Title change has been quickly updated.

Kudos

Thanks Jim


Mike

Right side engine view. (Note brake drums and rigging showing through holes in wheel discs.) Sorry no progress on fender mounted air filter - have been back working on my M23, 8 ton Ammo Trailer to go along with my 155mm towed gun and 7 1/2 ton Mack NO6.

The two-part production air filter. The lower canister was mounted on the right firewall and the the upper canister was roof mounted.

The prototype Skoda vehicle carried the external part of the air filter mounted to the right fender.

Also the air filter on the prototype was a shortened version of the one on the production vehicle.

I guess we can see why the production RSO had solid disc wheels.

Photo Credit: Skoda Manufacturing/Capricorn Publishing - Shown here for discussion ONLY.

After seeing these photos I was very relieved that my plastic wheels did not do the same thing during the drilling!

If you don't want to add the stress to your life of drilling your own wheels, resin versions of the prototype perforated wheels are now available from Blitz WorkShop.

http://www.afv-news.com/2013/04/skoda-rso-wheels/

I really like what you did with your wheels, but I'm going to stick with the production discs if I ever get a chance to build one of these.

I just wanted to do something different with this model. Also I did not want to cover up all that great underbody chassis detail so opening up the wheels I felt, was the answer.

Hey Gents, this weekend I attended a major Regional Concours Auto Show here in Lexington, KY. It happened to coinside with a B-17 fly-in the same weekend.

I am rather proud of the 25 or so photographs I have posted so far with more to come.

I would like to share so follow the link:


https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151680962803956.1073741830.733523955&type=1&l=93f27c61d7





Mercedes-Benz Indianapolis 500 Car ca.1914

A few weeks back we talked of the correct location for the windshield wiper motor and also we discussed the question of the correct shape for this item.

The image below comes from a 1938 Steyr 220 that I photographed this week at the Lexington, KY. Concours d'Elegance Car Show.

This was a standard item of the then German auto industry used by every auto manufacture. And the cross section shape was oval whereas the Riich model shows their's as being circular/round.



Again I want to stress the Riich RSO is a GREAT model, well done and a pleasure to build, However there are a few small glitches that are easily fixed.

The latest upgrade offering from Blitz Workshop. The casting quality looks super sharp and crisp! Great stuff!

An old hobby competition adage says; "He who has the best references wins!"

I can highly recommend the many Tech Manuals available from Easy 1 Productions. Great reference material at usually a much lower price than the actual paper Tech Manuals AND in a much smaller package!



(Mike Koenig Photo)
p.s. This is an unsolicited endorsement: I have no business involvement in Easy 1 Productions.

Great finished RSO thread by Augusto Motolo. Check it out at:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/214266

And more photos at:

http://augustomotolo.blogspot.it/

I was asked recently by Augusto Motolo in his blog why I went with the green paint on the engine? Good quaestion!

"The green engine is a liberty I choose to take. My thinking was that since the prototype vehicle was quite possibly going to be reviewed personally by Hitler, I thought the engineers might want to "spiff" it up a bit. Also I thought this was probably a standard Skoda or Steyr air cooled engine and perhaps simply ordering one stock, in a crate from the factory would get you the civilian paint rather than the military version."

Finally, it allows me artistically to add a little spot of color to an otherwise very monochrome model.

Does this engine look vaugely familiar?


Facebook caption says Deutz engine!

Front brakes cut out of the front wheel disks and made to match the arrangement of the rear brakes.

Hey, check this out!

A modern day RSO??????

Buffalo Mine Clearing Vehicle

Beautifully done RSO by Thomas Hartwig. More photos at:

http://www.panzer-modell.de/berichte/radschlepper/rso.php

and

http://www.panzer-modell.de/berichte/radschlepper/rso.php






Photos Copyright Thomas Hartwig - shown here for discussion purposes only.

Working now on the specialized underbody saddlebag storage boxes that were used with the prototype RSO:

Here's a photo update on my progress with the Skoda prototype:


Finished the storage lockers below the cab. I have now only the front fender extensions, a few hand grabs and the relocated air filter to finish this RSO Prototype project.

A little body work last night to fill in the notch in the right side hood intended to accomodate the production version's air cleaner. The prototype version did not have this as the pipe simply exited out the side, well below the edge of the hood piece.



The earliest prototype had no auxiliary air cleaner at all. (See photo below)

I am only guessing here but given that the Deutz engine was air cooled, I am thinking that in summertime drawing fresh air thru only the primary air filter located under the hood just added unnecessarily to the engine operating temperature. I think that at first they tried piping the air intake out to the fender and eventually the designers moved it up to the cab roof. I also bet there was a winter/summer selector lever on the main air filter that let the operator draw only the pre-heated air from under the hood in cold weather.

The roof top air filter intake might have also been for the purpose of improving the vehicle's deep water wading capability.

Photo of unaltered model.
Above photo credit Capricorn Publishing used
here for discussion purposes only.

Reference book on the Skoda RSO. Part of the "Army Wheels" series from Capricorn Publishing. Highly recommended!

"Sometimes ya gotta be willing to get a little rust on the tires!"
A bit of weathering for the frame and wheels:



Extra added details for the brakes as per reference photos in the Capricorn book:

These spider style support brackets keep the brake band aligned around the outside of the brake drum.
Skoda RSO Radschlepper Ost