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Voyager Models
WWII German Sd.Kfz.250/1 NEU Armor plate
Voyager Model 1:35 Set # PEA142
Review by Terry Ashley

CyberhobbyDragon
Introduction:
This is the third of the three sets released by Voyager Models for the Cyberhobby/Dragon Sd.Kfz.250/1 Neu (kit #6427) and is really for the more experienced and adventurous modeller as the entire top hull is replaced with brass plates along with various doors and visors.

The three sets released are:
PE35241 WWII German Sd.Kfz.250/1 NEU Basic
PEA141 WWII German Sd.Kfz.250/1 NEU Stowage bins & Fenders
PEA142 WWII German Sd.Kfz.250/1 NEU Armor plate (This Set)

This Set:

The set consists of 5 frets of etched brass in different sizes and thicknesses, 4 parts in light cream resin, 16 very small rivets for the hull sides, a length of thin steel wire and 3 short lengths of plastic rod.

Quality of the etching and the resin casting is first class without any blemishes or distortions anywhere with just the usual attachment burs to be filed from the etched parts and the casting blocks to be cut from the resin parts before use.

Etched, Resin and Additional parts
Voyager ModelsVoyager Models

Some of the etched parts are very small and will need careful handling during cleanup and assembly with the parts having the usual engraved bending lines to aid in this process but a good quality etched bending tool will always come in handy.

One the other hand the entire hull top including engine deck is a single piece in thicker brass requiring careful bending and soldering would be the best option for added strength and durability.

The hull top has cut-outs for the separate engine bay doors, engine intake screens, rear entry door and the front visors and the dimensions of this match the 1:35 plans in the new Panzer Tracts book No.15-1 Sd.Kfz.250 (Ausf.A&B) almost perfectly with fine weld texturing at the front and rear hull corners once bent to shape.

Bending the hull to shape is fairly straightforward as the thicker metal reduces any distortion of other plates while bending and to get the angles right you basically just have to mate the sides, rear and driver’s plate together. The angles on the engine deck requires very subtle bends and you can use the kit part as a guide for these but they will pull into line when mating to the kit hull if need be.

It is best to assembly the upper hull first and as mentioned soldering the four corners of the hull is the best option for greater strength and this can be done from the inside to leave the other weld texturing intact and making the join a lot cleaner from the outside.

After the initial hull soldering there are internal frames added for the engine compartment doors and rear entry door openings and I again soldered these in place to make sure they wouldn’t come adrift as the engine deck and rear plates experience a bit of flexing during handling and assembly which will just crack any cyanoacrylate join in an instant.

There are a series of 8 round rivet heads along the lower edges of the hull sides and these are provided as very small formed brass rivets that fit into pre-drilled holes in the brass hull.
It is best while carefully slipping these into the holes you work well over your workbench because if you drop one on the floor it will never be seen again in the history of the universe and there are only just the 16 rivets provided with no spares so take care.
It is best to also solder these in place one at a time with a small dab of solder on the inside hull and then filing the join smooth to ensure these don’t come adrift during the remainder of the assembly.

The rivet heads are actually a bit oversized compared to photos but shouldn’t be that noticeable on the final kit when painted.

Added inside the upper hull sides are quite thick brass plates that form the inner lining used for attaching the equipment brackets in the actual vehicle and you may have to clean up the corner soldered joins for these to fit flush inside the hull. These panels also have slots for adding the canvas tilt frames included in the basic set (#PE35241) if the sets are being used together.

At this stage it’s best to test fit the brass hull to the Cyberhobby/Dragon lower hull as a bit if trimming is needed (bevelling the top and rear edges) to fit the parts together as indicated in the instructions and test fitting is the best option to determine the optimum fit before adding the final details.

Exterior views of the main upper hull shell assembled
Note soldered corner joins, weld seams and flush screws included in brass hull.
Also the row of 8 rivets along the lower edge of the hull side as per text

Voyager ModelsVoyager Models
Interior views of the main upper hull shell assembled
Inner lip for engine bay and rear entry doors soldered in place and inner panel
along the hull sides.
Voyager ModelsVoyager Models

The two engine intake mesh intake screens are provided in thin stainless steel and these are fitted over the openings in the engine deck. The screens unfortunately are too shallow and lack the raised frames around the outside and adding these from thin card rectangles will improve the appearance. It’s a pity Voyager couldn’t have provided these frames as etched parts to simulate the intake correctly to save a bit of work here?

The engine bay doors fit neatly into the opening and have additional parts to make workable hinges that will take a little care and the door locks can be positioned in the locked or unlocked position depending if the doors are shown open or closed, a nice touch.

At the back the entry door also has workable hinges and a four part latch for excellent detail as well as the rain guard channel for over the door and again you can show the door open or closed as you wish.

The two driver’s plate visors are very intricate assembles with the outer visor bent to shape from a single etched part and I again soldered this to ensure it stayed joined together. Added to this is the inner visor frame and opening levers which will require careful assembly being very fine parts with the thin wire provided used for the hinges as well as separate visor block frames.

If you are very careful these can be made workable so the visors can be shown open of closed but choosing a position and gluing the assemblies together will make the tricky job a bit easier, the choice is yours.

Added on top of the driver’s plate is the etched MG shield with brackets for the MG mountings and this will improve the appearance over the kit shield considerably.
You also get a replacement resin MG34 with separate feed cover that is nicely detailed if you didn’t want got the extra step and use one of the available replacement brass MG34 barrels to really enhance the MG.

Resin head pads are also provided for inside the hull above the drivers and co-driver’s positions that have nice texturing included but these are hard to see after assembly in any case.

Instructions:
This is included as a long foldout strip about 75cm long and 10cm high which when folded up fit neatly into the standard Voyager cardboard box these sets come in. The single strip for this set has printing on both sides that are the usual exploded view drawings of the assembly sequences and I found these easy to follow in most cases.

As usual you should study the instructions carefully before assembly to avoid any traps and overall the instruction trips seemed to take up less space on the desk than the older style full page instructions leaving plenty of room to work.

Conclusion:

As mentioned this set is for the more experienced modeller who wants to really go the whole hog as there is quite a bit of assembly required and soldering skills will be of assistance as well as experience working with very small fine parts on the visors.

But if you are up for it this sets will add a new level of detail for the Cyberhobby/Dragon kit even more so if used in conjunction with the other two update sets available.

Highly recommended for the more experienced modeller.

Also see the other sets available;
PE35241WWII German Sd.Kfz.250/1 NEU Basic
PEA141WWII German Sd.Kfz.250/1 NEU Stowage bins & Fenders

References:
Book
Sd.Kfz.250 (Ausf.A&B)

Panzer Tracts No.15-1
ISBN: 0-9815382-0-7
Sd.Kfz.251
SdKfz250

Ground Power Special
GALILEO Publishing Co.,Ltd
book
Military Vehicles in Detail 1
SdKfz 250/1 to 250/12

Ian Allan Publishing.
Book
Sd.Kfz.250 Vol.I
Wydawnictwo Militaria
#173
Book
Sd.Kfz.250 Vol.2
Wydawnictwo Militaria
#231
Sd.Kfz.250
Schutzenpanzer
(Armored Personnel Carrier)
Ryton Publications

ISBN: 1930571291

Thanks to Voyager Models for the review set.



Page created August 29, 2008