Kit, Cyberhobby 6413, Sd.Kfz.251/17 Ausf.C Command Version

DML/ CYBERHOBBY


6413, Sd.Kfz.251/17 Ausf.C Command Version. 1/35th-scale injection-molded styrene/multimedia kit. Contains: 695 styrene parts (including 16 clear), five DS-100 parts, one photo-etched brass fret, two turned brass parts, peel-and-stick mirror surfaces, one decal/marking scheme and eight pages of instructions in 17 steps.


Introduction.

Never a company to shy away from marketing extremely rare German AFVs, DML’s partner Cyberhobby has just released an Sd.Kfz.251/17 Ausf.C command vehicle as used by the Luftwaffe’s premier field formation, the Hermann Göring Division. This new kit compliments the recent “/17” with 2cm FlaK38 released by DML, as it was converted specifically to accompany that vehicle in the field.


Tracks.

From the ground up, the kit provides semi-workable individual track links that come in two parts (rubber pad and steel shoe); when sandwiched together they will remain flexible. Each two-part link will require removal from a total of five sprue attachment points, with the attendant clean-up; however, this approach has eliminated any ejector pin marks and their clean-up. Assembling the parts will be quite a bit of work, but will result in very well-detailed tracks that also exhibit the proper sag.


Suspension System.

The major improvement in this kit is completely re-tooled four-part drive sprockets. Each unit has an inner and outer wheel hub with well-depicted drive rollers, to which separate rubber rims are attached. When assembled, they exhibit the proper off-set of the rollers in relation to the flattened rubber surfaces of the separate rim. So, DML has finally fixed this problem. The outer-most and inner-most read-wheels have also been re-tooled to show the subtle swelling around the perforations; they also include weld beads on the wheel rim and manufacturer’s information on the tire rim. The conventional front wheels are nicely detailed and are mounted on axles that are designed to allow them to steer.


Hull.

The belly plate and lower chassis sides is a single slide-molded piece to which separate torsion bar arms, idler adjustment arms and final drives are attached. Separate bump-stops are provided, as well as a number of internal details such as the fuel tank, transmission and other items that will not be visible on the finished model. The front end receives a separate plate below the engine, while the rear-end mounts several separate items including a slide-molded tow pintle.


Superstructure.

The lower and upper superstructure side plates are all separate parts and they have been modified from the original; the sides have been cut away to accommodate the compartment’s new drop-sides. The overall outer width has also been modified, but still does not properly match available drawings. A new upper roof panel is fitted over the driving compartment, while the drop-sides have separate hinge and flange details as well as supports for the opened or closed positions. A new front plate for the driver’s compartment has also been included and it now has clear parts for the view-port armored covers and inner glass blocks.


New external racks, with a full compliment of Kar98k rifles is provided for the forward end of the exterior, and the engine compartment access hatch lids are separate parts. New, shortened stowage lockers are also provided for the area just aft of the rifle racks.


The fenders are one part for each side and are complete with panel lines and rivet details. They mount tools, the exhaust muffler and pipe, conventional head-lamps and Notek black-out driving head-lamp. The rear convoy marker and brake light are separate and there are separate mud-flaps for the rear edge of the fenders. The odd thing about the fenders is that they do not match the ones seen on the riveted Ausf.C in reference 1, but they do match those seen on the welded Ausf.C in reference 2.


Fighting Compartment Interior.

Internally, beginning with the driver’s cockpit, there are choices of seats, some featuring etched brass back-spring details, separate steering column and wheel, various hand controls, separate foot pedals, and decals for the instrument panel dial faces. Various stowage items are provided including gas mask container, MP38/40 and ammo magazines. A single DS-100 soft styrene driver figure is provided; he’s nicely detailed and being flexible, he should be easier to fit into his position.


The floor panel (still with undersized hump over the transmission) has been re-tooled to accommodate folding seats at the back and to make room for the gun mount. This consists of an elevated platform on angle-iron supports, with a separate cap for under the gun’s turntable. Beware as when it is assembled, the platform has no specific locating points on the floor plate, so it will be very easy for the modeler to place it improperly; for some reason, the modeler is still instructed to use this unit, although no gun is mounted. At the rear-end of the compartment, all of the mechanisms for the doors are separate so they can be posed opened or closed. Two multi-part slide-molded MG34s from the Gen2 figure series is provided for the front and rear of the main compartment. There are some other stowage items for that area, including fire-extinguishers and, externally, a pair of jerry cans and racks for the doors.


Radios and Accessories.

Several different radio sets are provided by the manufacturer. They APPEAR to represent the following according to reference 10:

• Tornister Fu g (or Feldfu).
• Fu 1
• Fu 7
• Fu 9
• Mw.E.c
• U.kw.E.d1
• U.kw.E

However, since many German radio sets had various configurations, and many looked very much alike, my interpretation of the photos and the parts may be suspect. Proceed with care! All radios have separate racks and mounts, while there are a number of other boxes, as well as transformers, etc. included to compliment everything. Missing are head-phones, microphones, hand-sets and various other items one would associate with a command vehicle. In addition, there are two different “fits” for this vehicle, labeled “A” and “B” in the instructions (step 16). In this regard, I believe that there is not much hard evidence regarding the types and locations of the various radio sets. Therefore, the modeler is again advised to proceed with caution.


Molding, Fit and Engineering.

There was no shrinkage of any parts; the only visible ejector pin marks of note are seen on the inner walls of the superstructure sides. They will not be too much of a problem to eliminate as there are no closely adjacent details. There was no flash, while mold part lines are minimal and easily cleaned. The new hull panels and drop-sides fit very well, but the modeler must be careful to ensure that all are properly aligned, as a mistake early in construction will cause problems later on.


Accuracy.

There are no complete sets of 1/35th-scale plans in any of my cited references. Reference 9 has a single side view that was created over 25 years ago of the FlaK38-armed variant. Since no vehicle survived for measurements to be made from (the above-cited reference states that “no original reports have been found revealing the technical data…”), one must presume that the plans are an “educated guess” and that the “Mk.1 Eyeball” was used; thus there is some room for differences of opinion regarding this kit’s dimensional accuracy in certain areas, notably the size and location of the drop side panels. The best that can be said in that respect is that the kit closely resembles photos of the actual item.


Although DML did some re-tooling, the overall width of the superstructure is still too narrow; the width of the opening of the crew compartment is also still too narrow, and the part at the rear that spans the opening is in-correctly configured, according to published drawings, specifically those of H.L. Doyle in Panzer Tracts 15-2 and 15-3 (references 1 and 2). Note however, that the last point is not corroborated by contemporary photos; it would seem that according to them, DML got this right. The driver’s compartment bulkhead should have a slanted segment on the port side; DML did a partial fix on this part, so it’s really not so bad.


Instructions.

These consist of traditional line drawings. As usual, colors are keyed to Gunze and Model Master paints.


Decals and Markings Information.

Water-slide decals for one vehicle is provided by Cartograf of Italy. They are in perfect register, have crisp, sharp edges and excellent color saturation. They depict the following:

• FlaK-Rgt. Hermann Göring, 1942.

This variation is documented in one photograph (see reference 6). The color call-outs are suspect, as they call for “Field Grey” (in reality a grey-green) in one instance; the color should of course be Dunkelgrau RAL 7021. I suspect that this has more to do with how certain hobby paint manufacturers describe their product, than with a lack of research on the part of DML.


Conclusion.


If you like rare German AFVs and are not overly concerned with incompletely-documented (albeit ACTUAL in-service types), then this kit is for you. Certainly those who have the gun-armed variant and who may wish to team this up with it for a small diorama, ought to be quite pleased.


Recommended.


Frank V. “Curley Stooge” De Sisto


References consulted for this review included, but were not limited to the following books:

1. “Mittlere Schützenpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz.251)”, Panzer Tracts 15-2, by T. Jentz & H.L. Doyle.
2. “Mittlere Schützenpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz.251)”, Panzer Tracts 15-3, by T. Jentz & H.L. Doyle.
3. “Schützenpanzerwagen in Action”, Squadron Armor 2, by U. Feist & K. Rieger.
4. “Sd.Kfz.251 in Action”, Squadron Armor 21, by C. Kliment.
5. “The Sd.Kfz.251 Half-Track”, Osprey Vanguard 32, by B. Culver.
6. “Sd.Kfz.250 & 251”, Tank Magazine Special Issue, July ’91, Sturm & Drang 3, author unknown.
7. “German Armored Personnel Carrier”, Tank Magazine Special 2, author unknown.
8. “Schützenpanzerwagen Sd.Kfz.251 and Sd.Kfz.250”, AFV Weapons Profile 57, by W. Spielberger, P. Chamberlain & H.L. Doyle.
9. “Flak Selbsfahrlafetten and Flakpanzer”, Panzer Tracts 12, by T. Jentz & H.L. Doyle.
10. “Wireless for the Wehrmacht in Detail”, Wings & Wheels Publications Special Museum Line 10, by A. Vesely & F. Koran.


Reviewer’s note: Since May of 2005, I have been working on books for Concord Publications, a sister company to DML and Cyberhobby. The reader may wish to take this into consideration. For my part, I will attempt to maintain an objective viewpoint when writing these reviews.


Cyberhobby kits are available exclusively from their web-site at: www.cyber-hobby.com.


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