Matchbox 1/76 Sd.kfz. 251
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/1/4/6/1253146-78736-22-pristine.jpg)
The Ausf. A and B had a different interior to the Ausf.C and D which are more commonly modelled. This view shows the front seats to be solid and the soft leather seats in the rear.
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Bruce Culver, author of so many books about military vehicles including Panzer Colors and countlesss Squadron and Opsrey titles drew these sketches.
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There is even a single Ausf. B surviving in Johannesburg, although sadly somewhat stripped out. Still the hard metal seat backs and bucket front seats are shown here.
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Tools were fixed to both sides of the rear top superstructure. On the left, an axe and pick axe.
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And shown here on this 251/6 radio vehicle are the two shovels on the right rear hull.
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Picking up where I left off about 40 years ago. Horrible brush painted desert sand painted interior, but some decent work to enhance the driver's cabin.
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I've begun scratchbuilding those unusual front seats.
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This kit lacks a lot of details I think are important. I adopted a modular approach to ensure the interior could be detailed and painted before coming together, so there was A LOT of test fitting to keep everything able to be assembled after painting. Here's an overview of all the mods I've made so far. Quite a few more still to come.
Clockwise from top left:
Rear doors engraved inside and scratched hinges added
Exhaust muffler drilled out
Dragon DS tracks to replace kit tracks
Road wheels thinned to fit Dragon track width (the tracks are of course nominally 1/72 so should be bigger than 1/76, go figure!)
Driving compartment scratch built and gear lever and other details added
Kit front wheel hubs replaced with equally ancient but more accurate Fujimi ones
Driver's vision ports, dashboard and steering wheel scratched and other details added
Clockwise from top left:
Rear doors engraved inside and scratched hinges added
Exhaust muffler drilled out
Dragon DS tracks to replace kit tracks
Road wheels thinned to fit Dragon track width (the tracks are of course nominally 1/72 so should be bigger than 1/76, go figure!)
Driving compartment scratch built and gear lever and other details added
Kit front wheel hubs replaced with equally ancient but more accurate Fujimi ones
Driver's vision ports, dashboard and steering wheel scratched and other details added
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/9/1/1/1297911-78736-48-720.jpg)
Phew! It all still fits together! The kit includes two nice MG42s. Nice but obviously unsuitable for a 1941 vehicle. Fujimi came to the rescue again with a decent MG34.
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/9/1/2/1297912-78736-45-720.jpg)
MG shield has been thinned to about 20% of the original thickness.
![Album image #11 Album image #11](/albums/img/9/1/3/1297913-78736-82-720.jpg)
A lot of filling and filing was needed to get the front nose plate flat and smooth.
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Rather pleased that I could get the Dragon DS tracks to fit and drape properly onto this different generation kit. Probably my favourite upgrade so far.
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Vision ports modified to better match the originals. Mr. Surfacer to the rescue as usual.
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In case anyone is wondering the reason to do this, here's what the original visors look like.
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Some more interior details and crew clutter added. A few resin items from Black Dog
![Album image #16 Album image #16](/albums/img/7/6/2/1309762-78736-54-720.jpg)
Driving compartment is now reasonably busy
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Shovels and their clamps are a combination of old Airfix parts and scratch building.
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/5/9/7/1324597-78736-68-720.jpg)
Interior almost done now. Driving compartment roof plate needs thinning I think; looks like about 3x too thick in scale.
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/5/9/8/1324598-78736-23-720.jpg)
Still playing around with placements of kit.
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Big mistake here. If you spot it say so, if you don't I'll think I've gotten away with it...
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To get a little more light into the driver's compartment, I polished the roof inside and sprayed it gloss white. Impossible to see once installed and I reckon increases visibility of everything else in this dark area by about 30%
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Together at last with trial fits and composition of dio. I wanted to represent the advance on Moscow Autumn 1941. Researching Russian urban street photos in the 1930's shows cobble stones everywhere! So the base was remade with this feature. The ruined walls have been extended and detailed too.
![Album image #27 Album image #27](/albums/img/1/7/9/1390179-78736-69-720.jpg)
At last the black primer is on! Was anxious that all that filling, sanding and add on bits would turn out to be scabby, but all's well (enough).
![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/1/8/0/1390180-78736-90-720.jpg)
Been working on the base too. Quite a few tweaks including a scratch-built base with cobbles that's a bit larger all round than the kit base.
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/1/8/1/1390181-78736-97-720.jpg)
Added some missing rivet detail around the nose and engine compartment.
![Album image #30 Album image #30](/albums/img/1/8/2/1390182-78736-36-720.jpg)
The building ruin has no interior so I added that. Floorboards courtesy Waitrose coffee stirrers.
![Album image #31 Album image #31](/albums/img/3/4/5/1391345-78736-51-720.jpg)
Well I made a bucket this weekend and got some panzer grey on. I quite like the bucket actually. 😉
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Base painting started.
![Album image #33 Album image #33](/albums/img/8/5/9/1396859-78736-30-720.jpg)
Rubble added, probably too little, but I don't want to overwhelm the scene
![Album image #34 Album image #34](/albums/img/8/6/0/1396860-78736-48-720.jpg)
Excuse the lurid green jerry can. It will be painted up, I just forgot to remove it.
![Album image #35 Album image #35](/albums/img/8/6/1/1396861-78736-52-720.jpg)
Building interior almost done.
![Album image #36 Album image #36](/albums/img/8/6/3/1396863-78736-43-pristine.jpg)
Cobbles and bucket inspiration!
![Album image #37 Album image #37](/albums/img/1/8/6/1404186-78736-27-720.jpg)
Gloss coat and decals on. Number plates from Dragon with individual numbers tested my patience and took forever.
![Album image #38 Album image #38](/albums/img/1/8/7/1404187-78736-30-720.jpg)
The Russian poster came from Ebay
![Album image #39 Album image #39](/albums/img/1/8/8/1404188-78736-56-720.jpg)
Weathering and figures next...
![Album image #40 Album image #40](/albums/img/5/5/0/1415550-78736-88-720.jpg)
Flat coat on and I feel better already
![Album image #41 Album image #41](/albums/img/5/5/1/1415551-78736-40-720.jpg)
Weathering begun. Timidly I know!
![Album image #42 Album image #42](/albums/img/8/4/9/1417849-78736-23-720.jpg)
Figure painting begins. These are Revell's Panzergrenadiers in the dreaded soft plastic. But I like the proportions and poses.
![Album image #43 Album image #43](/albums/img/1/9/4/1425194-78736-87-720.jpg)
More weathering today
![Album image #44 Album image #44](/albums/img/1/9/8/1425198-78736-95-720.jpg)
Hope to get this finished by tomorrow. 40+years in the making!
![Album image #45 Album image #45](/albums/img/7/6/1/1425761-78736-40-720.jpg)
All done now save the final touch ups. Will post better pics soon.
![Album image #46 Album image #46](/albums/img/1/0/9/1429109-78736-57-720.jpg)
At last! I'm calling this done now.
![Album image #47 Album image #47](/albums/img/1/1/0/1429110-78736-92-720.jpg)
![Album image #48 Album image #48](/albums/img/1/1/1/1429111-78736-25-720.jpg)
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Kommentarer
41 28 June 2022, 22:40
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I'm honoured, thank you Simon. Great to have your company. Your inputs will be very welcome. Let's hope the resurrection goes to plan...
29 June 2022, 18:53
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After lots of hours work, finally reached a point where an update seemed appropriate. Things should move faster now.
6 September 2022, 21:34
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Thanks Dave. Primer time will tell us soon I think. Months of fiddling to get to this point, but I reckon all should be straightforward from here (famous last words!)
7 September 2022, 07:06
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Very good work with the selfmade parts👍
You show what you can still do with these old kits!
7 September 2022, 07:45
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Thank you Simon. Yes there's virtually zero aftermarket for these old kits, so we have no choice. Mind you I was thrilled to find I could fix the worst part of the model - the tracks - with the lovely Dragon DS ones. 🙂
7 September 2022, 08:56
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Thank you Rui. Your Zundapp and ZIS truck project is looking fabulous too. I reckon its going to be a showstopper very soon now...?
7 September 2022, 17:04
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Thank you Villiers. I still wonder how twelve fully armed men could fit in one of these. They must have been bursting to get out...perhaps that was the idea. 😉
14 November 2022, 18:40
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One of life's mysteries 🙂
Faced with the choice either to walk or to ride, I would make myself fit!
15 November 2022, 04:29
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Hobson's choice I think Villiers. Be inside a target with limited protection or outside it with none. 🤔
15 November 2022, 16:47
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Looks really fantastic so far!!
I'm already curious how the final will look like
3 December 2022, 19:27
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You're very kind Simon. I don't have much bench time available but things have progressed and it's almost ready for primer. Plus I've been working to upgrade the diorama base. With luck, I'll have another update before Xmas...
5 December 2022, 10:47
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Thank you Guy and Villiers. It's coming along okay, but I'm itching to build a more modern kit now and those Vespid boxes in the stash are beckoning!
29 January 2023, 23:37
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I'm really excited on the outcome of this one. Looks already super detailed! 👍
30 January 2023, 00:04
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Thank you very much Ralf. 🙂 Quite a few more details to come but it's taking shape.....still time to mess it up though! 😉
30 January 2023, 00:21
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Thanks Andy. Yes it's crawling towards the finish line, spurred on only by my wish to start something new! Must resist the temptation!
2 March 2023, 23:03
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And I Thought the bullet's where small in my Marder II D_16 Inf Mot Div_Rasputitsa_Kalmykiya Dio, 😮
Well done 👍
4 March 2023, 12:35
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Hi Rui. Thank you for dropping by! You're very kind. Brass wire and sprue cutters was my approach. The hard bit was arranging them so they are randomly scattered, because fixing them with diluted PVA tends to make them all line up in parallel!
5 March 2023, 09:12
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Hi Neal I while seens I had a look
Looking very nice
Very good work and love your diorama
Sure to follow your progress
5 March 2023, 11:28
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Ahh, I see. Nice idea. 👍
In my Marder II D, I used a straeched sprue painted in gold/bronze. The hard part was painting them because I cut them first, dauhh. 😄
5 March 2023, 12:14
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Hi Jv. Welcome back. Nice to see you again. Thank you for your kind words. The end of this long project is finally in sight. The build began aroung 1979....so about 45 years!
5 March 2023, 12:42
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I reckon the brass wire method would work in 1/35 too Rui. Just don't risk your best sprue cutters! No paint needed and nice metallic finish instantly...
5 March 2023, 12:45
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I only just finished replying to your comment about the soft plastic models in my diorama to come to your profile and see you're dealing with them too! Maybe I should stop talking about them before some manufacturer sees this and thinks that since we're talking about it so much it must be what the people want.
Otherwise, your diorama looks excellent. All the little details inside the vehicle are very impressive. I'll be following this, can't wait to see it when it's done.
5 March 2023, 23:10
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Thank you for your kind words JC. Yes my frustration is partly because of these figures. The box art is laughable, but that's no big deal. The sculpting is actually very nice. I think I read somewhere Preiser had done the sculpting.But they have quite heavy mould seams and flash. No problem with hard material, but dealing with this in polythene is hard and at best only partially successful. Despite this final hurdle, I reckon this one should be finished in the next week or two.
6 March 2023, 00:17
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PS @JC Just found these 3D printed resins which look superb. dynamo-models.com/en/figures/
6 March 2023, 00:30
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A Matchbox kit waiting for a restart whole my lifetime? I have to watch this 😄
13 March 2023, 09:51
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Fantastic work and very interesting whed all the pics of history
Been an interesting build to wach
Congratulations on a fantastic model in a small scale
Look forward to see any other builds you do
13 March 2023, 12:44
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Thank you very much Jv. I've appreciated your company along the way. I will post proper pics in the next few days when it's completely finished. Right now I'm torn between another retro resurrection of some very old plastic like this, or cracking open a brand new state of the art uber kit that will need little or no embellishment. Either way though I am inclined to stick with these Matchbox style mini-bases even if I have to build them myself.
13 March 2023, 16:40
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Great work, all the little details despite how small the diorama must be make it excellent. Can't wait to see what you start next!
18 March 2023, 16:47
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Thank you for your kind comments JC and Guy. Means a lot to me when I know how talented you both are. Now this project is done I am torn between another retro resurrection or taking the easy path with a new uberkit like one of the Vespid kits in the stash. 🤔
18 March 2023, 21:56
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Great to see the finale Neil!, in 76th?… details are great for this scale.
19 March 2023, 08:19
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Really fantastic scratch build work 👏
Also a really fantastic finish, Excellent work! Congratulate!
You can't believe what it actually is 😉
19 March 2023, 08:24
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Hi Andy and Simon. Thank you for these kind words. Yes there's a sort of perverse satisfaction in coaching something decent from such an old and basic kit isn't there? But I doubt I will ever match either of you for the speed of your high quality builds!
19 March 2023, 09:04
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Lukasz and Neuling - thank you very much gents! I am flattered by your kind words! 🙂
19 March 2023, 11:34
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Thank you very much Rui! I learned a lot from this one and your kind comments along the way helped me keep motivated! 🙂
20 March 2023, 00:42
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My pleasure Matt. It was a very long project at about 40 years! But most of that was time on the shelf of doom. 🙂
7 June, 09:37
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Every single piece leaving that shelf is a winner. And some fine detail you put into that little one. Well worth the time waitng! 🙂 👍 👍
7 June, 10:13
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That's very kind of you to say Ralf. Thank you. You were in at the start and you helped my motivation no end. 🙂
7 June, 10:55
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Thank you very much Alec. Your builds are a real inspiration to me. Long live the one true scale. 🙂
7 June, 20:30
Album info
Found this in the attic a few weeks ago. It must have stalled about 1980, probably because I gave up trying to detail the interior without enough reference on the Ausf. b (or skill) available at that time. Now the internet has been invented, it's time to recommence,,,
Group Build
![Matchbox 50th anniversary group build in](/events/img/11950-12448-82-p.jpg)
Matchbox 50th anniversary group build
1. April 2022 til 31. Desember 2023
1. April 2022 til 31. Desember 2023