April 28, 2025

Preview: MiniArt calls an über-eats with the new 35th scale RSO Gulaschkanone

MiniArt's newest 35th scale Raupenschlepper OST RSO/01 comes packing some interesting woodwork & an unconventional goulash cannon! We have the art, CADs & original photo of this interesting machine in our preview...


Preview: MiniArt calls an über with the new 35th scale RSO Gulaschkanone

Feldküche Auf RSO/01
From MiniArt Models
1/35th scale
Kit No. 35493
Decals for four options in the box.
The kit includes clear parts & photo-etch metal
The subject: Raupenschlepper OST RSO/01. Early Prod
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 85-hp V8 engine that offered a top speed of 30 km/h. Initially designed as a prime mover and artillery supply vehicle, the RSO eventually adapted to a wide range of roles. Upon its arrival on the Eastern Front, combat units repurposed it for general transportation duties, leveraging its reliability, ease of maintenance, and versatility to excel in various terrains. Its unique "slack-track" system, consisting of four road wheels per side in a single line, proved particularly effective in handling the challenging mud season and Russian winter conditions, which often crippled other vehicles. This was due to the absence of return rollers, which eliminated the risk of mud or snow freezing between the wheels of more complex suspension systems found in German half-track vehicles like the SdKfz 7.

The experimental setup up of the field kitchen in the rear of the wooden-bedded RSO
The German field kitchen, or Gulaschkanone
The accompanying field kitchens were utilised by the Wehrmacht for cooking in battle situations. Either horse-drawn carriages or trailers behind cars were used to move these kitchens. These facilities, which the soldiers jokingly referred to as the "Gulaschkanone," enabled them to cook a wide range of foods. For cooking substantial dishes, a big kettle with an insulating layer made of glycerine was utilised. A separate frying kettle was incorporated into later kitchen versions. These kitchens were also capable of making up to 90 litres of coffee at once.

The kit: MiniArt's 1/35th scale Feldküche Auf RSO/01
MiniArt's 1/35th-scale Feldküche Auf RSO/01 is the next in their family of Raupenschleppers. This kit accurately recreates the WWII German field kitchen mounted on an RSO tracked vehicle. The kit captures all the functional details of this mobile kitchen unit, an important component of Wehrmacht logistics. The RSO's design - with its simple angular shapes and exposed mechanical components - contrasts with the more complex field kitchen structure, offering an interesting experience for modellers.

Features of this kit:
The main difference of this kit is the wooden cover on the rear of the tray; this houses the field kitchen inside it in a slightly weatherproofed solution to having a truly mobile kitchen for troops on the battlefield.

You can see a direct comparison between the canvas on and off here...
The serving window and smke stack easilly pick this out as a mobile grub hub!
-The full field kitchen is provided, so if you really wanted, you could how the kitchen outside the RSO.
You can see here how the field kitchen sits inside the rear of the RSO tractor bed.
- The full Steyr 3.5L V8 petrol engine that powered the early variants is here with a drivetrain leading to the drive wheels. A little wiring harness is all one would need.

- The wooden structure that covers the rear tray bed and field kitchen inside is shown in these illustrations.
- The link and length tracks save time on construction but are less flexible to an undulating terrain.
- The cabin is finely detailed & it can be constructed separately from the rest of the kit. The interior has all of the controls, linkages, and instruments that the real thing had.

All of the cooking utensils to go along with the RSO and kitchen is included here.
- MiniArt has printed their own decal sheet for this kit with the four marking choices included here; we have seen those already in this preview in real life.

This kit should be available next month from MiniArt's distributors worldwide.
Check out the MiniArt site for more info on all of their kits...