Here is the
SdKfz 250/1 Alte on the
Drawing Board...
Objective as follow:- to create a two sprue plastic kit
- two headlight options
- fully detailed interior
- basic driver included
Some Historical Facts:The SdKfz 250 was a light armoured halftrack, very similar in appearance to the larger Hanomag-designed SdKfz 251, and built by DEMAG, for use by Germany in World War II. Most variants were open-topped and had a single access door in the rear. The SdKfz 250 was adopted in 1939 to supplement the standard halftrack. Production delays meant that the first 250 did not appear until mid-1941.
The vehicle was used in a wide variety of roles throughout World War II. The basic troop carrier version was used as an armored personnel carrier for reconnaissance units, carrying scout sections. This basic variant usually mounted one or two MG34 machine guns. Later variants carried 20 mm, 37 mm, and even 75 mm guns to support the more lightly armed versions.
Several special-purpose variants were seen early in the war. The 250/3 and 250/5 were command variants, with fewer seats but equipped with long-range radio equipment. These were used by battalion and higher commanders as personal command vehicles, most famously the 250/3 used by Erwin Rommel in the North African campaign. Early versions had large 'bed frame' antennas, which were easy to spot at long range, making them more vulnerable to artillery fire. Later variants dispensed with this and used a whip antenna instead.
The SdKfz 253 variant was fully enclosed, and was used by artillery forward observers to accompany tank and mechanized infantry units.
The initial design had an armoured body made of multi-faceted plates, which gave good protection against small arms fire, but made this design both expensive to manufacture and quite cramped. Production of this early version stopped in
October 1943 with some
4,200 built, and a second version (neue Art or "new version"), greatly simplified to speed up manufacture, began replacing it. In both variants, the armour was useful only for stopping small-arms fire and small artillery fragments. Heavy machine gun fire, anti-tank gun fire, or almost any tank gun could penetrate the SdKfz 250 at long range.
Intended Variants to Produce:SdKfz 250/1 - The standard troop carrier.
SdKfz 250/3 - Command variant, equipped with radio equipment and a "bedstead" aerial frame.
SdKfz 250/5 - Command variant with additional radio equipment.
SdKfz 250/7 - mounted an 81 mm mortar.
SdKfz 250/8 - armed with a 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24 gun and an MG 34.
SdKfz 250/9 - Reconnaissance variant with a 2 cm KwK 38 autocannon and a coaxial MG (MG 34 or MG 42) in a low, open-topped turret identical to the SdKfz 222 armoured car.
SdKfz 250/10 - Reconnaissance platoon leader's variant with 3.7 cm PaK 35/36.
SdKfz 250/11 - With a 2.8 cm sPzB 41 (schwere Panzerbüchse 41) heavy anti-tank rifle and an MG 34.
SdKfz 253 - Artillery forward observer vehicle, with fully enclosed armoured body and artillery radios.
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