Dragon's Sd.Kfz.251/16 Ausf. C 'Flammpanzerwagen'

Rui S
Uaw...
Hi Kezza,
I'm so in.
It's the first German AFV, I see you tackle? 👍

Kerry COX
G'day Rui. 🙂 I tackled the Stug III Ausf. G some time back with the metal 'skirts', but put that to rest until I felt more confident with the paint job it's going to need.. 🙂

Kerry COX
I was actually looking for the Sd.Kfz. 251 'C' command vehicle as I have an image that should produce a really great diorama, not of the usual 'combat' scene, but all the crew are 'at rest'. I will post it here for you to see what I mean. 👍 🙂

Urban Gardini
Interesting! Be nice to see what you do with this beauty, I've got it as well and some extra figures that I hope will be useful for it. But the big question now is Riveted or welded?

Rui S
Hi Mate.
I think I know the one you'r talking about.
I'll see what I have from the /16 and post in the MT4 album later on.
Yes that is one off I was thinking about. But there is a similar one in the Afrika Korps do you know that one?

Kerry COX
Urban, I totally agree with the ability to chose witch is more 'appealing', the rivets seem to give it that 'chunky' look and feel and I will be going with the brute force look. 🙂

Kerry COX
Rui. 🙂 As always, I will be totally blown away with what you have to show us mate. 🙂

Bryn Crandell
Interesting version. Looking forward towatching the progress.

Urban Gardini
Yeah, it sticks out more with the rivets and I plan to do mine with the riveted hull as well.

Kerry COX
Cheers Bryn. The internal 'plumbing' for carrying all the liquid is extensive and beautifully detailed. Worth every penny. 🙂

Rui S
I hope I can match your expectative, Mate 😎

Kerry COX
Rui S 🙂 You have never let me down mate, and your always spot on with what you manage to find. 👍

Rui S
Hi Kezza.
You can check out the MT4, now: scalemates.com/profi..&album=30983#130

I hope it will help in some way and that you find it interesting. 😉

Rui S
Nice progress Kezza.
Keep them coming 😉

Ed Bartz
Kerry - got this one in theeee stash and do like the look of it. Definitely a 251 fan. I've read that the AFV Club kits are more accurate on the interiors, so have a couple of those as well, but to be frank, does it really matter, nah - just enjoy them!! Like the progress so far. Ed

Kerry COX
Ed. 🙂 Cheers mate. ! 👍. You mention the AFV club version. 👍. I have one on order as we speak, as the fun and understanding of just how well thought out these vehicles were for their day has got me wanting more of them as well 🙂 But for now, the Dragon beast has stuff that other manufacturers would have had in the 'too hard' basket when it comes to detail. ! I am a convert now. LOL 🙂

Rui S
Hi Kezza,
Amazing fast progress, Mate,
In photo 77, when you say "Just te right ammount of 'track sag'." you are not going to leave the tracks set as shown, are you? 😎

Urban Gardini
Looking good. But the tracks look to be one link to short and you've managed to mount the 75 round drum magazines the wrong way on the MG34's.

Kerry COX
Rui and Urban. As I have NO adjustment ability with the tracks, the length each side was the exact same number of links, and by the looks of most of the images I have seen so far, the track sag is quite a bit. Urban, It just goes to show how much I trust the images on the assembly instructions. If you take a close look at what I have posted just now, you will see that the drawings say that it was meant to be that way. !!! But I WILL correct the magazines now.

Kerry COX
I have now corrected the mistake I made, reinstalling the magazines as they should be, as pointed out by my friend Urban. 🙂 👍

Rui S
Kezza, What I meant is that the under side of the tracks above the road wheels must touch the upper side of the road wheels, and in the photos that is not happening.
I tend to agree with Urban.

Kerry COX
Rui, all that you mentioned is now been taken care of, and I have glued the tracks in position where the wheel and tracks come in contact. 👍. Thanks for pointing that out mate, as now, all is good. 🙂

Urban Gardini
So no more "Magic tracks" that defies Newton's Laws, that's good! It's an relief as well that you were able to correct the drum magazines.

Urban Gardini
[img1]

Urban Gardini
In the real world the tracks isn't the same length at all with 55 links on the left side and 56 links on the right side.

Kerry COX
Well, as this IS my first attempt at one of these, I was bound to make some mistakes and it would have been terrible if my mates had not said something about my efforts. 👍 🙂
All the points mentioned about where I was making these mistakes have been taken care of and I hope the last series of images show how I have made those corrections. 🙂

Urban Gardini
Much better now mate! I do believe that you find the Dragon kit fun to build with overall good fit on the parts. As your next Dragon kit I think you should try one of their new Pz.III kits, I'm in a slow progress building this kit and the fit on the parts with one exception is marvelous. It's a fun build even if I've temporarily halted it in favor for other builds. scalemates.com/kits/..4-pz-kpfw-iii-ausf-n

Urban Gardini
You'll find my build thread on it here so you can see for yourself if the kit is to your liking or not. scalemates.com/profi..bums&album=26855

Kerry COX
Urban, I am pleased to inform you that I have the Stug III 'G' kit, (The 'pigs head' gun mantle) almost completed, and with all the etched brass goodies as well, and what a stunner of a kit. 🙂
I was wanting to depict it as the little 'street fighter', very little dirt, just dust and bits of rubble all over it, but well used and in need of some skirt replacements. 🙂
I am well impressed by all that Dragon has on the market, but AFV is fast filling up spots that have been wanting from other manufacturers. 👍

Kerry COX
I have just found THIS for sale. 🙂
Sd.Kfz.251/6 Ausf.B mittlere Funkpanzerwagen (Kommandopanzerwagen), the personal vehicle of General Guderian, France, June 1940. 🙂 👍
I do believe that the second image I have posted here of all the crew surrounded by sheaves of grain is the same one. 🙂
scalemates.com/profi..ms&album=33107#2

Urban Gardini
I'm not aware of an Ausf. B from Dragon. I've got their /6 Ausf. C in my stash and I know that Zvezda have an /1 Ausf. B but I've not seen that one so I can't comment upon it.

Urban Gardini
Yes, their StuG III's is just as excellent as their ordinary III's. But do avoid the red boxes and the Imperial series oof boxes from Dragon. They're not at all near the same class as their kits from the last 15 years or so...

Kerry COX
1/35 Dragon 6206 2004 Sd.Kfz.251/6 Ausf.C Command Vehicle Is the one from Dragon that has the extendable aerial and winch and the different stowage boxes on the side.

Urban Gardini
That's one of many 251's that I've got!

Kerry COX
This will only be my second, as I only want the second for the dio. And I have no more room as it is. :-/

Urban Gardini
Ouch, but armour do take less place than planes when they're built...

Kerry COX
🙂 That may well be Urban, but over the years (I am 70), I have embraced every type of model kit that you could imagine, and, I have a collection that I will be donating to many organizations and clubs when I meet my maker that has filled to overflowing, 4 huge display cases. 👍 But, as always, when I think I have had enough, there is always something that comes along, I "must have", and now, !! IKEA now have stunning display cases now that I just cant ignore, and at less than a $100 a unit, I think I will manage just a couple more before I really say enough is enough. LOL.

Urban Gardini
That's the spirit mate!

Rui S
Keep them coming, Kezza 👍

Kerry COX
🙂 Thanks lads. 👍 🙂

Miro Herold
Very good working so far...

Kerry COX
🙂 Thank you Miro. It is a lot of fun when all the detail is so good. 🙂 👍

Kim Branders
I am inn.

Kerry COX
All I have to do now is paint it. Simple really. (I think. ) But masking it will be fun. hehehehe 🙂

Stanley Carrier
kerry when you can, please share with me a link to thiose display cases.

Kerry COX
Stanley. IKEA sell these all over the world, and no matter where you live, they will be dirt cheap. google.com.au/url?sa..ust=1489065577669468

Stanley Carrier
thank you i will check them out

Kerry COX
Mind you. It will take two people to assemble them. No solo efforts. 🙁

Robert W Martel
Another nice one Kerry! I do like the Dragon kits.

Kerry COX
Thanks Robert. 🙂
This is only the second German 'armour' kit I have built by Dragon and I am always pleasantly surprised by just how good all the detail is and how much of it there is. 🙂
With SO much on the market now of pieces one only imagined would look good in adding extra depth to our builds, the end result is so worth every penny and minute one spends on this amazing hobby.👍
It sure beats the hell out of needle point. LOL 🙂

Robert W Martel
LOL I'll have to agree there !!

Bigglesof266
Kerry thanks for the link. IKEA's DETOLF display cases have been around for an aeon. My brother in law actually buys them as display cases for his small business shop. Way cheaper than commercial cases and do the job.

Just a tip guys.

Ikea regularly change colours of those DETOLFs to accommodate fashion trends, and when they do they drop the price of the colour which isn't selling or is being deleted to move them. I picked up a couple four or five years ago in natural birch wood when it was in vogue when they slashed them to $79. Then, they offered them in three colours. Now it's two. Appears the inner frame is still 'one colour suits all silver', which incidentally looked great with natural birch, and probably does with white too. The fit a lot of 1/72 or 1/76 vehicle models, but be aware that effectively they are only 4 shelves, and the bottom one is a neck craner. You'll understand why this is important when you hit your mid-50's if you haven't already.

We pay far more for IKEA kit here in AU than in EU or the US. Currently, the white is cheaper at AUD$99, which is very good for AU. The white looks great too. Will really look the business with most contemporary houses where walls are uniform neutrals. Be aware that those suggested top mounted IKEA LEDs are spotlights, and additionally require the purchase of a drop down transformer if you want to fit them. You can buy three down spots at IKEA for $18 and a transformer which accepts three pins for $25 inc the power lead/switch sold seperately. They've recently changed the recommended lighting unit for the DETOLFS so now they're even cheaper and run cooler.

I have my model train kit in mine in my layout room. At a guess, each DETOLF would accommodate 4 or 5 typical single engine 1/48 WW II fighters per shelf which while looking busy, would still present display worthy. You could possibly cram more like one does in a hanger, but then it'd just be low dust safe storage, and less a display.

Kerry COX
Biggles. 🙂 A great review and handy tips on the display cases mate. 👍
With mine, I also got more shelving in by using height adjustable slide frames with glass to suite from Pilkington glass.🙂
As you pointed out, they are mostly good for the smaller models, of what ever scale that will fit, and with the larger cases for my I/32 aircraft now serving a real clear view of by 'Big Birds", with the IKEA really easing the storage problem very well indeed. 🙂
Yup, 70 and it is getting a wee bit harder to be on my knees admiring my handy work. 🙂 (Something I will never tire of). LOL 🙂 🙂 🙂