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Friday, September 14, 2007

Going Mobile

I don't care about pollution
I'm an air-conditioned gypsy
That's my solution
Watch the police and the taxman miss me
I'm mobile!!!

- P. Townshend


The early successes of Nazi Germany in world war 2 were primarily due to their doctrine of "blitzkrieg" warfare. This concept is based, for the most part, on one thing - mobility. Mobility, as it implies, is the ability to move your forces to where they're most needed. To accomplish this, one needs forces that are capable of being moved quickly; and, as was shown in the war, the machinery capable of carrying them.

To provide their armed forces mobility, the Germans used a plethora of motorized equipment. One very common type of vehicle used was the SdKfz 251 halftrack. It was a versatile vehicle that could transverse most of the terrain that a fully-tracked vehicle could. This was nice (for the Germans) as it allowed the capability of infantry forces to stay with, and support, the tanks of the armored forces. Being mostly armored itself, it also provided those forces with some means of protection from small arms and small-caliber artillery fire.

The SdKfz 251 series was produced throughout the war with fairly few changes. The final version was classified as the "D" upgrade. The basic differences between the earlier "C" version and the "D" version were that the latter version was more streamlined-appearing externally and had changes in the rear hatch doors. Everything inside stayed the same.

The 251's also were produced in a number of variants. One of those variants was used as an engineer vehicle and carried portable bridges, as well as equipment for various engineering functions - minelaying, mine removal, portable flamethrowers, etc. This version was known as the SdKfz 251/7. Some of these vehicles also carried extra radio equipment used to coordinate forces in the field. These were known as "command" vehicles.

Dragon is a company that produces 1/35 scale plastic kits of WW2 ground forces. All kinds of kits. I have more than a few of them. :) Not long ago, Dragon released it's SdKfz 251 halftrack kits in several different variations. I obtained their "D" version engineer vehicle as a "3 in 1" kit. This meant that I had the option of building any one of 3 versions. The option that I chose to build was the command vehicle (I like radios :) :) :)).

This build wasn't like the 426 hemi I blogged earlier. This kit is for builders with at least some experience - preferably an intermediate builder. I don't consider myself an "expert" by any means, but I have built quite a few kits. I consider myself one step above intermediate. Every kit, to me, is a learning experience. That's what makes what I do fun. This one turned out OK, but I know it could have been better.

The box itself contained all the plastic one needed to build the kit, with a small fret of photo-etched brass for higher detail in some areas. There were also instrument panel decals and a really neat pre-cut aluminized paper disc for the rear-view mirror. The instructions are pretty complete and pretty clear, but after reading them I knew I was in for some "real fun" when it came to painting the kit. What I decided to do was (roughly) assemble the kit in halves, (top and bottom) paint the interior, assemble the halves together, and then paint the exterior. This led to a few small problems (gaps between the top and bottom halves) that I persevered through (amazing what one can do with good clamps and scotch tape). :) The tracks were built separately and added last.

Below are captioned photos of most of the kit's progress after the initial build (I didn't have my camera during the build process). I had decided earlier to try a tri-color camouflage scheme; and, except for the "hard-line" edges, I think that turned out real good. I also made the kit nice and dirty to give it that "used war equipment" kind of look. Anyways, take a look, and feel free to let me know what you think!

This photo gives some perspective on the actual size of 1/35 scale items. That's the front MG-42 with the very nice photo-etch AA gun sight, after painting. The fingers are mine. I don't have big fingers. :) :) :)

This photo shows the bottom-half interior after paint and thin oil base wash with added pastel "dusting", followed by a clear flat overcoat to lock everything in place.

This is the completed front firewall/instrument panel. The high level of detail here was the primary reason I built the kit in halves.


The interior after adding a few detail items, such as the seats, back panels, and the machine pistols (I think they're MP-42's, but don't quote me on that).



The top and bottom halves together with the base coat of sand yellow (sandgelb) applied.




The finished tri-color scheme. This was done by applying a silly putty mask and spraying the secondary colors, one at a time. Like I wrote, I think the edges are too hard.





This is the view after I added the vehicle markings, which are not decals. These are dry transfers, which I prefer because decals end up too "glossy" and leave a visible film in the clear areas. Note the division symbol on the front panel (Hitler Jugend division).







The rest of these photos are all-around views of the completed kit. Like I wrote, I think it turned out OK but could have been better.





































Please note the rear-view mirror here. This is the best I've done in that regard - like I wrote, a very cool item provided by the manufacturer. Now, all I need is a scale radio operator for the inside. I figure this could be used to model a scene of behind-the-lines action by the Germans in the Normandy area after the allies invaded. Anyway, I did have fun building this kit. I hope you all like it too; again, let me know what you think!










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7 Comments:

Blogger bothenook said...

dude, you have waaaaay more patience than i.
about the second time i picked up a piece that tiny, and tried to see it, let alone manipulate it, i'd have been tossing the whole damned thing n the round file.

11:58 PM

 
Blogger jeffox said...

Hiya again, Bo! Thanks for stopping in and for your kind comments.

I hear you on the tininess of the parts I worked with on this kit. I do use tools made to help me in that regard, like a magnifying glass and tweezers. As for your eyesight, I've seen your spreads on your blog. Quite impressive, IMO! Myself, I can't hold a sidearm that steady, so I stick to shotguns. :)

Thanks again for visiting, Bo; you are always welcome here, mon ami!

5:04 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey! Thanks for checking out my blog, how'd you find me under these pine boughs? Yeah, the '57 Chev is where you said by Birch Lake, and belonged to a guy from my hometown of Blackduck! (Randy Lossing, my older sister's classmate.)
I lived in Sparta and LaCrosse for 3 years and have become a huge fan of Wisconsin and the Packers. (Vikes Vs. Pack tomorrow!) Loved your blog on coming to the reunion, was like a road trip with an old friend. I'm also an Ox, Aquarius Sun, Gemini Moon, Virgo rising. Love the tunes you add to your blog, and all the links, I'm not up to speed on that. I'll be seeing your relatives next month when I'm delivering in that area. I won't know they're you're relatives, but I'll be watching for the last name, just in case! :) :) :0 are you always this happy? That's great! Fear of heights must be a past life thing, eh?
Thanks for checking in...
Lori, da range... get your motor running....

10:07 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

not Randy Lossing, his cousin... oh I R so confused in this, my old age.

10:08 PM

 
Blogger jeffox said...

Hiya Lori, and welcome! Thank you very much for the kind comments. You have a wonderful blog yourself!

Wow, I had no idea that you lived in this area of Wisconsin, also. Nice to know that a fellow ranger can also relate to my current situation. Thanks for the info!

I knew about the Chevy because my grandparents lived out on Star Route. Want to rent a boat on Birch? Just down the road is Mattila's. Tell 'em I sent ya. :)

If you cut me, I bleed purple. :) The last time I was in the metrodome was for the "heartbreaker" NFC championship game vs. Atlanta. I haven't been to Lameboo yet :) but someday I'll put on my Randy Moss underwear so I can moon somebody. :) :) :) What a great game, and what a great rivalry! Two games every year, and I think da Vikes have the edge this season. We'll see how it goes!!

I'm glad you enjoyed my blog. Stop in any time, you're always welcome, Lori! It's always nice to hear from a fellow ranger who likes Steppenwolf and knows how to pronounce the word "sauna". :)

7:10 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I get the impression your a WWII buff. Tony's grampa Jack was in the Army under Patton and became a German P.O.W. He and 3 others escaped through a fence one night and spent the next 3 days travelling at night, hiding out by day. They lived on sugar beets. They watched battalions go by until finally an American convoy came by. They quietly infiltrated themselves into the ranks, figuring if they jumped out on the road to flag them down they'd get shot! They filled the commander in on the POW camp and where the tanks were located. Apparently they were buried in around the camp, but their turrets could only go 30 degrees, not all the way around, so the American Army came in from behind and were able to liberate the camp that same night.
My dad was in the Air Force stationed in Hawaii and was training to be a pilot but went AWOL to be with his wife when my eldest sister was born, and was demoted. That's my story and I'm going to stick with it, for now. BCNU... i finally figured that out...! (How can I be so soft in the middle when the rest of my life is so hard?)

7:55 PM

 
Blogger jeffox said...

Hiya again, Lori! Thank you for visiting, and for the very cool information. Yes, I'm a WW2 nut; I've been studying the war since I was a kid. Gen. Patton himself is a very interesting study, in my opinion.

Thanks again for stopping by, Lori; as ever you are always welcome here.

10:08 PM

 

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