Hello and welcome to my latest build log....

For starters we have the old Italeri RSO mit Pak 40 as the base kit, this is going to be detailled with the following:

-DML Pak 40
-Aber 'basic' photo etch set (you should see the others!)
-Modelkasten tracks

Also a crew will be added to man the gun as doing my research I have never seen one of these kits built up with a gun crew, they are all just sitting there all lonely!
I've wanted to build some fallschirmjager figs for a while and so i'll be using the DML gun crew and amalgamating them with DML's 'hedgerow tank hunters' and Verlinden's 'German paratrooper upgrade kit' to give them a bit more 'action'
I hope to set the finished peice on a nice little base next to an old destroyed T-26 turret for interest. For this i'll be using an old Mirage kit I built (and destroyed in more ways than one!) ages ago, and i'll be adding some better features to it and scratching a (very) basic interior.

Right, I think thats that for now - onto my progress so far:



First up was to build the base of the kit, and in doing so detail it with the Aber PE kit, all pretty straight forward. The parts went together OK but typically took a lot of filing to remove seams etc. - typical of Italeri kits of this era. Some filling of sunken areas was required and holes had to be drilled out in the upper part of the hull (these are just indentations in the kit parts).


Also required was to add the brake hose's and these were bent from fuse wire. See above those on the rear, and below those at the front.


Also in this pic you can see the replacement aber 'hatch' (see below) which needs a bit of cleaning up. The hole at the front also had to be hollowed out - I presume this is for a hand crank starter?


The aber hatch is built from 6 PE parts (5 of which are TINY!) and a peice of wire, although I lost one of the small parts on this hatch to the carpet monster! Interestingly, while the Italeri kit shows two hatches here, Aber only supply one. From my references I think Aber are correct.
A note for anyone attempting this kit: This armour plate that protects the front axle is a terrible fit. It helps to remove the upper (in this view) part of that 'X' detail to allow it to sit flush with the base of the kit. I think this is a product of 'converting' the normal RSO kit into the one that mounts the Pak 40.




Next it was onto the cab, the drivers position has been detailled through the following:
-Aber PE foot pedals (I used the Italeri 'base' parts for ease-these wont be very visible)
-Wire replacement of gear lever but using the kit 'knob'.
-Rivets added around gear stick 'engine entry point'
-Lionroar PE anti-skid plate added to the floor
-a flaw/chip in the Italeri part was also filled with filler (grey mark)
Also seen here are two more of the complex little aber hatches, (hinges only done at this point as they each require another 4 mini PE parts!) and some aber PE bolt heads.


This is the rear panel of the engine/drivers compartment and has been sanded smooth to remove the plastic details as PE replacements will be added. Obvious are the sink marks that needed to be filled and the Aber PE mesh that replace the kit 'impression'. ( while removing the plastic in this step, I managed to sink an xacto knife into my thumb and it just wouldn't stop bleeding! Future builders you have been warned!)

Work also started on the DML Pak 40, this is how far I have got:



Some nicer parts from the Aber set were used on the DML gun, but it's generally pretty good already for details.

Thats all folks!

Hope you like what you see, please feel free to comment/critisise/compliment and ask questions!

Cheers for looking,

James

Looking good James and definatly something im interested in seeing done so i will be following keep it coming.

Ron.

Off to a great start even with the injuries James, a little blood here and there never hurt a build I guess. I've picked up the Eduard set for my project, will be interesting to see how it handles things vs. the Aber set.

Thanks Ron, I think this RSO variant is one AFV that has that appeal of something a bit different. Will aim to keep you guys posted as best I can.

Cheers,

James

Thanks Bill,
I did a fair bit of research into the Aber and Eduard kits before buying (both companies allow you to view/download the instructions for their sets, which is a great help in seeing what the kit will do for your build) and will say that the Eduard kit looks pretty good and covers most of the discrepancies of the kit, while being a lot more 'user freindly' ie. replacement hatches are 1 peice and not 10 like the aber set. However, the detail is not as accurate because of this.
I would have gone with the Eduard set, but the replacent anti-skid plate decking swung it for me, a vast improvement over the kit parts. As you say, it'll be interesting to see the difference during the builds.

Cheers,

James

Thought this may interest you;

The reason why I probably like the RSO so much:





Notice any similarities?!

This mini 'RSO' is used by the drillers at work (I run the drilling program at the goldmine I work at) and often I use it for errands and moving heavy things around. It's a real peice of crap as it's always breaking down but it's fun to drive (a lever for each track), and if i'm honest, I have thought about how effective it may be with a .50 cal or a recoiless rifle mounted in the rear!

James

Well that's one way to deal with co workers you don't get on with

lol Pat!

Ok, update time, got some work done over the weekend, i've basically been concentrating on finishing the Pak 40......



A couple of pitures of the gun before I got to work on the shield. Note. my choice use of some of the Aber brass parts, as the DML kit is pretty good on it's own I didn't go to town here, just added those bits I thought would compliment the kit. You'll notice the wedge added under the telescopic sight, a product of the difference in size between the Italeri and DML gun (more later).
A note on the DML kit: last time I built this I had trouble understanding some steps in the instructions (we all know they aren't the clearest) Mainly to do with the axle setup (not an issue here) but i've also noticed the 'cradle arms' that hold the gun and breech are the incorrect way around in the instructions. Last time I couldn't work out why they didnt fit properly! (If you need more light on this PM me and i'll explain it better!)

Back to the build:


The finished shields before fitting. These were the part of the build I was dreading but they were actually a lot easier to work with than I expected. I had some issues with getting everything to fit on the inside of the shield, as there are no marks for where things should go except for the larger holes where the inner sheild fits onto the main gun assembly. Unfortunately the DML gun is obviously a different size to the Italeri one and so these had to be filled and the mounting 'bits' painstakingly re-aligned. (You'll notice the inside of the sheild won't win prizes for the cleanest build ever!

The sheilds were mated with stretched spruce cut into small lengths and filed to the same height when on the sheild. The suggested Aber way of doing it is frankly ridiculous and so was ignored.



The finished article - Pretty mean looking if I do say so myself!
The outer sheild studs have yet to be added. I'll probably carve these of a spare sheild (DML, Tamiya or Italeri - choices choices!) and glue the over the holes you can see.

Attention was then turned to the gun mount:


This is the part the gun sits on, you can see a sink mark needed to be filled and some Aber detailling was added. A note for those doing this conversion. The gap between the two raised bits had to be widened to allow the DML gun to fit and one side cut at an angle to account for the different shape. Also you will have to remove the main nub on the base of the DML gun cradle to allow it to sit properly. Fortunately no hybrid Italeri-DML base to the gun cradle needed to be created as I first feared.


And the lower part of the mount. This is actually upside down and so I doubt all tose bolts will be seen, thats why I havn't added the wire and upper part of the bolt as per the Aber instructions, the idea that they are there was enough for me. One of those moments with PE where you add up the time spent to the added detail to the kit and get a minus value! Not sure what those parts are at the front of the pic but they were buggers to build!

With all that complete the gun could be mounted on the RSO 'base':



Note in these pics I have added the lid to the stowage box at the front of the gun. It's left open so I can put a couple of tools inside in the finished build.

Also I finished off the hatches on the engine compartment with the little wing nuts etc. (they're too small to get them all in focus i'm afraid!):


Keep those comments coming, hope you like what you see!

James

With the Pak 40 and mount done I could now begin laying out a rough idea of the gun crew. As mentioned these are a mixture of the DML Pak 40 crew, their hedgerow tank hunters set and will be detailled with Verlinden Resin heads and parts.

Now I would really appreciate your views on the layout of these guys:






The idea is the commander (standing) has spotted a T-34 to the right and is calling the crew's attention to the threat. They are in-between shots and the aimer is holding the breech open while the loader slots in an AP round, both will be looking at the commander as he shouts his orders. The remaining guy is pausing to look at the comander or target (have yet to decide) and you'll be able to see that he has been taking the shells from the area in front of him and passing them on to the loader.

I know most of them don't have heads yet and they are stuck together with blu-tak, but hopefully you get the idea. Does it work you think? Any suggestions? As mentioned I wanted to portray a feel of some action in the scene.

All thoughts ideas are greatly appreciated!

Stay Classy San Diego!

James

Hi James

IIRC the PaK 40 has a semi-automatic breech so the breech closes automatically once tripped by the rim on the cartridge case.

David

Hi David, I was wondering about this but couldn't find any info on the subject!
So from what I understand, once swung open (by hand), the breech would stay open until the next shell was inserted when it would swing shut automatically?
If so there is no need for the aimer to be holding the lever right?
Thats good news as I wasn't happy with his pose, i'll perhaps have him spotting for the tank instead.

Thanks for the heads up mate,

James

Hi James

after A bit of checking, I found this

http://www.lonesentry.com/manuals/tme30/ch7sec4sub6.html

as I understand it a semi-automatic breech only needs to be opened manually to load the first round, after that fired cartridges are ejected on recoil and the breech remains open until a new round is loaded.

Perhaps the second man could be looking in the direction the gun commander is pointing.

David

Thanks mate, useful info there.

You are right, I've managed to find some stock footage of the Pak 40 in action on Youtube which is invaluable as to how the crews behaved when loading the gun. There is an excellent bit about 2/3 of the way through which shows the breech mechanism in action.

Check it out HERE

enjoy, and thanks again.

James

Someone sneaked a Pak 38 in about 3/4 of the way through, just before the sequence with the SS crew

Great stuff

David

Well spotted! At least the breech seems to work the same way!

James

Hey James!
Looks awesome so far! I actually have this kit and the THREE Aber sets for it! I know what you mean about "you should see the other two"! GADZOOKS! The sheer amount of work is keeping me from even opening the box, so I'm keeping an eye on your progress here to judge what I can live without. A stupefying amount of detail with all three sets to be sure!
The figs look great too by the way. I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Have you seen the build over on Planet Armor?
The site owner went buck wild and used all of all three Aber sets for this kit.

insanity, every minute of it!!

In the end the build is beautiful, but WOW, whatta slog to get there...

Mike

Hi James,

This is a really interesting build, excellent stuff so far.

Cheers

Al

Making good progress on this one James, I can see why you'd set some sanity limits on the use of the Aber sets.

I've not seen that--I've never even been on that site--do you have a link to that specific build? That would be absolutely invaluable to me when I start that kit!

Thanks for the comments guys! Got a little work done last night detailling the drivers compartment, I then began construction and found I had to remove a lot of the PE parts i'd just added in order for me to get the fit right! Ah well, shows it pays to think about your 'construction order'!

Karl - Thanks, Yes the other two Aber sets are frankly insane, you end up with a kit made almost completely from brass! Here's a link to the build Mike mentioned:

RSO build

Unfortunately the build doesn't get finished, but he manages to get the bulk of the sub-assemblies done so it should be a real help to you.
But here's some pics of a very clean, completed build using all three sets:

Modellbau Build

Mike - see above, you're right, the 'full Aber build' does look amazing when finished, a real work of art.

Alan - thanks mate, glad you like what you see.

Bill - Thanks, too right, While the Aber sets are very comprehensive, sometimes I feel they go a little too far. I think your Eduard set should be a good balance between upgrading the kit and ease of use.

Thanks guys, keep em coming,

James

James -

Holy cow, you've done some amazing work! Very nice to see and read your updates, thanks for sharing them. Will be sure to keep reading your progress, keep it up!

Cheers!

Tim

Thanks Tim!

I appreciate, glad you're enjoying the blog, i'll do my best to keep you updated with my progress.

Cheers,

James

A quick update to show you where I got to last night:


Finished the build of the inside drivers compartment and began to add the cabin 'walls' However, the one next to the driver had some fit issues and so will be corrected and added later. Note the tissue paper added to the drivers seat to give it a more realistic texture. The driving levers are just dry fitted at this point.


I finally built up the courage to remove the detail on the floor of the fighting compartment. Been putting it off for a while as it's one of those 'no going back' moments!
The Italeri detail here is not great (see earlier pics) and the treadplate and hatch layout are actually incorrect for the real RSO. The Aber kit replicates this well and this was in fact the final selling point of their PE set for me.

Thats how for now!

James

James, thanks a million for the links! They'll come in VERY handy when I get my courage up to tackle this kit!
Having looked at them, I think I may just pick-n-choose what I want to replace--the whole soldering-an-entirely-new-frame thing just doesn't look fun AT ALL! --and I'm with you about ABER's "going too far"! I think I'll use the kit frame, change the angles of the cab, and proceed from there. Of course, I'll be following your fine build log here for inspiration!

James,

Watching your work, I am proud to share the same hobby with you! Intense work mate, keep it up.

Hey Karl, no problem, glad to be able to help out!
In fact if you drop me a PM with your e-mail I can send you the rest of my references. I have some excellent reference pics of a restored vehicle and some period pics too along with several older builds and dio's.
There are parts in most PE sets that are a bit excessive but Aber epitomizes this with the RSO cab and fighting platform sets.
Your best bet is always to be selective with them.
Thanks for the kind words mate, and good luck with the build when you get around to it!

James

Thanks a lot Emre!
I appreciate it and i'm glad you like what you see!

James

Hi James

nice to see progress on this. At least someone is building their kit


Karl - if you look at this thread, also by the ever busy James, you'll see a list of references I gave on sites to view regarding this little RSO.

http://armorama.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=104891#866389

These maybe the same as James indicates but every little helps.

Sounds like your builds going to have more brass on it than a Grannies mantlepiece.

Alan