| KIT #: | 6595 |
| PRICE: | $60.00 SRP |
| DECALS: | One option |
| REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
| NOTES: | Smart kit |
| HISTORY |
The Sd.Kfz. 250 was a light armoured halftrack, very similar in appearance to the larger Hanomag-designed Sd.Kfz. 251, and built by the DEMAG firm, for use by Nazi Germany in World War II.
Compared to U.S. halftracks, the SdKfz 250 series was less mobile, with unpowered front wheels. However, its tracks made it far more mobile than the armoured cars it replaced, and it was a popular vehicle. Most variants were open-topped and had a single access door in the rear.
The Sd. Kfz 250 was adopted in 1939 to supplement the standard halftrack. Production delays meant the first 250 did not appear until mid-1941.
There were a dozen official variations on this chassis. The Sd.Kfz. 250/10 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK) was a reconnaissance platoon leader's variant with 3.7 cm PaK 35/36. This was the same antitank gun used in a towed mode early in the war. It was normally without protection shield, if any it was a small one.
| THE KIT |
This is, of course, CyberHobby/Dragon's very nice SdKfz 250 kit with the addition of their equally nice Pak 36 anti tank gun, or at least most of it. As in most of these types of kits, there are quite a few pieces that are not used. Added in this kit are Dragon's superb Magic Tracks and the front wheels/tires are made of several 'slices' that are glued together to give you the best tread pattern. The kit also comes with a full engine so those that like to add in the extra detail on that can do so. Other features are:
The instructions consist of 25 well drawn construction steps with any modifications and color information printed in each step. Gunze and Model Master paint references are provided. Markings are for one vehicle from an unknown unit on the Western Front in 1944 as shown on the box art. Included are a variety of numbers for the license plates as well as the hull numbers in both red and black.
| CONCLUSIONS |
This makes another very interesting variant that is one production run only, so if you want it, you need to grab it soon.
| REFERENCES |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SdKfz_250
January 2010 Thanks to www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit. Get yours today at your local shop or on-line retailer. If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact the editor or see other details in the Note to Contributors.