1:35 Sd.Kfz.251 "Stuka zu Fus" with Crew

Sd.Kfz.251 Stuka zu Fuss with crew, 1:35 (ICM, part number ICM 35108)

An injection-molded plastic kit of the German half-track armored vehicle Sd.Kfz.251 in the rocket launcher configuration, with crew figures added. The Ukrainian manufacturer ICM lists the launcher on its own, without figures, under its own part number ICM 35107.

The real subject

The nickname Stuka zu Fuss, meaning Stuka for the infantryman, belonged to the Wurfrahmen 40 launching equipment. These were frames with base plates hung along the sides of the hull, on the Sd.Kfz.251 usually three on each side. The heavy large-caliber rockets, both high-explosive and incendiary, were fired straight from the transport crates in which they were delivered. They were spin-stabilized and less accurate than artillery ammunition, so firing was done in a salvo against an area target. The second period nickname, Heulende Kuh, meaning howling cow, was aimed at the sound of the rockets launching.

Building and painting tips

Finish and paint the interior of the hull and the running gear before you close the hull up; you will not reach them later. The Wurfrahmen 40 frames are thin and will take only a little glue. The figures call for a primer coat and are painted separately from the vehicle. Build the weathering in layers: washes into the recesses first, and only at the end dust and mud pigments on the running gear.

Who the model is for

• collectors of German Second World War machines in 1:35
• modelers interested in rocket artillery
• building a scene with the crew loading rockets
• more experienced modelers, because of the small parts of the frames

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.