Saturday, November 3

Zvezda 1/100 (15mm) SdKfz 251 "Hanomag".. completed

 The Hanomags are complete.. and I'm very, very pleased with how these turned out...

The paint job was simplicity itself - undercoat in black, heavy damp brush in dark grey (suitable for early war use), then some bolt gun metal for the tracks and MG's...

I also added some stowage for the campaign look - blanket rolls, jerry cans and a wooden box (containing plunder...??  )


I've put some crew in one of them - these are Peter Pig 15's from my skirmish collection...


Last of all a comparison showing the Peter Pig model alongside the Zvezda...



My thanks to Keith Flint [clicky] for the heads up that they are Ausf A version, so the gantry MG is correct (see following)

SdKfz250 Ausf A - piccie courtesy of Wikipedia
Wikipedia advises me that there were basically four types, or models, Ausf A through D - the first two models were produced in small numbers from 1939. A and B models are basically the same - the B model didn't have side vision slits, pictures I've seen also show the forward facing MG with the shield (I think the PP model is an Ausf B).

The C model, which started production in mid-1940, featured a simplified hexagonal-shaped forward armoured plate for the engine but was quite complex to build, as it had many angled plates that gave reasonable protection from small arms fire.

From early 1943, the D model was developed with the purpose of halving the number of angled body plates, simplifying the design and thus speeding up the production. D models can be easily recognized by their single piece sloping rear (with flat doors).

Piccie courtesy WWII Database [clicky]
Next stop the Pz. II and the Pz. 38T

13 comments:

  1. Really nice job on these. Nothing to me says German army in WW2 like the Hanomag. From about the age of ten I used to (and still do) get annoyed by film makers who used M3 halftracks instead. I hope someone does them for 28mm figures as I feel a bit of WW2 coming on thanks to Bolt Action...

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    1. Legatus - many thanks, and so true... you can have your Panthers and Tigers, give me Hanomags and Stugs every time..

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  2. Nicely done sir! They look like a perfect fit with Peter Pig.

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    1. Stryker - very true - surprisingly close fit and it doesn't always work that way... I've noticed that Peter Pig are selling the kits themselves via their website..

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  3. Replies
    1. Cheers Phil.... enjoyed your post on the recent samurai battle, b.t.w...

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  4. Incredible results for such a small scale. Well done!

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    1. Matt - can't take any credit.. the kits practically paint themselves.. just the most minimal of brush butchery from me...

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  5. Fantastic job all around! And just when I thought I'd stick to my WW II 28mm project!

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  6. Tasty. Nice to see someone with the same simple approach to painting early war as me - though I do go for a quick highlight in a lighter colour.

    Also love the photos - those 251s look brand new!

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    1. "Only one careful owner who used it just for going to Poland on Sundays..." :o)

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