Greetings,
This is my second build here, as my Paladin is now complete. This time, I will be "wasting" a DML Sdkfz 251C with rivets by building it with my skill level
I have several DML Sdkfz 251s in my stash, but since I got this kit from a sale from HLJ, I decided I could first sacrifice this one for practice and getting to know DMLs Sdkfz 251 kits better.
The poor kit shivering on my workbench with fear... Knowing its fate...
The first step for instructions is for parts beneath the floor. Since I'm an impatient modeler, who needs those when they will be invisible? I just skipped this and put the parts in my spares box.
I attached the suspension arms. I wasn't sure what to do with the roadwheels (and I'm still not) so I'll ask about them later. Fit is nice and DML has supplied these with a special shape, so in theory you can't build them in a crooked fashion. Of course, in practice, they don't fit tight and you have to be careful to align these.
Then comes the wheels. I decided that I should paint these separately and attach them after I was done with the hull. But the question is... how should I do the tracks? I removed everything except the wheels from their sprues and they were ready for easy painting.
Then I saw some "ingenuity" of DML's instructions. See, the instructions say "Put those seats into the two holes on the floor". Easy right. The pins of the seats into...
... the holes on the floor? Wait, where are they?!?
Many of you may be familiar with such strangeness in DML's instructions and I have been told this is only a "minor" glitch. This is my first time building a "new" Dragon kit, so I was very surprised.
Anyway, the holes are actually there. It seems Dragon has designed a "universal" floor for all their Sdkfz 251 variants. You just have to pick the right holes and drill. Better if they mentioned this in their instructions, right?
The interior began to fall into place. I have seen some great Sdkfz 251 builds with superbly detailed interiors, wish I could do something similar. I'll stick to OOB for this build, my scratchbuilding skills (and material) is non-existent.
For easier assembly, I kept these parts separate and painted them separately. After the interior was complete, I put them together and decided to work on the exterior until weathering.
The instrument panel painted:
A cut-away look at the painted interior before I close the hull:
The hull assembled, pre-shaded:
Lastly, painted hull. I used Tamiya's XF-63 German Grey with XF-1 Black added to darken the color. After that, I added more white and black for different tones and played around the colors with my airbrush. It's a bit too dark so the effects are not very visible.
It has been waiting for two months at this stage, till I completed my Paladin. Now the time has come to complete this as well.
Before I proceed, I need some advice from you. How should I assemble the tracks?
- Should I first put on the roadwheels, glue them in place, them assemble the tracks around and paint them with a paintbrush?
- Should I fit the wheels in place but not glue them. Then assemble and fix the tracks around these. Then remove everything for easy painting? If so, how will I manage to keep the wheels together, they'll certainly move around and fall out.
Thanks in advance for any help offered. Ah, one more thing. I want to use some rounds hanging from the MG 34s, but where can I find these? Are they available as after market items?
Threaded Mode
