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

The decals were applied this morning, the markings are for 2nd SS "Das Reich" France 1944. 

My plan for tonight is to attach all the wheels, attach the upper MG mount and shield and get some oil washes on this bad boy.

Bish wrote:

espins1 I do like that camo scheme, she is looking really nice, think you will be done in time.

Thanks Bish, ya I'll have it finished by tomorrow evening... barely!   

Quick question on the tracks for the 251 Halftracks.... are they metal links with huge rubber blocks? 

 

   Scott the more common type tracks like the ones you have were steel with rubber blocks, which are black.

  For a short period of time in 44(June-September I think) all steel tracks were used on some 251's but they were not that common.

Oh man, tough night on the bench last night.  I grabbed my airbrush with the intention of lightly blowing off any dust and lint that had settled on the model during the day and promplty blasted three of the decals off the front of the halftrack.  I had forgotten I still the air pressure set around 100psi to blow out any risidual water etc from my airbrush after I cleaned it from the last spray session.  Fortunatly all three of them landed in my spray booth and were undamaged... whew!    I had to use some Micro-Set to reapply them and get them to hunker down over the flat paint.  I ended up doing the Micro-set treatment to all the decals as there were a few small bubbles here and there under them.  I used a very fine sharp point to pop a miniscule hole in each bubble, then applied the Micro-Set.  Two applications over the course of the evening did the trick! 

I managed to break the front left corner indicator right smack in the middle several times but managed to get it re-attached ok.   I also sprayed the trackes metallic gray and left them to dry.

I let everything sit overnight, then got up at 5:30am this morning and spent two hours on the bench before work.  I carefully sprayed the black rubber pads of the tracks using a 50% thinned mix of XF-1 Flat Black with a few drops of gray to lighten/fade the rubber color.  I then attached the wheels, MG and shield, then sealed everything up with a flat coat consisting of 4 parts Future clear acrylic to 1 part Tamiya Flat Base X-21.  I don't want to take any chances with the oil washes I have planned for this evening as one disaster with the decals was enough! 

Tonight when I get home I'll do a couple of oil washes on the interior and the exterior which will darken things up just a tad and bring out some of the details.  More tonight!

Hey guys,

I've been a little like dupes - not on the site for a while.  Thanks to all who commented on my build while I was gone.

 

SCOTT!!  Your build looks superb!  I love it! 

One quick question - when you spray your camo, what was your airpressure set at?  Is came out great.  Are you a high pressure guy or a low?

Ooo, I lied, one more question: that pic you used for reference.  Where did it come from?  The Hummel in front of the 251 caught my eye, seein' as how I have one of those in the stash.

 

bbrowniii wrote:

SCOTT!!  Your build looks superb!  I love it!  One quick question - when you spray your camo, what was your airpressure set at?  Is came out great.  Are you a high pressure guy or a low? Ooo, I lied, one more question: that pic you used for reference.  Where did it come from?  The Hummel in front of the 251 caught my eye, seein' as how I have one of those in the stash.

Thanks bbrowniii! 

I used higher pressure when I sprayed the dark yellow basecoat.  I thinned the red-brown and dark green to about 50% and used low pressure so I could get in real close and just gradually build up the colors and to give them the appearance of having been sprayed in the field.

I found the image at this website, just scroll down 3 or 4 posts and you'll see it. 

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://castlemaine-boy.smugmug.com/photos/189922772-O.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D73139%26page%3D65&usg=__5gfJ4hJpUEEuwa6J_fyIVpdC1qo=&h=751&w=1024&sz=321&hl=en&start=13&sig2=TYdyhWORC3Z8-zArRE1xBg&um=1&tbnid=TORsPzJfg7GQNM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddas%2Breich%2Bfrance%2B1944%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1G1GGLQ_ENUS244%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=FHZKSuiCBYLCmQepxtSmAQ 

 

Whew!  All done!  I'll post some better pics tomorrow after the oils have dried. 

Here are the final photos for my completed AFV Club 1/35 Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. D.  I did mine as one that served with the 2nd SS "Das Reich" in France around July 1944.  Thanks again for the extension Dupes, it's been a rough year for me with my knee surgery, being sick for several weeks, not to mention some other health issues I'm having which we hope to have some answers for soon. 

 

Scott - looks good! Only construction comment I have is about the tracks - they seem to be a bit tight. Are those rubber bands or indies? Any chance to add another link? Weathering wise she seems a bit clean...plan on "slinging any mud"?

Anyone else with stuff to post? I know there are some other builds happening - checking to see what sort of progress everyone has made. July 1st sure snuck up awfully fast, huh?

Will have some internet time tomorrow afternoon (should be a short day at work). Will try to get on here and update the front page, badges, etc. etc.

dupes wrote:

Scott - looks good! Only construction comment I have is about the tracks - they seem to be a bit tight. Are those rubber bands or indies? Any chance to add another link? Weathering wise she seems a bit clean...plan on "slinging any mud"?

I decided to use the rubber band tracks simply because I could have them finished in time with the rest of the build to meet the new deadline.  Likewise with the weathering, I just did a few washes to accentuate and grubby it up just a tad and simply ran out of time to do more.  Additionally, the 2nd SS "Das Reich" had been sent to France after their grueling battles on the Eastern Front for rest and refit.  A lot of their equipment was new and freshly painted etc. so I wanted to keep the wear and tear to minumum as I modeled mine as one during the early part of Das Reich's involvment in the campaign in northern France. 

Thanks for hosting this GB Dupes, I really enjoyed it and learned a heck of a lot about German Halftracks in the process!  You also got me out of my comfort zone as this is the very first open topped vehicle I've built, so I learned a lot!  Now I'm not afraid to tackle my Nashorn that's just screaming at me from the shelf to get built! 

Dupes,

Unfortunately, I'm not going to make it.  Will keep plugging away at it.

WOW Scott!  You got that done super fast!  Great job overall!  Camo, interior, etc!! I like the look of that version.  Which kit is it?  Dragon or AFV?  I'm doing an AFV and its just kicking my butt!  Awesome getting it done it time for the extended deadline!

As for me, well there's no completed 251 halftrack on my bench....just one that's about 90% assembled.  Except for Fri & Sat when I had family over from L.A. I've been working on this badboy everyday for nine straight days putting at least 5-6 hours at the bench (I've been off work the last two weeks!) and like I said earlier, this kit is just kicking my butt.  The interior alone took me close to two weeks to finish and that's not counting the generator or the searchlight assembly.  Then I dropped the darn thing a couple of times causing some of the front suspension to break off so that took half a day to fix and dry.  Then I had all kinds of fit problems that required alterations to several major parts, and of couse that sucked up more time.  To top that off I've had to spend so much time going back and forth between the kit instructions, the Blast Models instructions (if you can call it that), the two Uhu articles in the AFV Modeler magazine and two other Sd.Kfz.251 reference books just to make sure I get the assembly right.   I'm a little frustrated cause I thought with so much time put in this one would be done already!  Sorry, enough of my griping!

Anyway I'm too far along to just put this aside so I'll keep plugging away.  Unfortunately I might be going to L.A. this weekend to spend July 4th with family and friends...if so that means tomorrow will be my last day at the bench until Monday.  In any event I'll post photos when complete even though dupes will most likely post the wrap-up thread before then.

 

Scott: A real beauty you got there!  That camo' is SWEET!  I especially like that interior work...the benches are perfect.  I notice a bit of silvering on the decals...maybe it's the lighting...don't sweat it!

Do you have plans to dirty her up a bit?  She's a pinch too clean, IMO...I think it's the pristine decals that makes me think that way...

Great work Scott, and FAST!  Nice close-ups too!

Guys: Here is the final version of my Stuka Zu Fuss for this GB.  I'll spare you guys the multiple pic's download time and just post my favorite picture here.  If you care to see the walkaround pic's go see my other thread...thanks!

I'd like to do just a little more weathering to it, but had to stop where I was at to be in compliance with the extended deadline. I'd like to dirty it up just a little, but not too much as "Das Reich" had lots of fresh new equipment as they entered the fray.

espins1 wrote:

I'd like to do just a little more weathering to it, but had to stop where I was at to be in compliance with the extended deadline. I'd like to dirty it up just a little, but not too much as "Das Reich" had lots of fresh new equipment as they entered the fray.

I had a hunch the GB deadline had something to do with it.  Post another picture or two when you can!

Sure thing SMJ.

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

SMJ thats too good.you sir are a first rate modeler! its been a real pleasure watching your skills mature here on fsm.

SMJ - excellent work on the Stuka Zu Fuss! Nice and dirty! :)

SAR: Thank you very much!

espins1: Thanks Scott...like that dirt, huh?  I was afraid it would look overdone(I can't believe I just wrote that)...I like it too.

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!

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! 

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.

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!

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.

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! 

 

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

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!

 

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!!