Image from Tamiya's site

Introduction

Tamiya unveiled their new 1/35 RSO/01 for pre-release through Squadron at the IPMS NatCon in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on August 5, 2026.  (Great show, Fort Wayne!)   Tamiya's RaupenSchlepper Ost/01 is kit 35394.  Tamiya's site shows it to be released to the general public in October although some hobby sites state it will be available next week.  I know two other modelers who already have the kit.

The mountain of these kits rapidly sold out at the IPMS show and your humble correspondent overheard a great deal of buzz about the surprise and delight this new tool Tamiya generated.  The Wehrmacht produced these critters with a number of cabs and the Germans, always sucking wind trying to make more with less, adapted variants beyond basic transport, e.g., workshop, ambulance, field kitchen, weapon tractors and flak carriers.  Listening to other modelers at the show, it quickly became obvious to me that Tamiya's RSO/01 is exciting because many modelers have wanted a good accurate RSO that does not require an engineering degree to assemble, and the Tamiya reputation promises such.   Without consulting Scalemates I recall the first 1/35 RSO was released by Peerless Max in the early-mid 1970s, and I am certain it later passed on to Italeri and Testors.  At least two or three model companies have released RaupenSchlepper Osts in 1/35 so it must be a popular subject. 

Variants will no doubt be forthcoming, whether from Tamiya or as aftermarket sets.  Some were even stripped to the bare chassis to accept a 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti-tank gun for self-propelled gun AT work, akin of the US Army's M56 Scorpion.  With all the possible variants, Tamiya may have trouble producing kits fast enough. 

Quick history

"General Mud & Winter" saved the USSR in autumn, winter and spring of 1941-42, and vexed the Wehrmacht again during 1942-43.  Mud and snow halted Hitler's hordes while Stalin's swarms were better prepared and equipped for the environment.  Germany was unprepared for the climate - preposterously considering their eastern adventure of 1914-17.  Germany did not have the time nor resources to design the required vehicles from scratch but they did have thousands of useful captured vehicles from conquered industrialized countries, and one of the contraptions German ingenuity created was the RSO.  RSOs were useful and effective and served in a variety of roles.  

Most of you are no doubt far more knowledgeable about RSOs than I so, without further ado, lets look at the sprues.  And, hopefully, my completed model in a month or so.

In the box

Tamiya kit 35394 RaupenSchlepper Ost/01 is in a top-bottom opening box that is sturdy for the kit.  Inside are five ocher sprues, a sprue of clear parts, a pack of poly caps (not shown), vinyl masks, decals, and instructions and other papers.

Molding is what I expect from Tamiya.  Clean,crisp and sharp, lacking visible sink marks, flash, or seams.   You will see a hobby knife blade next to a few parts to demonstrate the finesse of particular pieces.   The pieces are held to their sprue by small connectors which should allow de-spruing with no damage to even tiny parts.  Associated parts are smartly contained on the same sprue, with few exceptions.

The tracks are the mix of segments, and individual links to encompass the drive sprockets and idlers.  The frame is a muti-piece assembly, as is the chassis.  As is the Fahrer.  In fact,several components that I am used to being molded as one part are multi-piece,e.g., the jack, doors.

DETAIL

Tamiya tooled a good amount of detail into this kit.  In the trade-off between super accuracy and buildability, Tamiya simplified some detail, i.e., note the tie-down anchor points on the rear gate.   Some detail is the molding of bolts and screws, brackets and rods, uniform buttons and insignia.  Other detail is the inclusion of the engine and open universal joints of the driveshaft.  A detail that I was not expecting is on the decal sheet - uniform insignia for the soldier: Litzen; eagle national insignia; epaulettes.  When did Tamiya start including such decals?

Other elements of detail:

• Wood slats of the cargo body feature fine wood grain.  
• Fabric texture.
• Drive sprocket ribbing (I assume for heat dissipation).
• If RSOs were assembled with welding, I did not find simulated weld seams.

Box contents (minus the polycaps)

Sprue A - two of them

Mainly frame and running gear parts, with a few chassis and body parts.

Sprue B

Frame, chassis, 70hp 3.5L Steyr V8gasoline engine, fuel tank, pioneer tools, driveshaft, other running gearparts

Tools have mounting clips and brackets molded on.

Sprue C

Parts and components for body, cab interior, windshield wipers, driver (Farher)

Is it just me or does it appear Tamiya went tiny with the hands?

Sprue D

Cargo bed, tarp, jack, miscellaneous

Clear parts

Masks

Decals - two vehicles

These decals look very thin with a minimum of surrounding carrier film.  Decals are sharply printed, opaque, and exceptionally well registered.

Instruction sheet

Typical Tamiya paper multi-fold showing tools and paints required.  Expertly and clearly illustrated.  Smartly organized with clear instructions for the 39 steps of assembly.

Paint guide

Interestingly, while the assembly instructions are printed on regular paper, this painting instruction sheet is glossy.

Conclusion

That is the new RaupenSchlepper Ost/01 from Tamiya.  Your thoughts?  To me, it is a very welcome kit and I am impressed with it.  The parts count is manageable.  The parts are cleanly and crisply molded, and are thin where visually necessary.  Clear smart instructions lead the way through assembly.  Only two vehicle choices are available with the decals.

If you want to improve the detail of this model, it should be simple.  No doubt other versions of RSOs will be forthcoming, whether from Tamiya or aftermarket vendors.

Other 1/35 RSOs I have avoided due to high parts counts and buildability.  Thanks to Tamiya I have my first RSO and happily recommend it.

Please remember to mention to Tamiya and retailers that you saw this review here - on Armorama.