"Land '46" - a Diorama in 1/72

Ingo Degenhardt · January 30, 2016

Here is what might happen if you come across a 1983 Bandai Gundam 'Mobile Suit' with the funny trunk - I nearly built it as intended by Bandai but then had an idea..

And now it is no longer a 'Mobile Suit' and no longer in 1/144 but rather a Schweres Bergegerät 'Rübezahl' in 1/72.

The story behind the diorama is the first appearance of one of the Rübezahl machines when US forces tried to capture a secret Luftwaffe airfield in Germany but became stuck when this Maus tank blocked the only road leading to it.

A day later, the Maus suffered mechanical breakdown, observed by the US troops so they decided to advance with two Pershing tanks and some infantry.

Unknown to them, something else had arrived during the night and has been waiting in the treeline beside the road to tow away the disabled Maus with first daylight.

Having advanced to the Maus position, the US still had not seen the Rübezahl - the diorama is the scene just seconds before the three Maybach engines of Rübezahl come alive and along with them all it's internal e-motors, hydraulics and what else got stuffed into the heavily armoured skin of the giant.

As the story goes, there was not a shot fired, but two Pershing tanks got new owners and a few GI's joined a POW camp. No wonder the GI's were too stunned to put up any reststance with the Rübezahl towering over them, wielding it's 'arms' bristling with weaponry.

Despite such Wunderwaffen as the Rübezahl and the surprisingly successful Maus tank (124 produced, this is an early production model) the war ended soon after.

There were only three Rübezahl heavy recovery machines built - one never left the factory, hidden deep in the Harz mountains and was later shipped to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in the USA. The second also never saw action but was damaged by aircraft and taken away to Russia.

The one seen here successfully towed the Maus to the airfield for repairs and then was ordered to cross the Harz mountains for another assignment but never arrived there.

According to a former crew member, interviewed after the war, the machine tripped over large rock in a remote part of the mountains, fell down and had to be abandoned by the crew. He claims it is still up there somewhere.