Trumpeter 1/16 Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

The Schutzenpanzerwagen 251/1 was an armored personnel carrier that was essentially a Sd.Kfz.11 wearing an armored shell to protect the crew and passengers. The D-model featured an armored shell composed of flat body plates which made the process of assembly much easier. The Sd.Kfz.251 series were modified into a variety of varients that served as rocket launchers, mortar carriers, gun-towing tractors, assault engineering vehicles, command vehicles, and more.

Trumpeter has up-sized the Sd.Kfz.251/1 Ausf.D to 1/16 scale which provides the basis of a detailed model. The kit is molded in gray styrene and presented on 12 parts trees (duplicate trees not shown) plus upper and lower body shell, four trees molded in rust-colored styrene, two frets of photo-etched details and a pair of rubber (vinyl) tires. The decal sheet provides six sets of marking options that is accompanied by six color profiles illustrating decal placement and camouflage schemes.

Among the features and options in this kit:

• Detailed track suspension
• Detailed front end suspension
• Detailed road wheels and drive sprockets
• Detailed track (58 links per side)
• Nice interior details
• Detailed driver's station
• Rifle and machine gun stowage
• Heavy machine guns on swing arms front and rear

This is an incredible kit. While there are 30 steps to complete this kit, the instructions are nicely laid out and assembly appears to be very straightforward. I am certain that there is someone who will discover an incorrect number of bolts on some obscure access plate or other 'flaw', but from where I sit this is a beautiful kit!

I would recommend this kit for the more experienced basic modeler, but I'll leave the judgment call on your experience to you. You will find that the MSRP for this kit is worth every penny!

My sincere thanks to Model Rectifier for this review sample!