German Armoured Personel Carriers
Sd Kfz 251 Ausf. C
The Sd Kfz 251 is commonly known as the "Hanomag", after one of it's main manufacturer Hanoversche Maschinenbau AG. It is the German armoured vehicle produced in greatest quantity throughout World War II, an estimated 15,252 vehicles of the four ausfurung (models).
Majority of the Sd Kfz 251 were used as the primary armoured personnel carrier for the famed German Panzer Grenadiers. This vehicle was instrumental the German invasion doctrines, allowing the fast movement of infantry to exploit the defender's weaknesses.
The Sd Kfz 251 Ausf. C was produced between 1940 and late 1943. It's distinctive feature is the single plated nose and armoured cowls to cover the engine air intakes on the side of the bonnet. The armour plates were welded or rivetted, depending on the manufacturer.
Sd Kfz 251 Ausf.D
The Sd Kfz 251 has proven itself over the early years of the war to be a vital part of the German war effort. And in 1943, in order to speed up the production of the "Hanomag", a new simplified design of the vehicle was produced.
The Sd Kfz 251 Ausf.D has less number of seperate armour plates compared to the earlier models. Visually it featured a squared side and a single sloping rear with wide doors for fast alighting of the passengers. The stowage boxes and mudguard has been integrated into the side of the body work. 10,602 of the Sd Kfz 251 Ausf.D was produced for various purposes.
This is a kit bash that I did using the ESCI Sd Kfz 251 Ausf.C that was re-released by Italeri. The Italeri version comes with injection moulded link and length tracks. The small size means that this kit is not for people with two left hands.
The 3.7cm PaK 35/36 is a Fujimi kit, with the carriage cut off. The PaK 35 guns installed onto the Sd Kfz 251 had a number of different gun shields. I also broke the original MG34, and glued on a rather gigantic MG42 from the Matchbox Panther kit re-released by Revell. The figure is from the Preiser 1:72 scale Motorised Infantry set.
My Sd Kfz 251 Ausf.D are made by Hasegawa. The surface detail is fine and to scale. Much less exaggerated than most 1:72 kits out there. Serious modellers would appreciate that.
Sd Kfz 250 Alte
The Sd Kfz 250 is a smaller version of the more common Sd Kfz 251. They were built over Demag D7 tractor chassis and could only accomodate a half-section of troops. They were mostly used in various reconnaissance functions because of its superior off-road capabilities compared to armoured cars. Some were converted as ammunition carriers for StuG or observation vehicles.
These ESCI kits are of the earlier, more complex version.
The track assembly is a nightmare to assemble.
Sd Kfz 251/7
This Sd Kfz 251/7 is converted as an engineer vehicle. Assault bridges are mounted on the top of the vehicle. There are also special stowage bins in the fighting compartment for carrying engineer equipment.
This model is an Italeri/ESCI model on an Ausf. C chassis. Apart from the assault bridges and mountings, there are no other accessories to mark this as the Sd Kfz 251/7. I installed some stowage bins and filled the interior with some equipment.
© 2004-2006 Michael Sng Woei Shyong. All Rights Reserved.