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In-Box Review
135
Sd.Kfz. 251/6 Ausf A
Sd.Kfz. 251/6 Ausf A WW2 German Armoured Command Vehicle
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by: Darren Baker [ CMOT ]

Introduction

The German military in World War 2 were big users of the half track so much so that I bet when a half track is mentioned most think ‘Hanomag’, I know this is not accurate as regards a vehicle. During the build up to World War 2 it would appear that only Germany was looking at half tracks as Armoured Personnel Carriers with the 251 proving to be a successful family of vehicles. There are a great number of 251 models on the market in many scales, but it is my understanding that this offering from ICM is the first Sd.Kfz.251 as an Ausf A and is in the popular scale of 1/35th. The 251 Ausf A was the half track that Germany entered the war with and it proved a successful design with many alterations being made during the war to better protect the vehicle, make it more user friendly and to make production easier, you also need to consider how many variants were produced to fit specific roles. This offering is the command version of the Sd.Kfz. 251/6 A.

Contents

This offering is supplied in the now usual flip top cardboard box favoured by ICM with a second separate card lid with the artwork on it, as a modeller I do appreciate a well packaged offering and I feel ICM is one of the best in this respect. The artwork on the lid is very nicely done and will draw your eye to the box I believe. Inside the box is an instruction booklet with the decals protected between the pages. The sprues and other model elements are packed inside a re-sealable plastic bag with further bags holding the clear and vinyl rubber parts. In my offering one of the wheels had broken loose from the sprue.

Review

Starting with an examination of the model contents reveals little in the way of concerns. I found a lot of ejector pin marks throughout the model parts, but very few of these should be an issue with the finished model. A look at the larger mouldings reveals a number of flow marks that do not look good, but on the positive examination reveals no issues with it that has affected the surface finish of the plastic.

Looking at the detail on the mouldings reveals crisply replicated raised detail that should please most and keeps the model easy to construct while providing a good level of detail. I have done a lot of reference checking for this review and the exterior does appear to be accurate for an Ausf A version of the 251. The view ports or shooting slots depending on how you look at it along each side are correct and while designed to be closed a little effort will enable them to be open. The tools are correctly mounted along the hull sides rather than on the mudguards used in later models. The engine vents are exposed rather than covered which is again correct for version. An engine is included with this offering and that can be exposed if wished due to the access doors being separate parts.

This offering contains all of the sprues from the previous ICM releases of the Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf A and an additional sprue covering the aerials and radio equipment. The aerial mast has been well moulded but will require care when removing it from the sprue. The thickness of it is acceptable and should look the part well enough. ICM has added some mounting plates for the support arms and these need to be drilled in two places, however ICM has not supplied the drill size that is needed for this task. The radio stacks are very well done and the addition of some wires will finish the area off a treat. My only complaint here is that I would have liked to see some headsets included here. The changes here has resulted in the need to remove a seat some personal weapons storage and the external radio parts from the earlier releases.

Moving to the rear of the model again reveals nice and accurate details provided by ICM in this release. The machine guns are nicely presented and a guard has been supplied and shown used in some of the finishing options; it needs to be remembered that in early versions no guard was used on the machine guns and sand bag protection was commonly used by troops. While talking about the machine guns I would have liked to see some ammunition boxes or drum magazines as the breech of the MG’s are separate parts. The rear of the model and rear doors are correctly angled and so alls good right? Well no there are some issues I found.

The body work on the 251 Ausf A is made of a front and rear portion that was bolted together just behind the drivers compartment and that has been very nicely replicated by ICM in this release. The clear parts supplied with this model are from a previous ICM release and that is the Type 320 Saloon staff car. The vinyl rubber tracks and tyres are very good from a detail aspect, but I am looking for alternate tracks in plastic or similar.

Finishes

ICM has provided two finishing options for this model, one of which I know will prove a very popular option. These finishes are:
Sd.Kfz. 251/6 Ausf A. Command vehicleof Lieutenant-General Heinz Guderian, Poland, September 1939
Sd.Kfz. 251/6 Ausf A. 1941

Conclusions

This model in my opinion is a very nice offering from ICM and represents an updated 251 A rather than an early vehicle, but that is not so easy to pick out in this release due to the external aerial and machine gun shield not being used on this release. The build should not present to many issues to the modeller beyond the usual issues present in all models. The interior of the model is very nicely done with a dedicated crew being the only thing missing here.
SUMMARY
Darren Baker takes a look at the third release of the Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf A from ICM, this time it is the Sd.Kfz. 251/6 Ausf A WW2 German Armoured Command Vehicle in 1/35th scale.
  Scale: 1:35
  Mfg. ID: 35102
  PUBLISHED: Sep 23, 2018
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 87.04%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 84.86%

Our Thanks to ICM Holding!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Darren Baker (CMOT)
FROM: ENGLAND - SOUTH WEST, UNITED KINGDOM

I have been building model kits since the early 70’s starting with Airfix kits of mostly aircraft, then progressing to the point I am at now building predominantly armour kits from all countries and time periods. Living in the middle of Salisbury plain since the 70’s, I have had lots of opportunitie...

Copyright ©2021 text by Darren Baker [ CMOT ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Thanks for the comprehensive review Darren! I am interested in this kit and was pleased to see it hit the shelves, as compared to Dragon's promised release over a decade ago that never did.
SEP 23, 2018 - 03:19 PM
Great review! I have a quick question because this has been a great interest of mine to build a 1/35 Ausf A for a long time. How is the interior? The A (and B) versions had a different setup from the rest of the series, and the previous ICM kit did not take them into account.
SEP 23, 2018 - 08:48 PM
Andras: I have looked through my books and online reference and have not been able to find a guaranteed image of the interior of the 251 A version. What I can say is that it appears to match the reference I have and so I believe it to be as correct as far I can see.
SEP 24, 2018 - 09:06 AM
Awesome. Thank you. It's not as if I was a rivet counter (there is nothing wrong with that, but I'm way too lazy for that), but it is nice to have a different (and accurate...) interior for the X+1th Sd.Kfz251 I have... (Or will have, in this case.) (In theory it should not be difficult to convert a C or D interior -benches, different place for the radio, simpler seats for the driver/radio operator-, but then again... I do lack the devotion -and skills- for a scratchbuilding project of this magnitude.)
SEP 25, 2018 - 12:05 AM
ICM have put themselves in a bit of a quandary with this /6 version. Two of the markings sets are for Guderian's 251, but the kit has no Enigma machine, the tires have the wrong tread (needs Fulda rather than Continental), the radio set-up is incomplete beyond having no headset (or wiring diagram, a common omission), and the conduit for the wire from the radio to the frame aerial is missing. It also needs an additional "A" mount for the front MG (no shield), and the driver and assistant driver's viewports need to be lowered 1+ mm. I think that MR Modellbau's MR-35600 "upgrade & stowage Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.A (ICM)" is an expensive but essential addition for all the ICM kits. The best source for the 251 variants is the old GroundPower Special, long out of print, but David Doyle's more recent book on the SdKfz 251 has some essential photos of Guderian's vehicle. There was also a 3-part article in the old IPMS Quarterly by Bruce Culver that can help if you have other sources to clear up a few errors and omissions. For example, I see the Enigma machine sitting on the front passenger seat with its pad removed rather than a specially built table based on the location of the operator's knees. It is VERY hard to find interior photos that show the details as clearly as we modeler's require.
DEC 30, 2018 - 03:21 PM
Google "Giderian's Command Vehicle" and eliminate any photos of his "Greif" SdKfz 250. Almost all that's left will be of his SdKfz 251 Ausf A. There are, I think, 5 different photos, maybe 6, interior and exterior. HTH.
DEC 30, 2018 - 03:27 PM
   
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