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Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 26 Jul 2015, 21:30
by Philipp Gross
Regrettably it's very much standard that any driver figure will never fit into a vehicle, especially not the one they are supposed to fit into. You can imagine what happens when you try to put an American Jeep driver into a German halftrack.
After several hours of cutting, re-arranging and more cutting, I managed to get him into position. He's from Miniart set 35047, by the way.
The other fellows come from Bronco set 35159, assembly here took only a few minutes...
I also added a few Pak 43 ammo crates made by AFV Club to get a first impression of the internal layout.
For obvious reasons I need to finish the interior work before I can glue on the top half.
Thanks for looking.
Philipp
Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 27 Jul 2015, 00:15
by Vincent Power
All the hard work assembling the hull is going to pay off Philipp.
I like the figures you've chosen. Nice touch with the puppy too!
Vincent
Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 27 Jul 2015, 00:38
by Philipp Gross
Thanks Vincent
The puppy comes with the Bronco set. It's my first attempt at their figures and so far I like them. Sharp details, few mould seams and natural poses.
I also found out why the upper hull refused to fit - the floor plate ended up 1-2 mm too high and the firewall with it. Since I couldn't correct it any more, I ended up sanding away the excess lenght from the top. Thankfully it'll be hidden afterwards.
The problem with Dragon's 251s is that they require a high amount of precision during assembly to go together without problems. However the kit makes it very hard to achieve that since neither parts nor instructions give any clue about the proper position of the major components. It wouldn't be much of a problem to mould the entire lower hull of the 251 as a single piece with all plates at correct angles. Maybe Tamiya will make a new 251 some day...
Philipp
Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 01 Aug 2015, 23:42
by Gary Boxall
Those figures look like they were made to sit in a 251. Excellent work Philipp
Gary
Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 01 Aug 2015, 23:58
by Philipp Gross
Thanks Gary!
I was lucky the other two fit in without much struggle
Just a few more pieces left to add before I have to paint the interior. The next unholy heat wave is coming (up to 38 degrees celsius are predicted) so that may take a little
Philipp
Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 02 Aug 2015, 00:54
by John Everett
38c is the best temperature for painting. Everything dries super fast.
Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 02 Aug 2015, 03:29
by Shawn Ramsey
The figures look great. Cant wait to see some paint.
Shawn
Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 09 Aug 2015, 13:09
by Philipp Gross
Thanks gents!
We had peak temperatures of about 39 C during the last few days so you can imagine my motivation to do just about anything. It's slightly cooler now, so here's a little update:
I'll have to paint the interior next before I can glue the upper half on, which I should do before I add the missing external parts.
Philipp
Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 09 Aug 2015, 22:16
by Raoul Kunz
Nice!
It looks more ordered than my 251C
.
Best regards
Raoul G. Kunz
Re: Sd.Kfz. 251, Pak 43 and an unhealthy dose of olive drab
Posted: 09 Aug 2015, 22:24
by Philipp Gross
The simplified construction of the original is definitely a benefit for both the kit designer and the modeller
Methinks I'll try my luck with the Pak 43 next before I start painting. Knowing the weather here in the Hessian Death Valley I'll probably won't be able to paint for at least another month.
Philipp