The 251's aren't finished and weathered as well as the earlier M3 halftracks, but they are not in the cheesy toy category either.

Photographing them in black and white certainly helps them look better, and careful positioning will hide the smaller scale. As an example, here's some pics I took a couple of years ago using mostly 1:20 scale Indiana Jones figures and trucks for 'set dressing':
(bonus points if you can spot my Mothers garden gnome...lol)