As anticipated in my last post I am presenting a model of an Sdkfz 231 (8 rad) in 1:72 scale from Dragon Models. This is my second AFV in a row after the captured KV2 I posted a few days ago. I have to say this is a very nice model, with a great fit and quite amazing detail for a small 1:72 scale vehicle. It is in Sicily 1943 camo of wavy dark green lines over the classic German dark yellow. I have to admit that the green lines should be much thinner than they came out but I am not yet too familiar with the more intricate airbrush techniques and my airbrush is a basic model so I doubt it is able to produce pencil thin lines anyway.
The model was weathered using a mixture of acrylic, oils, and AK weathering pigments. The commander is from the 20mm German Tank Crews set of Preiser's Military range. These are very well moulded multipose figures in soft plastic and with 20 figures to a pack they give a very nice range of poses and options to choose from.
The kit requires only minor modifications such as drilling holes in the exhaust pipes but I think it is well nigh impossible to get all 8 wheels to touch the ground simultaneously. In fact in all the internet material I came across for this model there were always a wheel or two suspended by a fraction of a millimeter in mid air. This, however, should not be an issue if the model is mounted on a diorama base. Dragon give the option of choosing whatever number plates you want but the miniscule decals for this make it a challenging - albeit not impossible - task. I chose to compose my late dad's old Ford Anglia number just for laughs !
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| Top-down view. The green lines should be thinner and more numerous |
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| The cable attached to the front is moulded - one of the few things I didn't like |
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| Loads of underside detail - shame it's all hidden from view! |
Next up is a 1:72 scale Stug III in Russian front colours from Dragon Models
Mike, you do such fine work. It is depressingly good...
ReplyDeleteHaha, thanks Jonathan! It is I who gets depressed when I see the quantity and quality of work you manage to churn out regularly week after week!
DeleteBeautiful result.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Sir!
DeleteDoesn’t surprise me that you couldn’t get all the wheels to touch the ground. No one will notice anyway bc the model is soooo good. Excellent job. 😀
ReplyDeleteHey many thanks Stew! Well, at least six are touching......😊
DeleteVery cool AFV, Mike! I watched a video on it and it was interesting to see it driven in both directions.
ReplyDeleteVery true Dean, the 231 had a driving seat at the rear end as well. In the event of a hasty retreat it was held not to be practical to make a full turn. Unlike a tracked vehicle the 231 couldn’t turn practically on itself. So they solved it by adding a full driver’s position at the rear and the driver only needed to rush from the front to the back to get the crew quickly out of trouble! German ingenuity at its best!
DeleteGorgeous painting, what a splendid model!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thank you so much Iain! It was a joy both to build and to paint.
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