251 Halftracks GB 1 October '08 - 8 June '09

"Hay Dupes" I'm sorry for not getting my 251 done on time as I started some other realy detailed projects. Those projects being my M2A2 conversion and My Merkava Mk. IIID. An after I went through buying all types of resin figures and equipment. I should have put more work in to my project but I let my interest fall flat. So I must apologize the the hole GB for my lack of progress on in this subject.

Your's truley Vencent White

Boyd - roger.

Steve - thanks! ONLY 15 DAYS?

Got mine for the /4...

 

  Dupes got mine, and thanks. A really great GB and I'm looking forward to the Winter Warriors GB.

    See you in 15 days and a wake -up

Thanks for the prompt replies, guys! They have been deleted from the thread.

Boyd? Boyd? Get your /4 badge?

Thanks Dupes, I grabbed the badge for my 251/1 

I've already got mine dupes thnaks. Thats the /17 schweb

Alrighty, here they are. Wow, the wonders of real internet! Bulk uploaders and everything! I honestly don't remember who needed what - as you grab your individual badges, please let me know and I'll delete them off of my Photobucket. Sorry for the delay, guys!

Boyd - I had pretty much forgotten about that. Tell you what - I don't have any idea of which ones I posted or didn't post. Let me see if I have them here on my laptop (I think I made copies) and I'll throw them all on if I do. Uno momento, por favor.

Hey dupes,

I know you only have about 150 things on your plate right now, so this isn't urgent.  Just curious if you had a timeline for sending out the GB badges?  Gotta add some bling to my 'I luv me wall'...

Bish,

Yes, it is the /16.  I'm building the D model.  Just haven't had the gumption to get to the table recently.

lewbud wrote:

Thought I'd give an update.  Might have to bin this one.  Went to put on the top of the hull and it compresses the sides of the lower hull in to the point where the left fuel tank pushes in on the top tank of the pumps, causing it to sit at a 30 degree downward angle.  Will try to break the pump loose and see if I can move it to the right for more clearance.  If that doesn't work, I'll be sticking a fork in it.  Sorry Dupes.

I take it you are doing one of the Dragon /16 kits. Is this a problem with the kit. I have both of their /16 and would be interesting to know if this is a problem to look out for.

Thought I'd give an update.  Might have to bin this one.  Went to put on the top of the hull and it compresses the sides of the lower hull in to the point where the left fuel tank pushes in on the top tank of the pumps, causing it to sit at a 30 degree downward angle.  Will try to break the pump loose and see if I can move it to the right for more clearance.  If that doesn't work, I'll be sticking a fork in it.  Sorry Dupes.

Hi, Ernest, Bufflehead, thanks for posting those brilliant shots of the 251/20, truely inspiring work, I personally think know that the blast set is the wasy forward for me too..

Thanks,

Terry.

dupes wrote:

Holy smokes Ernest! Well worth the wait on the UHU!!! Really glad you were able to finish it...will definitely be included in the wrapup. SMJ - don't think I had seen your finished-with-base pics of the SZF - looks even better with the surroundings attached. Sadly, my forum time has been extremely limited lately (read: 3 weeks off). Doesn't look like it's going to get much better for a few weeks yet, either. Going to try to come up with some time to get all of the remaining badges thrown onto photobucket and put on the first page, as well as putting together the wrapup thread.

HEY dupes!!  Welcome back!! Sorry your work is so all consuming this time of year, but we understand your temporary absence.  Hopefully you won't be away for long.  I'm glad you like the Uhu!  Although it was a tough build I'm proud I stuck it out and was able to get it done.  Can't wait to see the wrap up post!

dupes wrote:

SMJ - don't think I had seen your finished-with-base pics of the SZF - looks even better with the surroundings attached.

Thanks dupes...and good to see you back here!  I have full walkaround pic's on my own thread if you get the time to take a look.  If not you'll see her first hand in September at AMPS.

Holy smokes Ernest! Well worth the wait on the UHU!!! Really glad you were able to finish it...will definitely be included in the wrapup.

SMJ - don't think I had seen your finished-with-base pics of the SZF - looks even better with the surroundings attached.

Sadly, my forum time has been extremely limited lately (read: 3 weeks off). Doesn't look like it's going to get much better for a few weeks yet, either. Going to try to come up with some time to get all of the remaining badges thrown onto photobucket and put on the first page, as well as putting together the wrapup thread.

Bufflehead

Your Uhu is spectacular!  Great work there!  I wouldn't lose any sleep over the sprockets - most folks will never notice or make the same assumption you did (and I did until about half way through my build - and about 15 seconds before I put them on...)

I particularly like your cammo on the Uhu unit itself.  Very nicely done!

Ya, I thought the drive sprockets looked weird the way they were shaped, so I double checked my references and caught that just before I went in to paint them. Whew!

Thanks Scott!  I really wanted to get this one done for dupes, even though its over a month late.  BTW, I was checking out your nice 251/1 and noticed something that I never knew and got wrong on my 251....

espins1 wrote:

bufflehead wrote:

I didn't realize that the drive spockets also had rubber rims!!  I just assumed they were all metal.  I noticed the sprockets on your's had a dark rims, realized what it was and double checked my references!  Can't believe I missed that!

 

OMG Ernest! That Uhu is amazing!!! I really like the PE work you did on that thing, really makes it look real! Fantastic painting, weathering and finishing work my friend, you can be really proud of that one!!

bufflehead wrote:

SMJ - I'm with ya dude!  I luved the way your Stuka Zu Fuss looked and I seriously wanted to add chips and more wear and tear to the Uhu, but to be completely honest I was getting burnt out on this build and just wanted to get it complete.

I hear ya...and I know how that is. 

bufflehead wrote:

BTW, I'd like to know your weathering steps for the SZF, it really looks fantastic!

Thanks for the compliment.  I documented the weathering of the hood with close-up time-lapse type photos, but I haven't written the narrative yet.  I have had more than one request to write a mini toot' for a three-color camo weathering so stay tuned for a new thread.  Here's a preview:

Start:

Finish:

bufflehead wrote:

Oh, and the tires are resin replacements from Hussar.  Got them online from Models by Mickster

I'll have to try those sometime, they are really well molded!

 

Thanks for the kind words guys! 

s.a.r. - Oh, there was overspray!  I just back and cleaned up the overspray with the AB using heavily thinned paint, low air pressure and a delicate touch!  I used silly putty on a very small section at first but then decided the lines were too hard so I free handed the rest of the camo.

SMJ - I'm with ya dude!  I luved the way your Stuka Zu Fuss looked and I seriously wanted to add chips and more wear and tear to the Uhu, but to be completely honest I was getting burnt out on this build and just wanted to get it complete.  I'm already back working on the JS-2 I started for espins1's RSotR GB.  BTW, I'd like to know your weathering steps for the SZF, it really looks fantastic!  Oh, and the tires are resin replacements from Hussar.  Got them online  from Models by Mickster

WOW bufflehead!!!  Truly jawdropping...  Tons of AM goodies on this one, I bet that took some time but it sure was worth it!  The detail on that spot light is intense...looks fantastic.  It sounds like we had a similar experience on our 251's for this GB.  There were a lot of firsts for me too, and like you, I learned to appreciate the vehicle and the amount of effort these open-tops require.  You'd never know that you're a newbie though, this is a real all-around great effort, seriously...you have done a superb job of paying attention to everything.  All facets of the model demonstrate some top-notch modeling skills. 

Super-minor quick thing you might consider/add though:  The handles and the rear doors (as seen in the photo close-up with the fire extinguisher) are a bit too clean, IMO.  How about adding an extra pin wash or two around the details and a few chips scratches on the handles?...some worn/exposed metal would be apropriate too.

The tires look great, BTW, they have some great detail on the treads...some of the nicest I've seen...are they OOB?

Great work! 

 

your -20 is somthin to be proud of for sure! im lovin the tight camo,i always have some overspray but yours is pretty good. as for the tracks and front wheels, i feel the distinctly different look you've achieved, is right on with a late war conversion like this.

Well, I know the extended deadline of this GB was July 1st, but dupes seems to be strangely absent and I don't know if he'll accept any more finished builds....sooooo, I'm going to post this anyway and if he doesn't mind then we'll consider this one done!  At least we've got one more 251 halftrack for his GB wrap up post! 

This is the AFV Club Sd.Kfz.251/20 Ausf. D "Uhu", with the Blast Models Uhu Upgrade set, a set of resin wheels from Hussar, and a few parts from a generic 251 D Eduard PE set....and a few bits and pieces of my own!  I gotta tell you fellas that this build REALLY stretched me!  First time building a halftrack (open top), first time I had to do an interior, first time I had to paint tires!  It was like doing two builds and I struggled trying to figure it all out and tying inside and outside together.  Anyway I muddled through it and I hope you think I did a decent job:

First a few pics before painting.  The kit wheels were used in these photos:

The interior that I spent soooo much time on...

At least the fire extinguisher can be seen!

 

And the finished product.  Due to time constraints and Scott's reported problems with the AFV kit vinyl tracks, I used my already built set of AFV all metal tracks.  I know, I know...they're probably not right for this vehicle, but isn't it feasible that a /20 Uhu might have used the metal tracks?  The Hussar resin wheels are installed....they have a different tread pattern which I thought looked kind of cool!

Cool looking vehicle!  Although I struggled with this build I really got a chance to know this vehicle better and now I want to build an Ausf. C!  Just a basic one with MGs, probably just ol' Panzer Gray!  Maybe a DML kit?

dupes, where ever you are I hope you come back soon!!  When you do, hopefully you'll accept this very late completion and include it in your wrap up post. 

Later guys!

Trust me Ernest, I feel your pain. The kit is a really nice kit detail wise. There was a lot of mold seam cleanup that in my opinion was excessive when compared to say a Tamiya or Dragon kit. That really made the build itself slow and tedious. The fit of the upper and lower hull as well as the fit of the rear plate left much to be desired. It was impossible to get everything to line up properly so there are some unsightly gaps here and there. I had to do some serious filing and sanding to get the outer stowage boxes to even remotely go where they belonged. Also, the rubber band tracks are waaaaay too tight. I'm not happy with them at all, there isn't any sag! I tried last night adjusting them a bit to increase the sag, which helped a little. They need another link or two or just need to be stretched somehow.

If I ever build another one I now know where I need to be proactive when it comes to the fit of the hull parts. I was kinda locked in though because of the way I decided to do the assemblies including the painting of the interior. I'm going to have to build my Dragon 251/9 Ausf. D to see how the two manufacturers compare.

espins1 wrote:

Ernest - It's the AFV Club 1/35 Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf D mit PaK40.... special edition kit.

Scott, did you have any fit/assembly issues with your kit?  On my kit the interior firewall/dash assembly just wouldn't fit right no matter where I cut, sanded, or filed.  Also when the interior was done the upper hull was about 4mm short causing a big gap at the front (where it meets the welded front plate) and the at rear where it wouldn't match up with the rear plate.  I had to fill the gaps with styrene strip and reduce the profile of the front plate. Also the storage boxes on both sides didn't fit quite right causing lots of sanding to achieve a decent fit.  then I had to file down each panel door and clean up some of the hinges to make the doors fit.  The front drivers panel (with the armored covers) also had to be modified, which I did a bad job on causing a lot of putty to be used.    

This is my first AFV Club kit and to be honest I'm not that impressed with it.  There were way too many fit problems and almost every part had flash and mold seams that just sucked up a lot of time cleaning up.  Detail is great and I'm impressed with some of the engineering.  Guess I've gotten used to the fit of the latest Dragon and Tamiya kits....parts on those fit like a glove and they practically fall together! 

SMJ, beautiful work on your 251!   That's some first class weathering and I love the little dio/vignette you did for it!  Badge well earned dude!