Skoda RSO-Radschlepper Ost (Riich Models RV35005/1:35)

March 2021

 

Skoda RSO-Radschlepper Ost (Riich Models RV35005. 1/35 kit)

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/riichmodels-rv35005-skoda-rso-radschlepper-ost--136824

 

I started this kit around 2015, so it was nice to get back and work on this build. Luckily all the unattached parts were stored safely with the model in a plastic tub along with the instructions. This is the only plastic version available in 1/35 scale and it is an excellent rendition of an exceedingly rare military vehicle.  Unfortunately, no examples survived the war.  The moulding is sharp, the fit is exemplary and although the chassis and running gear is complex it all fits together like a glove. 

 

 Chassis, running gear, wheels, and engine.

 

 

During my build I only came upon one area that required attention. This concerned the fit of the cab over the fuel tank onto the chassis. The cab needs to  straddle the already fixed fuel tank, attaching squarely at the rear to the chassis legs, and to the front mud guards, which have already been fixed to the chassis. As the cab fixes to the mud guards and not the chassis legs their fitment to the chassis ultimately dictates how high the cab sits at the front. Although there are witnes marks on the chassis, the rear attachment points of the mud guards are a little flimsy. 

 

When test fitting my cab the fuel tank sat a little high, impeding a square fitment of the cab onto the chassis legs either side of it. It only required a little re-work to lower it so maybe the ideal solution is to leave the fuel tank unfixed until adding the cab.

I decided to go with the kit's medivac option without the tilt, and with the stretcher bars fitted. The load bed components all fit well so I have ended up with a total of five sub-assemblies plus the wheels which will aid airbrush painting. 

The hardest part of completing an open top soft skin is always figuring out how to handle all the sub-assemblies safely for painting. It can be quite a task figuring out where to hold the parts to necessitate a good overall covering of paint. For this task I used a combination of third hands, homemade jigs, plastic clips, and the wonderfully versatile cocktail stick.

Primer Coat

All the metal parts were covered in rattle can Tamiya Red Oxide Fine Primer and the wooden load compartment was primed in grey. 

Undercoats

Once dry I brush painted both wood and metal surfaces with acrylic paints. A few natural wood colour mixes were made up to act as an undercoat that will be seen under the base coat around chips and damage. The metal components were painted in various red oxide tones to allow for the same process. Once dry all the sub-assemblies received two light coats of hairspray

Base Coat

Although many period images of Skoda’s in the ETO appeared in a field applied tritonal camo scheme I chose to paint mine in standard overall dark yellow (Dunkelgelb). The colours I used were mixed from the Tamiya acrylic range as I always find they achieve great chipping results over hairspray. Various mixes were airbrushed on to achieve a slight modulation in colour. As the load bed would eventually cover most of the chassis, I also decided to hand paint the exhaust at this time.

Chipping

Once the base coats had been airbrushed on and allowed to dry my first step was to lightly agitate the surface with H2O. Working in small selected areas I made sure the effects were kept subtle, but in these early stages the chips and scratches always appear very 'dry and scratchy' Further weathering steps will soften the effects.

 

 

The next step was to highlight any raised detail with Abtieling 502 Buff oil paint. As some of the components such as the wheel faces are extremely large and prominent, using oils allowed me to 'feather' and blend in the paint to avoid any marked contrast that painting with acrylics can give. I also decided to add a few selected vertical streaking effects. 

 

Decals

As there are only a few decals to apply to this version (licence plates, speed restriction, load stencil, and dash dials) these were applied over a localised coat of Tamiya X-35 semi-gloss clear. The decals were then sealed with another coat. 

Pin wash

This was completed with Abt 502 oil paint colours Dark Umber and Wash Brown, both diluted with white spirit. All the details were outlined, and certain areas treated with a more diluted 'filter' mix to simulate a more worn appearance. The earlier oil painted highlights now give the overall appearance more depth and contrast.

Further work with oil paints highlighted raised areas, tinted flat surfaces and added shadows to reccessed areas of the metal work. Oil paint filters were also added to the wooden cargo area. 

Once happy with the appearance and effects applied so far, Tamiya X-24 mixed with a drop of Tamiya Clear Yellow and levelling fluid was airbrushed to seal the surface.

 

Progress so far.