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Zvezda´s new SdKfz 251 Ausf. B with the New Connection Conversion set Nr. 35321
Historical info from the Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: ...during discussions with Hitler on 30 September 1943 it was decided that the proposed new 7,5cm PaK44 L/70 be mounted on a motorized carriage as well as on the normal cruciform towed carriage. A three ton ZgKw was to be used and the resulting vehicle was to be troop tested. The prototype was shown on 28th January 1944 and consisted of an adapted KwK 42 mounted on the stripped down chassis of a mittlerer Schützenpanzerwagen. The Pak 44 project however came to nothing and it was realized that the 3to ZgKw was not a suitable carriage in any event…..
The kits: when I saw this vehicle first in the encyclopedia of German tanks, I knew I want this vehicle. Then dragon announced the Ausf. A kit and I said yes, that is all you need. But dragon never ever released the kit. Then I saw that AFV was going to release an early 251, but pretty much the same…it just did not appear. And then came Zvezda with a nice little kit of this early SdKfz 251 Ausf B with a complete interior and engine. The kit comes with a workable single link track.
The engine compartment is pretty basic but with some extra detail (wiring etc) it will be good enough. If one just wants to open the ventilation hatches, no further detailing is required. I kept all hatches closed so I did not even paint the engine. The crew compartment however is fitted with benches and backrest for a Ausf. C or D. But for my needs the crew compartment was not needed anyway. The fenders however need special attention. They have pretty hard edges, but the real vehicles all had rounded edges. The filing and sanding orgy was a short one, because I only needed the front part of the fender and the correction is pretty easy.
The new connection kit is designed for the AFV Club SdKfz 11 so I knew some modifications would be necessary. The kit comes with a new engine compartment (not needed for my project), the platform, the upper carriage with turned metal barrel, the shield, the platform sidewalls (not needed) and two rounds of ammo.
Building the Beast: as usual I first built the chassis and then the engine compartment. I opened the ventilation slots on the hood/bonnet by grinding them thinner from the inside. Next I had to make some serious surgery. The only reference I have are the two pictures from the Encyclopedia, one shot from ahead and one from the right side. I used the original sidewalls for the shape and cut the small sidewalls from plastic sheet. Then I cut the Hood/Bonnet to match the shortened sidewalls. The ventilation doors on the sides are filled and covered with a 0,25mm styrene sheet. The new side plates of the engine compartment were shaped according the pictures I had. In the cockpit I implanted the modified New Connection instrument panel, because I did not like the decal option from the Zvezda kit. The assistant driver’s seat was folded like on the picture. Some bits and pieces will fill the cockpit and add some life.
For my project, the New Connection Gun-platform was much too short. I did not want to build the entire platform from scratch (I did not have enough PE German floor plate for this), but I have silicone and resin. So I recast a piece of the platform (a 20 minute task) and stretched the platform a little bit. I also rebuilt the structure below the platform.
The gun itself is pretty easy to build with good fit. But I replaced the resin muzzle brake with a styrene mb from a Tamiya kit. To keep the gun a little bit moveable I have created a spring to keep it in a neutral position. The shield was glued to the carriage and pinned to strengthen the joint. Because the travel lock on my project is ahead of the one on the new connection kit I had to rebuild it with longer legs. I also lifted the gun sight a little bit, so it could look over the shield because I did not see an aperture in the shield where the sight of the new connection kit could look through.
I assembled the kit's workable tracks, but I had a little bit too much glue on some of the links, so they did not move properly. So I decided to steal the Friul tracks from another halftrack.
Painting was done with Tamiya acrylics dark yellow. As a contrast and my guess from the b/w picture I used German grey for the gun and the barrel. The floor and inner sidewalls from the cockpit are German grey and the bulkhead is white. The prototype vehicle had license plates, and of course there is no decal sheet for this vehicle, so for the first time ever I printed my own decals. The result is not perfect, but after some dusting with flat earth I guess it is fine enough. Weathering was kept on a low for a prototype vehicle. I just made a light wash with burned umber and black and dusted with flat earth. The vehicle seems to come from a ride on the proving ground.
Conclusion: a rewarding project. There are still some minor shape issues on the front of the Zvezda kit but I did not have the patience to modify it. The kit is well detailed, not as good as the newest AFV and Dragon kits, but fair and for half the price. The result is a pretty unique subject of a small halftrack with a high power gun.
Thanks for your interest.
Frank
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