Found an etch metal detail set for the Skoda! #P35-259

Manufactured and sold (it seems exclusively) by:

Jadar-Model - PART (Poland)

JadarHobby Shop
Ul. Jagiellońska 58,
03-468 Warsaw, Poland
tel/fax(+48 22) 403-34-30

e-mail: [email protected]

(At this time they do not seem to have any other authorized distributors.)





That floorboard looks good enough to make all the rest well worth it.

Cost for the set seems to be $13.10 USD plus shipping.

Ok Mike - looks like your ready to go! Step 1: strip off all the paint! Step 2: add the etch!!! Haha! Uhh, wait a minute.... As always, your build looks great - the research and background work is great to see and very interesting stuff! Equally nice to see all of your scratch work - good stuff -

Cheers
Nick

Thanks for the support Nick. (Strip off the paint????)

Skoda RSO Brake Mechanism:
Band brake wrapped around a brake drum actuated by a double cam causing the band to tighten around the drum.

Rear brake shown above in the drawing.


Front brake shown above.

In the photo on the right; note how you have the driver's foot brake peddle, then you also have the driver's hand brake lever but then you have a second hand brake lever on the right side of the cab FOR THE PASSENGER!

I get the impression that stopping this RSO was almost as much of an issue as getting it going (at least over soft ground.)

Hi Mike - I was just joking with you - you're already pretty far along with this project, and while the etch kit looks good - I was wondering if it might be too late for you to use on this build? - ok - look forward to seeing what you do next -

Cheers
Nick

Oh, ok got it! Yes, I admit I am wondering how I am going to paint some of the additions I already have planned. I would however, really like to add that diamond tread plate cab floor at least!

As to the rest of the etch; my personal opinion is that the delicate casting quality of the Riich kit precludes the need for most of the substitutions offered in the metal set.

They are a bit on the rough side right now but front fender extensions are now built and installed.

I guess I have lost interest in the etched set for the Skoda. I went to put some "dirt and grime" on the cab floorboards and found that it already had a diamond tread pattern embossed into it. Don't know how I missed that???



Still have a bit of work to do on the cab interior including adding the gauge decals but it will happen.

Finished the fender extensions, smoothed them in and got them primed and repainted today.

Chassis finished!

Modified the engine slightly to better resemble the prototype engine layout, installed the engine, put in the remainder of the drive shafts and finished up by connecting the rest of the exhaust piping.


Skoda RSO Radschlepper Ost prototype.

A momentary focus on the winch - since it is soon to be covered up forever!

OK, I had to leave the access hatch open in the floor of the loadbox. I needed to be able to see the winch to some extent. However there is certainly a lot of very nice bolt head and mechanical detail that is going to be forever hidden.

Work'n next on that big fender mounted air filter intake. (Deep water wading kit?)

After the original presentation trials the cab/hood and front fenders seemed to retain a clean, fair shine but the rest of the vehicle had accumulated a certain amount of considerable dirt. That is the condition I am trying to represent here with my weathering.


( Again Photo Credit: Skoda Manufacturing/Capricorn Publishing.)

Also several parts of the vehicle appear to have had a "right off the shelf" look to them, still being painted in their original gloss black rather than having been repainted in panzer grey. Namely the fender mounted air filter and both headlight housings.

All I had on hand was matte black paint. After spraying these items in the flat black I dipped them in Future Floorwax (Yes, I still have some!) to achieve a high gloss.

Still working on the air filter but making progress on the headlights. In the period photo on the right please note the gloss black paint on the engine, air filter and especially the headlight bowl.

( Credit photo on right: Skoda Manufacturing/Capricorn Publishing.)

Beginning to really like the bug eyed quality of this monster. I also like the glossy black contrast between the headlights and the rest of the panzer grey body.

Riich has cast some beautifully delicate patterning into these headlight lenses. They have you paint the backside of the glass silver and it produces a truly accurate and very pleasing affect.



(Riich tells you to paint the lenses silver - they don't actually SAY to paint the reverse side but otherwise you would not be able to see the delicate patterns in the lenses. Also Riich gives you no clue as to which way to position the lenses. I now suspect I have them upside down.)

Just a quick side bar about building "square" rectangular tool boxes and the like:
Rear mounted toolboxes on MAZ-543F/A


In the past I have always had trouble building large rectangular fuel tanks and boxes. It seems I never could quite get them exactly square.

I have tried building them out of solid blocks, out of stacks of solid bar stock and out of framed up hollow sheet plastic but they never seem to turn out quite true. Then one night at my LHS I hit upon an idea. Cut them out using the new rectangular plastic tubing being offered by Evergreen and Plastastrut. Stack them up, sand them true and then cover them in sheet plastic.

So I set up a crude cut-off saw on my work bench using my miter box, hobby saw, a square and a small clamp. I then proceeded to chop out twelve fairly duplicate pieces of square tubing to make the two saddlebag toolboxes for my RSO.

I glued them together and gave the ends a brief smoothing with some wet sand paper and I was ready to cover them in sheet plastic.


Now with the addition of a little strapping, some rod to represent the strengthening ribs, doors, hinges, handles and there you have it! Two nicely square and true boxes and a plan for handling such problems in the future.

. . . Bazinga!

Great job here!
Have you ever seen a photo of the RSO pulling anything?
Dan

I have seen two different two axle trailers being pulled by the Skoda. Both these trailers had cleated steel tractor wheels similar to those of the RSO.

Then too there are photos where appearently during the trials the builders borrowed a large two axle delivery trailer with dual rubber tires all around.

I have also seen a Skoda pulling the trailer of a medium large, 2-part, artillery piece.




Photos found on internet - no credit given.

Thanks, no artillery pieces?
Dan

Cool work!!!