MiniArt Raupenschlepper Ost RSO/01 Early Prod. (35478) 1:35

[Mike]

Raupenschlepper Ost RSO/01 Early Prod. (35478)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd

 

 

During the first Autumn of operation Barbarossa during WWII, German forces struggled to a virtual standstill due to the muddy, then icy conditions that occurred on the rudimentary road systems they found in Russia, or the Eastern Front, as they called it.  The Raupenschlepper Ost was the response by Steyr, or ‘Caterpillar Tractor East’ in English was available in two main variants – the cargo version and the self-propelled version with a PaK40 mounted onboard.  Shortened to RSO, the initial /01 cargo variant had a pressed steel cab and a shallow-sided load area, plus a canvas tilt over the load-bed.  This was simplified later to a straight-sided cab to streamline construction and in-the-field repair, retaining the main underpinnings, which consisted of a Steyr 3.5L petrol V8, followed by a substantially lower-powered Deutz diesel engine for those vehicles manufactured by Magirus, reducing fuel consumption and flammability, but increasing available torque that’s typical of diesel engines.  The engine was mounted in the front of the vehicle beneath the crew cab for all variants, which must have been a boon during the cold winter months, powering the drive-sprockets initially with a differential similar to those used in wheeled vehicles, which was later replaced by a final-drive system more typical of an AFV.

 

The driver effected steering via a pair of levers akin to those used in many AFVs of the era, with four gears plus reverse available for motion, and a standard single-plate clutch for power delivery.  Suspension was simple elliptical leaf springs on two double-wheel bogeys per side, which took some of the lumps out of the terrible Russian roads, most of which were nothing more than packed dirt tracks in the summer, turning to muddy bogs in the period between summer and winter, at which point the ruts solidified, creating their own problems.  The simple wheels and slack-track with no return-rollers gave the RSO enhanced capability during the change of seasons and during winter-time, with no complex interleaved wheels or ‘live’ tracks for mud to accumulate in and/or freeze.  Its primary drawback was its relatively small load capacity, as it was based on a 1.5 ton truck, requiring multiple RSOs to replace their 3.5 ton wheeled equivalents once the weather deteriorated beyond the usefulness of wheels.

 

 

The Kit

This is a new tooling from MiniArt of this small bad-weather capable truck, and is already the first of three boxing, the third carrying a PaK40, as mentioned above.  This first early variant arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of a camouflaged RSO on the front, and profiles of the four decal options on one side of the lid.  Inside the box are sixteen sprues of grey styrene, one of clear parts, a small Photo-Etch (PE) fret, decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy white paper, with full profiles of the decal options on the front and rear covers.  Detail is excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt, including a full chassis, engine, interior and load area with canvas tilt or bare framework in the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the chassis, starting with the bottom plate and four cross-members, sliding two sections of the drive-shaft through holes in the centres, then adding the rails to the sides after removing several tabs from the upper edge, and adding triangular stubs that encroach into the centre.  A platform with tubing is fitted to the front, adding actuator rods front and rear, plus a K-shaped rear bumper iron, and a pair of flag-like rods that appear to be scrapers that remove mud accumulations from the drive-sprockets.  In the front of the soon-to-be engine compartment, a bench-like fixture is applied, adding a four-part blow-torch/engine pre-heater for the open bonnet option, with the front axle, bumper bar and a small box in a cut-out under the chassis, covering it with a panel that has an access hatch moulded-in.  The rear axle with differential bulge is built from five parts, and is fixed to the flat rear of the chassis under the bumper, pushing up against the aft end of the drive-shaft, then mounting two brake-housings to the ends of the axle.  The engine is a complex assembly, making the V8 block from six parts, and nestling the four-part transmission and sump in between the banks, adding exhaust manifolds, serpentine belt, plus a substantial pair of intake fans, dynamo, and other ancillaries, joining the two intakes via an air-box and filters, then installing the motor in the chassis, linking the radiator hoses, making a fuel tank with cut-out for the drive-shaft and feeder pipe that drops into the centre of the frame, and fitting a three-part exhaust with muffler under the rear of the chassis.  Righting the chassis sees the installation of a choice of two towing hitches, one with a further sub-variant using different parts, slipping your chosen assembly into a hole in the rearmost cross-member.

 

Although the suspension consists of a pair of two-wheel bogeys, the entire length of the tracks pivots around a centre axle that fits in a slot under the chassis, with a pair of leaf-springs at the ends of rails that have bearings for the bogeys, one fitted to each side of the vehicle, with a PE strip wrapped around the front axle that is linked to the assembly via piston that allows the system to stretch and rotate as the main suspension bar pivots.  The idler and drive-sprockets look broadly similar, although they use different parts, fixing them carefully to the correct end.  Four bogeys are made from tubes with a pivot strengthened by another layer, again, paying attention to where each one is fitted, then mounting the road wheels to each stub axle.  The included tracks are link-and-length, achieving the look of individual links without the most of the tedium.  The straight runs top and bottom are moulded as one part each, with short lengths on the diagonals, then six individual links around the highly curved ends, plus an extra link between the diagonals and the horizontal runs.  The moulded links have several sensibly placed sprue gates per section, while the individual links have three each, while the designers have managed to avoid any ejector-pin marks on the links that is a blessing, especially if you plan to build your model clean.

 

The cab is a small area, the floor built in halves from four parts each with a choice of two styles of footwell.  A fuel filler is pushed through a hole in the side, adding a section of tread-plate at an angle on the opposite side, with a small bracket under the floor.  The rear bulkhead has a shaped bar fitted to the bottom edge, a fire extinguisher, two canvas rolls and a bottle between the crew, and is set aside while the halves are joined and levers mounted in recesses, after which it is joined to the bulkhead, fixing a window in the central cut-out, and installing the crew controls, consisting of a set of foot pedals and two track control levers in a housing on the left side.  An engine cover joins the two halves of the cab, followed by a pair of tubular framed canvas seats for the crew, with a choice of two styles.  The cab front has a two-panel windscreen inserted, two wiper motor casings, and a choice of two dashboards under the screen, gluing the assembly to the front of the cab, spaced apart by the roof.  The crew doors can be made with open or closed windows by using different clear parts, adding winder handles inside and a door handle to the outside, plus a PE hinge strap if you intend to pose the doors open.  You also have a choice of a thickly louvred hood or one with a fine grille, both having a locking-handle on the lower frame, and an optional PE horse-shoe for luck on the grilled option, using a PE strut to hold it open if you intend to display the engine deep within.  A choice of PE or styrene windscreen wiper blades, a two-part convoy light, and two reflectors/side lights are added to the front of the cab, mating it with the chassis, and adding a long wire from your own stock between the back of the cab and the chassis if you feel the urge.  A set of pioneer tools are fixed to the rear bulkhead, with a choice of styrene tools with moulded-in brackets, or PE replacement clips after you have cut the chunky styrene brackets away from the two shovels and pick-axe.  A couple of PE L-brackets are fixed to the rear of the cab roof to finish work on that aspect of the model.

 

The load bed is constructed from a single planked floor that is supported by three cross-members and two ribs, with a choice of open or closed bed sides, which is achieved by using the same side parts but changing the location of the clasps that hold them in position at the corners, cutting a lug off for the closed option, or omitting the parts if you intend to use the canvas tilt that is included.  The tail-gate has a rear light on a PE bracket that can be fixed open or closed, while the headboard is a single part that is glued on three pegs.  To omit the tilt, four C-frames are installed along the sides of the bed, mounting it behind the cab on the chassis.  The tilt is made from two sides, a solid front, a rear with entryway cut out, and the roof, all with creases and folds realistically depicted, plus a rolled-up and tied door panel that is glued to the top of the rear cut-out.

 

 

Markings

There are four decal options on the small sheet in a variety of schemes, two of which have additional camouflage overpainted in the field.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• Unidentified Unit, Eastern Front, Autumn 1942
• 21. Luftwaffen-Felddivision, Eastern Front, Winter 1942/3
• 21. Luftwaffen-Felddivision, Eastern Front, Spring 1943
• Unidentified Wehrmacht Tower Anti-Tank Gun Company, Eastern Front, Autumn 1943

 

 

 

Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

 

Conclusion

The RSO is a diminutive vehicle with short wheelbase that gives it a hunched, almost comical appearance.  Detail is excellent, and extends inside and out, using link-and-length tracks to simplify the process without losing detail.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of