New Rubicon upgrade sets

[Pinky]

I picked up the new Rubicon SdKfz 251/23 and SdKfz 250/251 command vehicle upgrade sets.  I also bought an SdKfz 250 Alte and an SdKfz 251 Ausf C (I hadn't bought their Ausf C previously) to build as command vehicles.

I think Rubicon has done a really good job with these new sets.  The command vehicle spruce is especially nice.  The various 'bedstead' (frame) antennae are well moulded, as are the radio sets.  You can build at least 2 complete vehicles from one sprue.  The crew figures are a huge step forward - I think these are Rubicon's first really good figures, and I look forward to seeing how they combine with Perry and Warlord plastics.  One minor issue - for some reason there's a bedstead antenna included for the SdKfz 250/3 Neu.  I've never seen such a vehicle.  I thought Rubicon were going to provide one for the SdKfz 251/3 Ausf D (there are a couple of photos of Ausf ads with frame antennas, although nearly all sources say the Ausf D only had a star antenna), but they didn't.

The /23 sprue is a less versatile kit, but the Pak 40 is well reproduced and crew figures are well posed (but are perhaps not quite as good as the figures on the command vehicle sprue - I think these were done earlier).  There are some subtle detail differences in the replacement upper hull provided.  Looking at this kit, it occurred to me that the US Army had tried putting anti-tank guns in half-tracks in 1942 and realised it didn't work, so this doesn't seem to have been a very sensible use of a much-needed (and expensive) SPW.  But it's a striking looking vehicle.

It goes without saying that the Ausf C is far better than Warlord's. 

I'm saving the SdKfz 250 Neu till later.

[ripley]

I think the bed ant . for the Neu is probably from Rubicon  mis reading a caption in the Encyclopedia of German Tanks book . It shows a couple of pictures , one with the star antenna and one with the bed ant . It states the vehicles are both the  Nue model  but if you look close you can see the armored visor on the side of one cab  , Nue's had a vision slit . And the 231D with bed ant , is pictured in Squadron / Signal  SdKfz 251 ( page 32 ) but the caption states the  antenna is off  of a 232 Armored Car . Looking in the 251 book there seem to be about 3 distinct styes of bed ant , one with no internal cross bars , one with curved internal cross bars , and one with angled cross bars . Different radio combinations  maybe ?

[Pinky]

We discussed this during the design of the kit.  The photo you mention (a white-washed Ausf D with mud smeared on it) definitely shows a field modification, not a factory-installed frame antenna.  But there is a photo of an Ausf D /3 of Panzer Lehr in Budapest with what looks like a 'standard' frame antenna. 

[ripley]

Your right about the 251 D . Going back , way back ( 2004 ! ) through the Missing Lynx site I found pictures of one abandoned in Paris 1944 , one in action in Budapest 45 , and one used by US troops spring 45 . Never say never when it comes to German vehicles I guess