Early GPM SdKfz 251

[smithdr]

Nice work, Ann! I, for one, can't wait to see it on your table in October...


Dan

[Siwi]

Originally Posted by Amccombs3

Back to the modeling workbench, after another absence due to other projects and life in general. I have finished up the concave road wheels (photo). I’m looking at the drive sprockets next. I decided to build them in all their unevenly-spaced-teeth glory. Lots of fiddly bits but nothing puzzling about them — and there are only 2 assemblies.

Later — I’ve also assembled the drive sprockets. I had already cut out most of the parts, so this session was mostly edge-coloring and gluing. I did the best matching I could on the uneven teeth, but there is some irregularity visible between front and back. It amuses me, so I ‘m leaving it that way.

These all look more than acceptably round and regular. Keep going!

[Amccombs3]

I’ve been working on front tire / wheel assemblies. I hadn’t previously cut out all the parts, so it’s taking some time. And, true to form for this kit, I’ve hit an interesting — um, anomaly. The first photo shows that the sidewalls are supposed to have a slight bulge according to the diagram. Unfortunately, GPM made the sidewall bulges exactly the same diameter as the formers underneath, even though they drew in a nice little splice strip. I cut the splice strip along one edge and formed the bulge before I discovered that, if I did use the splice strip and form the bulge, the sidewalls would not fit (see second photo). So I glued them flat onto the formers and painted the splice strip black. It still shows, though the overlying tread helps distract the eye from it a bit. And of course the tires are just flat-sided cylinders. The last photo shows one tire without tread and one with tread. I still plan to do some edge-coloring touch-ups, so it’ll look a little better, but I’m still exasperated at GPM.

[Don Boose]

All's well that ends well, and those wheels ended well - to my eye.

Don

[Amccombs3]

I did a little more translating while gluing tire treads, mainly so I can look up more info on the weapons.

The Sdkfz 251 half-track armored personnel carrier was one of the two basic vehicles of this type used by the Wehrmacht. Mass-produced in versions A, B, C, D and numerous varieties depending on the purpose. The model shows the Sdkfz 251/9 vehicle in the D version with a 75 mm gun.

Technical data :

Weight 8.5t; armor 12 - 7 mm; 120 HP carburetor engine; speed 50 km/h ; dimensions 580x210x210; Armament Versil 251/9, 1 75 mm gun, 1 7.92 mm machine gun.

Edit:
This seems to be the 7,5 cm Kampfwagenkannone 37 L/24, or more simply, the KwK 37. I’m finding illustrations that will help with the assembly when I get to that stage.

[Amccombs3]

All the round things (tires, road wheels, drive sprockets) are finally done so I’m venturing into new territory — the suspension. I’ve been worrying about it for quite some time now. I think I have the front leaf-spring assembly for the tires sussed out. It’s the smaller road wheels that I don’t understand. My post #20 shows the side of the hull where the parts go. I have 16 convex road wheels (parts 56) and 12 concave road wheels (parts 58). The diagram shown in my post #31 shows the road wheels and wire axles, front of the vehicle to the left. I kinda-sorta understand how the torsion-sprung axles work on a real Sdkfz, from watching videos of a plastic-kit assembly. But I’m really not sure where parts 4 and 4a go. 5 is the drive sprocket, and 6 is the idler, so that helps position things. My best guess is that 4a’s are the torsion arms and 4 is some kind of bumper that appears to go in between the 4a’s? On the plastic kit the bumpers go above the torsion arms. Also, I have NO idea where the 12 parts 59 go. So I’m seeking advice / speculation.

Meanwhile, I’ll start cutting out parts. There’s always track to cut out if I run out of other projects.

[modelperry]

Part 59 appears to be just the center hubs of your road wheels which you probably already have installed. I suspect the white parts were just the space between the hubs and the tire parts.

I think you are correct on your part 4 and 4a assessment.

Greg

[Amccombs3]

The real question is: where do the wire axles go? That’s the question that I omitted that is the real problem. There’s no dot for them at the end of the torsion arms, and it doesn’t seem like they should span between the wheels there — but on the other hand, if they go through the hull and the dots in the round part of parts 4a, they wouldn’t go through the wheels. Things may become clearer when I have the parts cut out (I hope . . .)

[Amccombs3]

Ha! I figured out the road wheel suspension. There were no diagrams at all for them, just some cryptic marks on the lower hull. I cut the wire axles to length according to the pattern, and they were all too short. The ones shown are longer than needed, since I can cut them shorter after the wheels are in place.

P.S. I’ve concluded that Greg is correct about the parts 59. That’s the problem with a long hiatus, I forget things. Though I might use the discs as spacers between the two halves of the convex road wheels.

[Amccombs3]

Wheels!

I still need to trim the wire axles to length and glue the hubs on, but I’m holding off on that just in case I need to remove the road wheels for any reason.

I also glued on the front fenders. That part didn’t go so well. I did a lot of dry fitting and I think I did as well as possible, but I think they should have been a little higher. They interfere with the drive sprockets, but I can glue the drive sprockets off-center to cope with that.

This means that the next step will be the tracks. These aren’t bad as tracks go — band tracks with blocks on one side and guide teeth on the other. I’ve already cut out the bands and teeth. GPM printed the track parts on shiny silver paper, and white glue does not stick to it very well. I laminated the blocks onto 67 lb. cardstock for a little extra thickness, and the silver paper peeled right off again (insert sad face icon here). So I photocopied the blocks onto another sheet of 67 lb. cardstock and laminated that. So far so good. The white glue did seem to stick all right when I glued an individual test block onto the band, but time will tell. I’m not sure what I’ll do about the teeth, which are always problematic — maybe this is a job for Superglue.