Extras for the 251/1?

How about crew items? Items such as helmets, gas mask cannisters, canteens, spare magazines, shovels etc. Tamiya, Academy and Italeri all make accessory kits for vehicles. The possibilities are almost endless. HTH.

WEAPONS
you can always use extra weapons, k98s, MP40s, captured russian equipment and souveniers, personal equipment, uniforms, the list goes on and on.

Excellent!

I was planning to make any accessories from scratch, but thats OK, It gives me another excuse to go to the hobby store. My wife will love that! Thanks!
I could carve some cans and other assorted containers from putty.

if you want it to look like their "home" I would suggest something like a magazine or 2 or something to that effect (someone makes a decal set with magazines and posters, I think). otherwise it starts looking too equipmented if you know what I mean

bottles, pictures of their families, loved ones....

Good luck, hope to see some pictures.

I once gave an old, painted Tamiya's Sd.Kfz.251/1 to my modeler - to be repainted and included in the same base with Dragon's Jagdpanther and a Dragon's German figures set, while at the same time I gave him Dragon's U.S. Airborne figures set - to be built separately into a small diorama without any vehicle.

As it turned out, my modeler told me that the dio base was too small to host both
the Jagdpanther and the 251/1, so he included only the Jadgpanther in the dio
which appeared in my Page 12 - Part B : http://www.falconbbs.com/model12b.htm

As for the remaining 251/1, he used it with the U.S. Airborne figures set and came up
with this diorama - "U.S. Army Airborne" - in his own design and perception which was
far beyond my expectation :





More pics available in my Page 12 - Part C : http://www.falconbbs.com/model12c.htm

My Dio will essentially show 6 panzergrenadiers debarking from the 251/1 to assault a MG position. A gravel road runs diagonally across the base. I used Mold-a-Scene plaster to build embankments on each side of the road. Rusty, loose fencing runs outside of a sandbagged firing point. Large Barricades block the road to prevent the halftracks passage. Its still in the works but, the landscaping, painting and detailing is essentially done.

When a sqd. dismounts to assault an obj. they (99.9%) leave behind 2 men. 1 driver, & 1 MG gunner to cover their move. The only wpns left would belong to those 2. The assault team drops all un-nessisary gear in the 251 before bailing. (they leave most riki-tik), so it should look pretty haphazard in there. But don't forget that any long-term stowage must be tied-down so it won't fall on you as you bounce across the steppes. Just think what you would want to keep in your APC if you were in the middle of old mother Russia. Hope that helps, good luck, post pix.