In 1940, the Wehrmacht requested Krupp and Alkett each design a mine-clearing vehicle.
Alkett was first out of the blocks with the VsKfz 617 in 1942. Testing showed the tricycle vehicle was difficult to steer and bogged down frequently, so the project was canceled. The prototype was armed with a Panzer I turret but had the 617 gone into production, it would have been fitted with a Panzer II turret. The prototype was captured by the Russians in 1945 and is on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum.
Presented in late 1944, the 130-ton Krupp Raumer S prototype featured two nearly identical wheeled vehicles attached end to end. It never entered production and the single prototype was captured by Allied forces in 1945. What happened to it after that unknown.
Takom dual kit of the Krupp Raumer and Alkett VsKfz 617 in 1/72 scale features finely detailed gray plastic parts. The exterior surfaces are cleanly molded and, while several large ejector-pin marks are present, they are in places that will be covered on the finished model.
A small photo-etched metal (PE) fret provides muffler guards for the Raumer and exhaust vents for VsKfz 617.
The instruction booklet gives large, clear assembly diagrams and color five-view painting and marking diagrams referencing Ammo by Mig Jimenez colors. Four schemes are presented for each vehicle, but since the vehicles never went into production the markings and camouflaged vehicles are speculation. A small well-printed decal sheet covers the options.
The VsKfz 617 wheels fit together fine, but the seams between the pad halves needed cleanup. I eliminated most of them with sanding, but a few required filling.
The body went together quickly with excellent fits that required no filler. I had no trouble shaping the PE vents and they fit well. I left the body and the wheels separate until I was finished painting.
The Krupp Raumer was also an easy build. The parts fit well and no filler was needed. While building the bodies, I left the upper mid-plate (Part B4) loose to ensure the interior cavity was fully painted.
Cleaning up the exhausts required a delicate touch. I had no trouble bending the shields and they fit perfectly. I diverged from the instructions and added the axle parts (parts B2 and B3) to the bodies rather than the wheels. The wheels and interconnecting linkage were left off for painting.
I painted the VsKfz 617 overall with Tamiya German gray (No. XF-63) lightened with a little white for fading and post-shading.
To base coat the Krupp Raumer, I mixed equal parts Tamiya dark yellow (No. XF-60) and deck wood tan (No. XF-78). The splinter camo was applied with NATO Green (No.XF-67). For the red primer wheels, I used Hataka red primer base (No. C175) and painted the tires with NATO black (No. XF-69).
The decals responded perfectly to Microscale Micro Set and Micro Sol over a layer of Tamiya gloss (No. X-22). I’ve never seen a German vehicle with the unit markings on the turret hatch, so I left that off the VsKfz 617. After washes and a layer of clear flat, final assembly went quickly.
I spent only 11 hours building and painting Takom’s my mine clearers, the majority of it on painting and finishing. I think any modeler with experience in delicate parts could build these kits. Both make interesting and attractive additions to my growing 1/72 scale armor collection.