7.5cm PaK 40/4 auf Raupenschlepper Ost - ADW Model

[CharlieC]

There was some interest in the Steyr RSO model - I thought I'd review the other RSO model from ADW - the RSO with 75mm PaK 40 gun.

The Wehrmacht in 1942-43 tried to achieve force multiplication of its anti-tank weapons by making them mobile on all terrain chassis. A number of obsolete tank chassis were fitted with 75mm guns. The Pz II and 38t chassis became the Marder series of SPGs. Since the Steyr RSO was a proven all terrain vehicle a similar conversion was attempted. The cab was cut down and the gun installed on the RSO tray. The crew had no armour protection except for the gun shield. Some 83 vehicles were built - 60 of them with the 75mm PaK 40 gun. These vehicle were field tested by Army Group South in Russia in 1943 but were considered unsatisfactory because of the low vehicle speed and noisy engines. There is one survivor at the Koblenz armour museum.

The ADW Model is similar in quality as the Steyr RSO model. This model is a bit larger than the RSO:

- 5 pages of diagrams
- 4 pages of cardstock with the track patterns
- 4 pages of parts for the RSO chassis
- 2 pages of parts for the PaK40

The level of detail is quite amazing - for example even the lifting loops in the floor plates are modelled. The PaK 40 looks better than the GPM offering - much closer in detail to the Drafmodel PaK. Oddly the model's colour is different from the RSO model - it's a darker shade of the dull yellow "dunkelgelb".

I think you could have a lot of fun with this model - laercut diamond floor plates and grilles would be a good start. It doesn't look as fiddly as the RSO model mostly because there are no wire frames for the cab and tray cover to build.

Regards,

Charlie