German RSO/01 Type 470 (Dragon)

This is the Dragon 6691 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German RSO/01 Type 470’.

German RSO/01 Type 470

History

The acronym RSO stands for Raupenschlepper Ost, which translates as ‘Caterpillar Tractor East’. The terrible muddy and icy conditions experienced on the Eastern Front convinced Germany of the need for a highly mobile, tracked vehicle.

Steyr proposed the RSO and it immediately became a popular vehicle thanks to its mobility and reliability. In all, about 23,000 RSO vehicles were produced by a range of manufacturers.

The original version had a pressed-steel cab and a typical truck-style cargo bed at the rear. It was powered by a Steyr 85hp V8 engine that offered a top speed of 30km/h. This kit depicts the standard RSO/01, the type with rounded steel cab being the best known of all the versions used by Germany.

Source: Dragon Models website

Manufacturer