One of the best models we saw at last year’s Euro Militaire was a model called "Gone with the wind” this was a kit of the late war tiny Raupenschlepper in a cold winter scene with a Luftwaffe field division crew-member losing his warm hat against the wind – it was a great vignette and it made me dearly want to model this kit – well it’s my lucky day because Dragon are bringing out a brand new tooled version of the early war RSO/01 Type 470 Tractor kit with lots of extras – let’s have a look at the early preview images and information in our preview..
Promised to us un august of this year this newly tooled kit
of the tiny utility vehicle has and interesting history in real life - Dragon
has already introduced later variants of the RSO to the modelling fraternity in
1/35 scale, but now comes the most common version of this German prime mover.
The acronym RSO stands for “Raupenschlepper
Ost” which translates as “Caterpillar Tractor East”. The terrible muddy and
icy conditions experienced on the Eastern Front convinced Germany of the need
for a highly mobile, tracked vehicle. Steyr proposed the RSO and it immediately
became a popular vehicle thanks to its mobility and reliability. In all, about
23,000 RSO vehicles were produced by a range of manufacturers. The original
version had a pressed-steel cab and a typical truck-style cargo bed at the
rear. It was powered by a Steyr 85hp V8 engine that offered a top speed of
30km/h.
Dragon’s new 1/35 scale model depicts the standard RSO/01,
this type with rounded steel cab being the best known of all the versions used
by Germany. Indeed, the complex shape of the cab was created by a Japanese
model-maker, and it is easily the most accurate cab available on the market
today. The cab is a sophisticated piece of moulding in terms of detail and
measurements, with all the curves accurately reproduced in miniature. Many
modellers have been waiting a long time for Dragon to produce this iconic
version of the RSO, and they won’t be disappointed with this new kit. For those
wishing to create a dynamic Eastern Front diorama scene, this RSO tractor will
prove irresistible!
The kit features:
- Newly tooled cabin captures the complex shape accurately, produced
using slide-mould technology
- Newly tooled levers and pedals for driver's compartment can be
assembled in separate parts
- Cabin produced in separate parts for easy assembly
- Driver's door can be assembled open/closed
- Realistic seats included
- New dash board w/realistic detail
- Side panels and tailgate of brand new cargo deck can be shown folded
up or down
- Delicate and realistic new engine provided
- Brand new Magic Track
- Curved frame on cargo compartment
- Spare Winterketten tracks w/detailed surfaces on side panels
- Delicate Notek lamp reproduced
- One-piece chassis and upper hull w/accurate thickness and details
- Accurate lower hull
- Fine pattern moulded on hull bottom
- Drive sprocket and mountings accurately replicated
- Engine and transmission realistically reproduced
- Detailed suspension included
- Delicate road wheels
- Separate road wheels w/photo-etched details mounted in pairs
- Ammo case is included
- Muffler w/exhaust pipe accurately produced
I for one am very much looking for ward to it!
Check out the Dragon site for more info on this an their other great kits