Dragon RSO/01 Type 470 Tractor Kit #6691

[bigjohn]

Ever since I heard Dragon was going to release a new RSO in August, I knew right away that I just had to have one! I have been watching the on line vendors periodically and finally found them available from Sprue Brothers. So I wasted no time in placing my order.

I have read articles on the other RSO variants that the suspension was a real PIA, so I will be doing my homework before committing any parts to glue to make sure I get it all lined up the best I can.

For anyone wanting to build a Dragon RSO, I highly recommend the following sites before starting.

www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/dragon/dr6691.html

www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/dragon/dr6684.html

www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/dragon/dr6640.html

ricklawler.plastic-garden.com/?p=1885

The inspiration

[bbd468]

Hey Brother John!

Im so looking forward to this build bro. That is an original color photo? Yet another kit i would love to have but will have to wait for months. ;D

Gary

[danb.]

Nice kit mate cant wait to see more that colour photo is awesome great find

Dan B

[wouter]

Nice kit, another BJ classic in the make, no doubt about that. I'm defo in on this ^^

Cheers

[WigWag Workshop]

Looking forward to this build, Looks like a fun kit

-Steven

[spud]

i built the one with the pak 40 mounted and getting the wheels aligned was a pin in the ass, there is also a drive shaft going from the engine to the rear axle and all you need is the part that goes into the axle because the rest is a nightmare to assemble.

Looking forward to this one bj

[bigjohn]

Gary, Dan, Wouts, and Steven, Thanks fellas. I'm a going to finish my Sherman before I get too involved, but couldn't resist starting a thread..........

Spud, I remember your build on SMA, Thanks for having a look see..

[modelfreak72]

A little German tracked thingy! That's cool!

[wbill76]

Have a soft spot for the RSOs so will be watching this one with interest!

[bigjohn]

Thanks Bill, Glad to have you along!

[multicam]

Looking forward to this Big John! Great inspiration photo:) You gonna try the tarp as well? Be a cool challenge, huh?

[bigjohn]

Hey Nate, I'd like to try the tarp. My mind keeps wondering what would be the best way to do it. I may look and see if there are any AM tarps avalible though.

[panzerman75.]

Hey John ill be watching this count me in

Phil

[dierk]

I'll definitely be watching this! I built the Italeri kit as a kid and really love the shape of the cab.
Cheers,
dierk

[406 Silverado]

This should be interesting, count me in bro.

[Deleted]

Nice kit, nice inspiration! Looking forward to the build

[robbo]

I'm in, something about these lttle tractors

[deafpanzer]

Count me in of course! Always wanted to get similar kit hauling a gun. Plenty of rain here and I hope you are getting some too.

[bigjohn]

I finally got started on the RSO this week end after studying the instructions and figuring out a plan of attack. Dragon has you assemble the fragile suspension and running gear that’s so hard to line up and keep straight. I thought I would Start with the lower tub and assemble the suspension onto it to help hold it in place better.

I started with step 4 which deals with the lower tub. Most of this step is pretty straight forward, however, there are a few things I found that I thought I’d share with anyone wishing to build this kit.

As Terry Ashley states in his review. Dragon calls for parts from the A sprue for the front idler axle. In fact, you will need to use the axle parts from the E sprue. This allows the front tub cover to be fitted correctly. Dragon has you install part A1 in step 4, but you need to leave this off until you install the idler axle and front tube cover in step 5.

Dragon provides an etched front cover (pats MB5, MB1, and MB2). This is the cover you need to use to make life easy. I don’t have the proper PE bending equipment, so it didn’t take me long to trash this part. Dragon also includes a plastic front cover (A 22), but will need modified to fit correctly. It is to long to fit up in behind part A 1.

Most of the morning has been spent filling and test fitting the front cover. It is not glued in place yet as I have a gap to fill that resulted from the modification.

Overall, the lower tub is a very fiddly assembly and lots of test fitting should be done to ensure proper fit.

[modelfreak72]

Good start John! This will be a cool build to watch!

[TRM]

Great start BJ!!! Seems like you have the fiddly mis-directions under control!!!

[wbill76]

Can't have a DML build without at least some confusion/errors in the instructions! Looks like you've conquered the front cover nicely and the box frame is coming together as well BJ.

[deafpanzer]

Appreciate you doing a detailed blog in case I build a RSO one day. Looking good!

[bbd468]

Hey brother John,

Your up and running...SWEET!!! Great to see a detailed blog on this little fella. Will come in handy for us Bro. Nice job brother!

Gary

[bigjohn]

Hey Fellas, Thank you all for the positve comments. I've been plugging away at this. Still doing a lot of little fiddly test fitting, but making progress. Should have an update soon (or at least some pics to look at)

Gary, Good luck at the show today. I hope you find one of these kits there!

[406 Silverado]

Very cool John., I forgot about this one bro.

[bigjohn]

Her Rob,

I'll try and get an update tonight so you can see where. I'm at with it. And I'll try and point out a few problem areas.

[bullardino]

Oh, I had missed this great build...

[bigjohn]

This is an update on what I currently have completed. I probably won’t be doing much with this one for a while as I’m trying to get Cobra King done by year end. Plus Rob is going to do a build review, so I’ll let him do his thing.

Now, by no means am I bashing this kit, but, it is very fidily and needs a little care and a lot of test fitting.

The first pic I show where I have shortened the hooks by about 1mm per Terry Ashley’s recommendations. (Parts A11 and A12)



Here in the second pic. I have identified parts (A25 and A26). They have a little pin that goes through the leaf spring eye, (parts B6 and B7). I had to drill the holes out on parts B6 and B7 to get the pins to go through.



Next is the rear end, or differential. This is composed of a lot of separate parts and is hard to keep straight while fitting it all together. Again, just take your time and test fit. I glued the drive sprockets in place and set the unit in between 2 glass glue bottles to hold it all straight while it set up. DO NOT glue the front sprockets on until you have fitted the tracks. This way you can assure to get the proper tension and slack in the tracks.



I got board with the lower half, so I spent a little time with the cargo box so I could see how it was going to fit. I was originally going to toss the engine in my spares box, but I see that part of the engine will be visible between the frame and cab. I’m going to have to find a way to shoehorn it in now.



And lastly, here are the wheels and such all cleaned up waiting their turn.



This will be it for a while. Until next time ;D

[wbill76]

Good progress on this one BJ but understand why you would want to focus on the Cobra King. I wondered how DML would tackle this one given how small it is to begin with and all the complexities that the suspension, chassis, and engine present by their very nature. Looks like you've kept up with it nicely despite the potential pitfalls.