I recently bought a package of Point of Contact German Halftrack Sd Kfz 251/1Cs. POC also makes the Tiger 1E , Sherman M4A1 and the US M3A1 Halftrack. What makes POC different from other plastic miniatures is that they come 5 to a pack, pre-assembled and pre-painted. German vehicles have 4 paint jobs to choose from. Grey ,Dunklegelb .Dunklegelb with Green stripes and Dunklegelb with Green and Brown stripes. The US vehicles paint jobs are Brown Violet, Olive Drab/ Dark Green , Olive Drab with Brown Splotches. Now on to the halfracks
Looking over the model itself you can see that this is actually a Sd Kfz 251/2 with the mortar inside. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to remove the mortar from one of the models. It came out fairly neatly by tugging on it. The two MGs are in a little pack. I used super glue to ensure they stayed put.
Here is a picture of a Zvezda model on the left, a Battlefront model in the middle and the POC model on the right. Zvezda is my least favorite of the 3. The Battlefront model is tops in quality with good detail and a solid feel. You can probably see on the POC model that there is a slight gap between the top and bottom of the hull right above the drive wheel. This is present on three of the five models in the pack I received. I do like the detail work on the POC model as compared to the Zvezda model.
This was a pleasant surprise. These are the same decals that Battlefront uses and you get all three included on one sheet with your 5 pack of models.
If you're looking for a cheaper way to go when starting out these are an option. With some touch up painting you can have some decent German transports or Mortar carriers.
I'd give then 6 out of 8 schwarzen zauberstab
9 comments:
How do these compare to the Plastic Soldier Company models? As a student, I 'm trying to find the best bang for my (rather limited) budget while still fielding a force I can be proud of.
I actually like the Zvezda model, they are spot on for early kfz 251s, it's a B(only used in early war and a model BF doesn't make). I'm hoping Zvezda makes a 251/D if they do i'm buying a lot of them. BF needs to hop on the plastic train soon or they are going to only be a rules and special character figure dealer soon.
What was the price? I don't see it actually listed here.
That said, I agree, BF needs to find a way to stay competitive by switching to plastic in some way. I'm sure that they will though.
Since you can't really see detail on a 15mm model without actually picking the thing up, or lowering your face to within inches of it, the level of detail is unimportant to me.
A good paint job can make the most unimpressive model impressive, anyway.
The best thing about FOW is the fact that there are other options out there, other than their 'official' line of products.
If BF started including actual instructions (good luck with that Bergepanther blister pack!) and weren't double (or more!) than the price of the alternatives, I'd be more enthused about them.
15mmm models can try your patience during construction- I don't need the added hassle of chopping away resin to make those awful metal tracks fit, sorry.
I know where I'm getting my mortar half tracks now, thanks!
@ Andrew-
The War Store sells them for $19.99 for a box of Five!!!!!!
Battlefront half tracks generally clock in at about 11 dollars and change EACH!
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!
The POC halftracks are actually massively overscale, almost 1/72.
Wargames @ Nordalia.com used to have a review, but the site seems to be defunct now.
@ WarHighlander
Thank you for the information. They seemed to be equivalent to the PSC ones but that size difference changes everything.
I haven't seen these in person, but that side by side pic Chris has in the article doesn't seem like they're wildly off?
They are both longer and taller. The interior also has mortar ammo racks soyou cant add seated troops or mortar crew as easily as the bf version. I use them for razvedki. The decals are excellent.
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