Sd.Kfz.250 - a little displacement activity.

 

Amongst the modelling projects that I half finished in 2025 was these two little half tracks. I knew I should really be cracking on with painting the final infantry companies for my German and British battalions but somehow painting almost a hundred infantry didn't seem as much fun as a couple of vehicles and having another go at airbrushing the colour modulation and green camouflage.

I had a pack of Plastic Soldier 15mm Sd.Kfz.250 'ALTE' in the stash that I'd purchased some time ago in a sale. A question that only occurred to me as I got them out was: had I bought the right version or should have I chosen the the 'NEU' version for Normandy? According to Wikipedia, production of the original version was stopped in October 1943. I have not found many contemporary photographs but both variants seem to have been present. My guess is that units that were in the West earlier, like 21st Panzer Division, would have likely had the old version whilst those where the personnel we moved from the Eastern Front and re-equipped would more likely have had the NEU version. In any case, I have aimed for a fairly generic look for my Germans so decided not to worry about it.

Apart from one Peter Pig seated infantryman, all the other figures are from the box though I did a leg swap on the figure with binoculars in the Sd.Kfz.250/10 command vehicle so he could be standing on the bench seat with one leg up on the seat back for balance. I tried to get a bit of variety with the stowage, adding some camouflage netting and canvas rolls from a Skytrex stowage pack. The transfers are from Skytrex and don't represent any particular unit.

Compared to my recent Sd.Kfz.10 models, I tried for a slightly lighter touch with the weathering which I think looks better.

Before making these models, I hadn't realised just how small the vehicles were - not much bigger than a Universal Carrier.

I'm not sure what to do with the other three models in the box. I'd intended to make a couple up as Sd.Kfz.250/9 with the 2cm auto-canon turret but the modelling of this isn't great - obviously casting the wire mesh turret top is a bit of a challenge in 15mm. I might use one to make an alternative battalion command base for when my Germans are representing an element of Panzer of SS division but first I really must get those last two infantry companies done!