Ola People

After putting the turret of my 4Rad in the Mr Muscle for the 3rd time I got a bit frustrated and decided to temporarily put the 4rad to the side and to start on a project I started before and of which I also never made any pictures.

The recepy:
- RSO boatbody (SchwimmKorper) conversion from New Connection
- Steyr RSO from Italeri
- PE for the RSO from Eduard
- Workable tracks for the RSO from Modelkasten

Again a nice mix of brands and a little bt of scratch to enhance some kitparts. Thanks to Hilbert I also got a nice idea for the underground but more on that later.
The Eduard PE set almost seems to be for a different vehicle. Never have I ad such a badly engineered PE set to work with. It is almost like they did not have the kit at hand when they designed it. Some parts simply don't fit are to large and get covered by plastic parts of the kit itself while they should not be.

Ok here are the pics









Then we also have the next issue. The kind people of New Connection put a wrong door in the kit. See the problem. I got 2 left doors. while the RSO really has a dooropening on the other side as well.


I did not feel much for contacting NC to tell them and wait till they send a replacement which makes that this project will be halted for a second time and instead I decided to modify one of the kit doors. New Connection did definately the same with the doors for their master


Only a few small parts need to be added around the vehicle, and some PE as well. Then it can go in the spraybooth and then it is time to start thinking creatively about the groundworks.

Very curious about your feedback

Interesting project! I have always liked the RSO platforms having built the Pak 40 version myself.

I'll be keeping an eye out for this build!

This looks very interesting!
First I´ve seen the vehicle as a small 1/72 kit from Ace-models (ukrainian company).
More info here:
http://www.acemodel.com.ua/?p=model&id=363&s=&l=en

greetings...
Soeren

Hi Robert

Interesting conversion of one of my all time favourites, the RSO. Funny you say about the Eduard PE. It's out of production because I guess so is the kit and I was after some sets for mine, well was , until you said !! I even chased a set on ebay that went for a high price. Glad I didn't win now.

I may be wrong but I think the two grills on the rear of the cab should sit on the inside of it with the kit parts cut away, not on the outside. Although having said that you may then find the engine cover doesn't fit correct or the grill is exposed inside the cab as the fit between outlets and the engine cover is quite close. Guess Italeri didn't mind as they didn't expect the vent to be shown "open" and show up the anomaly.

I wonder if there is somebody with this conversation set at home is moaning bitterly because they have two right doors

What are the tracks like to build up? I've got a choice between these, Fruil which I think look overscale, or WW2 Productions resin.

Alan

Looks like a very interesting project. I have never seen this version before. It will be nice to follow your build.

Looking forward to see more.

Ola Guys

Thanks for the replies

@Jeff
Indeed it is an interesting conversion certainly with the RSO with this cabin.

@ Soeren
Ace does some very interesing vehicles in that small scale... A lot of those are my dreams in 1:35.

@ Alan
I was lucky to get the PE set quite cheap in one package together with the RSO and the MK tracks. At that time I was not aware that the PE set would be that bad. I think also that you don't really need it... Most of the stuff can easily be scratchbuilt with evergreen, aliminum foil and copperwire. You should get the RSO book from MK35 that shows a lot of the tings with interior shots... very valuable book.
You are right about the screens on the back of the cab... they probably should go inside... But you guessed it pretty well. The edge of the PE pieces with the screens are too wide. The alignment of the kit's screens with the engine bay in the middle are marginally at best. So I keep it this way and eventuelly it will be hidden by a rolled up tarp. Or something else like that.
Without any experience of either the Friuls or the Resin tracks I can say that the MK tracks are absolutely fine. Good detail and a breeze to built. Did both runs in an evening.

Oh yeah and for the person with 2 right doors... If you still need it... I got one spare at home.

@ Jesper.
Thanks for the compliment... it is indeed a nice variant on the RSO... Bit like a mini LWS

Is it set 35-112?

I've read up a bit on this version, and it has only been built in trial-form. A later version was trialed with a more complete amphibious structure. Though neither one made it into series production.

Ola herbert

Close... the set I have from New Connection is 35110
I thought I have read somewhere that they actually were sent to Russia but I can't remember where I read it and I'm pretty sure I read it on the internet... which makes the information already quite questionable.
Anyway... I have plans to make it into a dio... Not even a hypothethical one at that like what I have planned with my 4rad. It could be anywhere.

No, meant the Eduard set, should have said that right away, my bad.

I read about this one in Spielberger's Rad und Vollketen maschinen book. Then again, he also introduced the whole Panther-II with 88mm Schmalturm hell...

Anyway... it might even have been trialed in the field, like the single link Tiger-B tracks in the Ardennes. Who knows.

Ola Herr Blokker. Haven´t seen your name around for a long time. Nice comeback anyway. A little unusual as always, but very cool all the same. Looking forward to more progress!

Nice to see you working on another odd-ball subject Robert! Sorry to hear about your two left doors issue but looks like you've achieved a suitable workaround.

@ Herbert
Aah ok... yeah the set was 35112 from Eduard... the confusion was created because the other RSO conversion set from NC was labelled 35112 as well.
And about the trials... Well Who knows... there are not that much pictures of the RSO in action anyway. Let alone of the more rare variants... I'm plannin on having it floating in the water with two fishing soldiers in it

@ Frank
Thanks for the welcome back. Took a "sabbatcal" of a year from a lot of things but I'm back at it again. And I having been wanting to finish this odd one for a while now.

@ Bill
Thanks for your comment. Yeah I was at first quite bummed when I found out the doors issue. I thought... well here goes it again... put it back in the box and contact New Connection and I will pick it up in a year or so... but then I noticed that the doors from New connection were nothing more then reworked kit doors. So eventually after half an hour of cutting and sanding I had solved the problem.

Did some more work on the Schwimm RSO. Not only on the built but also already additions for the dio I'm planning. Hence the big load of pictures in this update. The built is pretty much finished. Only the door on the driversside needs to be added and the towhook and it is ready for the airbrush.






While plundering my scrapbox I found these two figures from masterbox. Exchanged the heads with those from Legend and warriors. And i need to rework two arms. And the jerrycans are temporarily but they serve as a good guide for what I have to scratch as replacements.


This was the loot of plunderng my scrapbox:


And while the idea of the dio was being visualised in my head I was kinda curious if a year of no modelling did anything bad to my scratchbuilding. This was the first result.


And I decided to make a Volks Empfanger so the boys could listen to radio Berlin and the Babble of Goebbels. ( I will have to browse my scrapbox again to see if I have a spare battery otherwise that will be next on the list to be scratched. )




Last but not least some overall shots that show what the endresult should be .









As usual I'm looking forward to your feedback.

With friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

Outstanding Robert, Beautiful work again. I really like the figures you've chosen, I recently looked up your review of them when I got them out of my own stash to build. the umbrlla and radio are great examples of scratchbuilding.

I have found my latest favourite dio-in-progress!

This is looking like it'll be a real tribute to those moments of cameraderie in the service. As well, I'm really appreciating seeing the stowage in the rough; I have one dio in the works that needs all sorts of stowage, so I wonder, 'sctrachbuild? resin? any injected styrene sets out there?' Good crates, for example.

I too have a weather eye out for one of those Italeri RSO kits; I have found mostly that it's out of production; any more hopeful info out there regards this kit's availability? I believe it was still in the Italeri catalog at least two years ago...

@ Pat
Thanks for the kind words regarding my work on the vehicle and the scratched items.
And I'm glad one of my reviews was of some use to you.

@ Kaysersose
Thanks forthe kind words. I'm glad you like it.
Yes eventually it will be one of those images that show the friendship and camraderie between soldiers.. Therefore it will not be the most serious piece of work but I'm aiming for something that simply raises a smile. A bit like a painting from Norman Rockwell (not that I compare my quality with that of Rockwell because I'm absolutely not at the same level)
The stowage comes from the scrapbox and is stuff I collected over the years. The boxes are resin. The Jerrycans are Italeri's, the foodstuff is resin from Plusmodels, As is the PE bucket, I have no clue who makes the coat but looking at the color of the resin I have to say I think it is Verlindens. Finally all the money I spend on buying up people's spareboxes when they quit the hobby now has a purpose. Then again... most of the crates are quite easy to sratchbuilt. Take some styrene. Make up the dimensions. Draw out the box and the lid slightly bigger and with some aluminum oventray you make hinges and lockplates and such.
I wish you luck in finding the Italeri RSO's the so called Steyr RSO where this vehicle is based on has been OOP for a very long time. As are the others but they are not as hard to find as the one with the all steel cab. I was lucky enough the buy one second hand from somebody with all the AM stuff with it. The boatbody conversion I had already bought earlier.
Still check out Ebay... the all steel cab comes around pretty often lately and who knows what the big manufacturers will do in the near future.

Hi Robert,
I really like what you are doing here, makes me want to build one myself! On the benelux forum saw a picture of a RSO with the fieldkitchen which I really liked.. so maybe... who knowes! Anyway, back on topic: one thing that immediatly caught my eye was the position of the two soldiers. If they are playing cards it would make more sense to place them opposite to eachother (feels more natural somehow). Anyway if you can't because of the position of the heads maybe you coud have them sit on the wooden sides? One on the back and one one (the on looking sideways) on the long side?

I'll be following this one!

Ola Thomas
Nice to see another Dutchy here. Yeah RSO's are funny vehicles... the picture you are talking about was posted in the thread about this vehicle on Kitmaker benelux. And inded it is a nice conversion... easy to do and you have quite an original vehicle.

As for the soldiers it is true... They are sitting in a strange way when playing cards. I have to rework the arms of the soldiers a bit... In a few updates time I hope to show that the guys are no longer playing cards but are having small talk. Just chatting away. In those updates I also hope to show what the guys really are doing... the umbrella and the bucket are part of the story. Few more things have to be scratchbuilt. The Jerrycans they are sitting on will be replaced.

More to come more to come

Time for another small update. Most people probably will guess where the story of the diorama will be going. The Radio was already a small thing to scratch but this for me is on a whole different level. much smaller details.
I present to you... the Casting rod:



It was a lot of work... and the annoying thing is... there are two soldiers... which automatically means I have to make a second casting rod.

Very curious about your feedback

with friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

WOW!

Really nice scratch build there mate!
Wish I could even attempt something similar...

Keeping a beady eye on this build

@ Donovan
Thanks for the kind words. And believe me if I say you can do this as well.
It's nothing more then stretched sprue with some tamiya tape, Aluminum oventray, evergreen styrene and copper wire... And an hour of work. You should try it. It is great fun... and actually a bit of a kick when you make stuff this size.

VERY convincing poses on figures, keep it up...

Ola Patrick

Thanks a lot for your reply. And thanks for the comment on the figures. For me that is one of the most important aspects when you have more then one figure in a dio that they interact with each other in a natural way.
This afternoon I started modifying the arms. No spectacular poses... Just more relaxed and no more cardgames.

Ola People

Tonight I had some hours on the workbench and I made some more stuff for the vehicle and the dio, Earlier I also noted that I was working on the figues. This evening I made the roof of the Umbrella and another fishing related item... namely an old fashioned Tacklebox/seat Ok enough talk here are the pics.






And a few shots of the figures of which the right one is sitting on his new tacklebo/seat. The modified arms are not glued yet and I can still rotate and ove them around untill I am satisfied. I want to give the idea that they are having a nice chat friends among each other,.




And last but not least the roof for the umbrella. This is a temporarily one since I was not paying attention when I cut it out and therefor screwed up a bit. But It was more to see if the template I made for it worked. It probably will be a Heineken umbrella as well when I update it since i really like the colors of Heineken. And i think they will fit in the endresult.




Still a lot has to be done. Just as with the fishing rod I need to scratchbuilt a second tacklebox and a lot of stuff needs attention. I send a mail to Heineken to see if I can find out something about their umbrellas in the yearsaround WW2. Hopefully they can give me some info since the umbrella as it is now is completely made up and designed by me. I hope to replace it with something that is at least accurate.

As usual I'mn very curious to your feedback

With friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

This is a fantastic project idea. Lovin the details and story