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

Alright!  I'm on it!  Can't work on it tonight because I have to work late, but starting tomorrow night I'll jump all over that interior! 

BTW dupes, nice looking /8!  I like the camo and the red cross scheme on the sides!

SMJ, whoa that's a tough looking build with all those brackets, braces, racks n'stuff!!  You pulled it off nicely and it sure looks the part!  You are definitely a weathering master!

Buddy - I've actually seen a few different methods that they were attached - snaps, clamps, or tiedowns all appear to have been used. Mine has snaps.

Aaron - was just thinking about your /10 - do you have a pic of just the 251 (or just the 251 on the base) that can be used for the final roundup? It may not happen for a few weeks, so hopefully you can find your "official" crew.  

dupes, I REALLY want to finish my Uhu for this GB.  I feel so stoopid that I didn't notice the "8 June '09" date in the subject line. I could have set aside the JS-2 and finished this in time if I wasn't such a bonehead!  

The build is pretty much where it was before.  Suspension done, held off on the interior so I could add in all the Blast Models resin upgrade parts.  Its not the assembly that will slow me down its the painting/weathering, but I know a few tricks now that should allow me to speed things up.  The one thing that I may have to do is use either the kit vinyl tracks or the all metal tracks that I mistakenly built instead of making another set of rubber tracks will take me two full nights!

I'm looking at finishing in 7 days starting tomorrow...how's June 16?

SMJ,

That is totally cool.  Look forward to seeing what else you do to it.

Dupes,

Your /8 is looking good.  How did they keep the tarp over the compartment on while moving?  Were there snaps like you see on old cars with tounneau covers?

Aaron,

PM inbound.

SMJ - Wow, man. That is totally hot! I can't wait to see this three-color drybrushing tutorial you're coming up with - I like this effect A LOT. Your PE work all seems to be very solid as well...coulda fooled me that it was your first time.

One question/comment - why are the drive wheel surfaces so shiny? Not sure what you have planned for your base, but they seem out of place compared to the rest of the vehicle.

Turns out that all of the pics I brought to work with me today ended up out of focus...aaack. Here's the best one of the bunch, hopefully it at least gives you an idea of what the /8 looks like:

Will make adjustments and re-shoot tonight. 

Dupes,

I could use some more time.  Would be finished before Fathers Day as that's when I go on vacation.  Sorry.

dupes/Guys: Here she is the 251/1 Stuka Zu Fuss.  This is my "badgeworthy"effort for this GB.  I plan to trick-it-out with additional rockets/crates, stowage, figures, base, etc...before AMPS EAST but I'm real happy with this! 

This was my 2nd open-top armor build, 2nd half-track, 1st extensive use of PE, 1st use of indi-links (that didn't go so well), 1st three-color camo' scheme, 1st scratchbuild effort using some tubing and wire for various details.

Anyway, without further ado......:

Aaron - looks great! All of your stowage is pretty darn sweet. Also looks like you knocked down the "shine" really well. Good stuff!

Ernest - while I'd love to have you get your Uhu into the wrapup, I don't want you to blow through it just for the sake of blowing through it. How far in are you so far? I'm willing to hold off the wrapup until the end of the month or so in order to get finished pics together of everyone's builds, but probably not much past that. Let me know what you'd like to do.

As for me, I have some /8 pics here I need to upload to Photobucket, hopefully to get a bit of a review to see what I've missed (if anything) or what can be improved upon (if anything). I'll do the final photoshoot tonight after any corrections have been made. Will try to get those up ASAP! 

AAAGGHH!!! I totally forgot this GB ended on the 8th! For some reason I thought we had til the end of the month....I even put in an order last week for some cool replacement wheels (I didn't like the kit wheels) and they'll be here tomorrow or Tues.  Well, there's no hope for me....I haven't even resumed work on the Uhu.  Even if I work on it every night (which I can't) I don't think I can have it done in less than a week. 

Sorry dupes looks like I let you down again .  I'd really like to have something for your GB wrap-up post so that as many of the variants can be shown.  Let me know if you still want me to work on it...if so, I'll put aside the JS-2 and try to bang out the Uhu in record time.

 Well for the life of me I can't find where I put my  figures I was working on. Put them in a safe place and they must be plenty safe. As I am out of time I thought I had better post some pics to let Dupes ( Fupes) know I tried my best to give him a detailed and unique 251/10 for his GB.

 A few highlights. Fom the build are this is a 251/10 just before the Battle f El Alamein.  At first I thought it was a modified /7 but the bins on the sides are unique and an obvious modification made by the crew.  My best guess is this vehicle served as a laison between the ground forces and the Luftwaffe given it's unique markings and extra radio equipment. Reading up on the DAK tactics show they did in fact use 251's for this purpose.

 Using photographs of personal belongings, newspapers and manuals taken from DAK prisoners after the battle, I scanned and shrank them to scale giving very detailed acccessories to give my vehicle a lived in look. I even included a meal of rations, bread and drink available to them including the captured tea kettle.  Scratched built items like the opener and even toilet paper with research help provided by the forum members.

 So using all the time I had and I started right off at the begining This is what I have accomplished. I added a few of the old Tamiya DAK figures I practiced painting on just to give some intrest until I figure out where I stuck my crew.

 Well I do plan on adding the figs when I find them and another vehicle with a Signal Magazine photographer taking the picture. I'll post that soon as I get it all done someday.

A big thanks to Dupes for an excellent GB! I learned way much about the 251 and it's many varients. Thank You Again Dupes and to all those who have built such great models here!

   Scott TA15 are mag pouches for the mp 40's and U33 & TA8 are spare armored glass for the vision ports of the driver and radio operator. Looking forward to see this guy all finished.

dupes wrote:

How long do you think you have left, Scott?

Ho hooo! Only a couple of days to go! Can't wait for a (hopeful) plethora of pics next week. We can discuss when the GB ends where people who miss the deadline are in there builds...perhaps some finished badges can be earned if we have pics in a short time.

Photo day tomorrow for me.

That's cool, at least that's something you can see.  Don't know why Dragon gives you the transmission and fuel tank and then has you cover them up with the floor.  Other than because they can. 

My Reply:

Here's the dill Lewbud with the use of the tranny and fuel tank. Now I don't know if any of you otheres out there have thought of this but here go's. For those of you that want to show off those two items, you would have to cut open the floor in some sections to show parts of "tha" tranny or fuel tank; like as if the vehicle was under repair or it's maintenance time. Do you see those small upraised door looking plates on the floor. Well those are access panels, that you could be cut open. Like if you only wanted to show a solder fueling up you would cut open the rear most access panels above the fuel tank.(Using Tamiya's Military Miniatures: German Fuel Drum set)-(For one or more Jerry cans)-(This set has the best looking and the most real looking J-cans) Now if your using a PE set like me this would work out realy well as you would not re-use the plastic part you just cut off. I would place the PE access panels in an open position. Any way I always say if you don't realy need them and no one will see them don't bother using them. (The Tranny & Fuel tank) Now as for the item your showing it's full of detail and "ME" Likes

Buddy - looked at the instructions of my /16 to see what you were talking about - that's definitely a pretty darn complicated looking assembly. From your pics here, looks like you've got it all worked out though!

FINALLY got my tracks squared away on the /8 with only about one or two sheets of paper worth of front wheel "hover" as a result. Not too shabby. 

Some sleep did improve my outlook somewhat.  Here's some pics of the pump, still have to do the piping.

White_R34 wrote:

Hay lewbud the engine is stock for the Zvezda model kit: http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=ZV3572

White,

That's cool, at least that's something you can see.  Don't know why Dragon gives you the transmission and fuel tank and then has you cover them up with the floor.  Other than because they can.  I've started the flame thrower apparatus.  This is the first time I've actually thought about getting and using an optivisor.  They could have cut the parts count in half for this thing and still been as detailed with proper mold design.

Scott - I don't have any pics proving or disproving this, but I certainly don't see why not? I have tons of pics with 251's carting around just about every other piece of equipment you can think of...

SMJ - glad to hear you'll make it in time! Can't wait for the pics!

As for me, I'll definitely make it with the /8, but will be perilously close to the deadline on the /2. Will depend fully on what work brings for me this week, and how much coffee I can pour down my gullet. Hah! 

Hay lewbud the engine is stock for the Zvezda model kit: http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=ZV3572