevor L]

Those faces look quite scary close up!

I've made this kit myself and I think the figures come to life at night, as I keep finding guns and other bits in different positions.

It's either that, or I didn't glue them very well 🤔

[Stef N.]

Following Plastix's builds and he uses Revell's Panzergrau and Anthracite Grey for his German vehicles and they look good to me.👍

[Muchmirth]

I second the anthracite!! 

[Alex Gordon]

Hello again Chums,a small bit of progress.

 

Trevor,thanks for chipping in old fruit.Once the gargoyles have got their lids on the scary looks will probably become scarier.I haven't got as far as painting the ancillary bits yet never mind gluing them on.

 

Stef,Muchmirth,cheers chums.Anthracite it will be,probably lightened slightly on the upper surfaces.

 

I found the vision port covers and prepped them for fitting.I was going to have a couple of them open but I just didn't feel like scratching up the hinge bits to do so.

 

 

The seats have had a coat of Humbrol 173 Track Colour which looks sort of leatherish to me with a few slightly darkened highlights to represent creases.These will have a coat of satin varnish to make the leathery look a bit more leatherlike.

 

I've planned for putting in a driver,this chap from something else Tamiya was to hand so I started trying to shoehorn him into the seat.After bending his leg and and shortening his feet he would sit in the seat.

 

Some had to be removed from both hips to get him to fit into the lower hull.

 

Offering up the upper hull revealed that he was too tall and had to have a load removed from his behind and more from the feet.

 

I've no idea how I'm going to make the arms fit convincingly.

Anyway real life and lack of mojo mean that this one won't make the deadline but will be finished eventually.

 

My thanks to all who chipped in and generally encouraged.

[AdrianMF]

The seat looks like a child's chair, even after you have hacked away at the figure. Mind you, the Matchbox Hanomag had the very same issue, albeit at a different scale.

 

Building my armoured car really brought home to me how cramped these things all were.

 

Regards,

Adrian