H is for Half-track (and Hanomag)

There is currently, mention on a couple of threads over at the HaT forum of the Hanomag or Sd.Kfz.251 m.SPW (mittlere Schützenpanzerwagen), and whether or not the HaT one will ever appear, size problems with the Matchbox version etc...

As I was already planning 'H is for Hanomag' the only thing left was to take some photographs and get them up on the blog!

This is the Matchbox one, it's an early-war Ausf. B and I bought it completed at a Bring & Buy years ago, I gave it an over-paint of red-brown after a picture in an old AFV book somewhere to represent an urban scheme applied to a grey half-track in the East Circa '44/45, some crew figures in camouflage smocks and a 'bedding roll' or two complete it. Note the too-heavy/chunky tracks on this version, lets hope the Revell re-issue has better treads!!

The Esci 251 is an Ausführung C, the commonest variant, This is the ambulance version, built from the box. Esci made the best effort with what was - after all - one of the most numerous and versatile vehicles in the German inventory by the simple expedient of providing a good kit on the main sprue, and then in each box a 'version' sprue. Versions available were;

Sdkfz 251/1 - Schützenpanzerwagen. (Standard personnel carrier)
251/1-II - Stuka zu Fuß ( Wurframen 40 Rocket launcher on standard APC)
Sdkfz 251/3 - Funkpanzerwagen. (Communications vehicle with bedstead aerial, I have one of these, I added the 9 meter pole/mast to make a 251/3 IV, but I think it got hammered in the moves of the last 3 years and is in an ice-cream tub somewhere waiting for the engineering munchkins to attack it with a tube of superglue! Will post when it turns up!!)
Sdkfz 251/7-I - Pionierpanzerwagen (Assault Engineer vehicle)
Sdkfz 251/8-I - Krankenpanzerwagen (Armoured ambulance)
Sdkfz 251/16 - Flammpanzerwagen (Flamethrower equipped vehicle)

and they may have done the 81 mm Mortar carrier; (Sdkfz 251/2 - Schützenpanzerwagen Granatwerfer), but my records are still packed!

This is also a Matchbox 251 converted to a 251/1-II - Rocket launcher 'Stuka zu Fuß' [fuss] (Walking Stuka) with the Esci rocket-launchers installed, I tried to paint some crates as wooden , some as rusty reused metal as both were used. The Esci SPW was advertised as 1:72 while the Matchbox one was supposed to be 1:76 but in fact they are almost the same size.

This is a metal Ausf. D, I forget the maker, I suspect Skytrex? I didn't like it very much so it got a basic paint-job and er...that's it.

Comparison shot between the Esci (rear) and Matchbox (foreground) 251's, as you can see there is very little to choose size wise between the two. Late editions of the Esci vehicles had link-and-length track which made for an awesome model.