Historic Bandai 251

Bandai's 48th scale SdKfz 251/B

Original: The sd.Kfz.251 was my first love in vehicles. The iconic shape of it was un-loving recognised as "der grosse Sarg" (the big coffin) by an owner of the real deal in the 80's It's (design-)history is long. See my website for more details and facts about it.

Model: Bandai released the first model of this when I stil wore short pants to school. November 1969 is the official start of plastic models. The 251/B is said to have been released in 1971. It's iconic in its own. It's remarably correct, though it lacks details, and is a product of its era with stif solid tracks.

Build: January 12 2020 to March 9 2020. A friend brings an unfinished project, an airbrushed 48th scale 251. I have an unbuild Bandai 251, mint in the box, but I could never bring myself to build a 50 year old gem like that. The story is even wilder to me. It's from the collection of Jos Stok. Now that's a challenge. How do I complete a relic like that, without wiping out it's history?

February 8 2020

The biggest chalenge is the stif thick track. With an old trick, wires around the axles and through the track I get it to bent the way it's supposed to hang. The rest is just a case of carefully mixing colour to mask the new parts and the repairs.

January 2020

It has a detailed engine, so the choice to flip open the engine covers is logic. The person that build it though does not know the vehicle. The heavy doors are opening to the middle. The sheets under the bonnet are also misplaced. It misses it's MG's and tools. Luckily I've got friends. Another kit, this time the 90's re-release of Fuman supplies the missing details. It's not nice to look through the firewall and the steering wheel has to tilt downwards, one of the key features of the 251. All in all it's almost an "out of the box" build. But how to save that remarkable spraypaint coat it has?