Sd.Kfz. 9 "Famo" (2017)

Here's a quick MOC of a SdKfz 9 "Famo".

I know it is certainly not the most detailed and most accurate one around, but regarding the time I invested in it and the parts I had at my disposal, I am still satisfied enough to present it to the public :-)



I got inspired to build such a model after I took a ride in the real thing at this years "Militracks" event in NL.
Basically I started by combining the set 2449 "Opel Blitz" with the Sd.Kfz. 251 from the "Battle of Berlin" magazine (now also re-released as an updated set 2442 "Sd.Kfz. 251 Hanomag").
But it doesn't really matter if you get the old or new version of set 2442, as the "steering" of the updated set wouldn't fit into the fenders of the Opel Blitz anyway.
Speaking of fenders: I wasn't really keen on cutting the Opel Blitz fenders into half, as my previous attempt to cut (smaller) fenders for a Schwimmwagen MOC wasn't really that successful, so (although it might not be as accurate as it could be) I decided to build this model without cutting anything into pieces.



I used all my remaining brown tiles for the rear truck bed and more brown parts for the seats (for which I plundered a 2188 Schwimmwagen and two 2339 Kübelwagen).
Another Kübelwagen (The grey one from the BoB magazine) had to be scrapped for the truck bed doors with the german cross markings.
As "Achtungpanzer" already noted, a bunch of those 2x4 toolbox tiles would be great for the sides of the truck bed, though.



I choosed to keep the Opel Blitz windscreen, although it doesn't really match the one of the real SdKfz 9 Famo, but all other solutions didn't really satisfy me.
The best solution would be to use 2 of the 3x4 windscreens from the Schwimmwagen, but they have a tan frame printed on them, which you would have to rub off first (and as I already mentioned, I'm not so keen on modifying Cobi parts anymore).

Although the original has only one rear view mirror on the front left fender, I choosed to keep both on the left and right of the windscreen, because it just looked too empty at that spot without them (where the body widens by 1 stud on each side with the use of vertically mounted 1x2 slopes).
Btw, big thanks to Pawel for providing me with a spare mirror, because I recently lost one when my Katyusha model crashed on the ground during a photoshoot.



I increased the tread of the rear tracks of the original Sd.Kfz. 251 Hanomag model by 2 studs ...



... and also used the slightly bigger tyres from the Katyusha BM-13N (BoB or 2448 re-release) for the front wheels.



After that I modified the front bumper and slanted the radiator grille a bit (attaching 1x3 slopes with the "single stud on demand" to prevent gaps to the rest of the hood).



As usual, these pictures can also be found in my flickr album and in the COBI Small Army WWII Brick Sets flickr group.