German Mine Clearing Vehicle VsKfz 617 Alkett Minenroller Meng Model 1/35

I will try to build a heavy mine-clearing vehicle for the German Army. This is a memorable first injection kit for the Meng Model. It’s a much older kit now, but it looks good. It looks fun to make with precise proportions and fine moldings. It’s funny how the Japanese on the vehicle manual is so messy that I can’t understand anything when I read it. It’s not particularly degrading, but it’s more of a smile.

I was surprised at how neatly lined up the parts of the mine-clearing crawler were. The parts seem to have a lead-like weight embedded in them and are very heavy. I can feel they are pretty dedicated.

There are many hatches. Fine hinges are attached one by one.

Each hatch seemed to have a different shape, and some had more parts than others.

The chassis is also uniquely shaped. There is also something like a reinforcing slit inside, perhaps to prevent distortion with large parts.
(2023/05/01)

I used to wonder how screwed up MENG was to produce such an impactful kit from the first shot. These intricately shaped tracks are impressive. Wasn’t it hard to mold?

It’s fantastic that these are all moving parts. The number of frames is 10 per side, so the burden of the assembly was not so heavy.

I installed a large rolling wheel to fit the tracks. It would be troublesome if the pitch between the track and the wheel didn’t match, but it fitted.

It’s the worst failure. I realized the mistake after I mixed up the A17 and A18 track pins, loosely disconnecting the parts and attaching them to the large front wheel. The A17 was only slightly thinner than the A18. I thought something was wrong with it because it didn’t work after about 15 minutes of struggle. By the way, the shape of the A17 and the A18 are almost equal, and I’m afraid we can’t tell one from the other after separating them. Since it can’t be helped, cut the stem of a cotton swab short, fit it in instead of a small rear wheel track pin, cut it thin, and cover it. Well, I’m ashamed of myself. It isn’t easy to widen the shaft hole using various tools. It’s faster to rebuild the shaft because there are too many interfering parts. Well, it’s about ten links.
(2023/05/04)

I decided to add a figure, so I cut and pasted plastic pieces inside the vehicle and glued the base together. The bottom doesn’t fit, so the base got a little high when I stuck it with epoxy putty or some other tool.

The heavy parts have many moving parts, so I’m a little worried if I can paint without leaving an unfinished paint job.

The assembly of the VsKfz 617 heavy mine clearing vehicle has been completed. I’m happy to be able to make such a rare item with a high-level injection kit.

The rear wheel? I think so, though I made a mistake on the smaller roller’s track pin, so it got dirty in some areas, but I don’t think it would bother me much after painting and weathering. Rather, it was a mistake. I’m glad the assembly was completed.

From the front, the vehicle has a multi-dimensional structure, so the atmosphere is a bit similar to the SdKfz 251. I think the small turret is the same as the Type I tank.
(2023/05/06)

Even from the side, I understand well that it is a vehicle with a strange form.

When I line up German soldiers, I realize how big they are. Especially the size of one track on a big wheel is quite large. Of course, a tank crew alone could not lift it.

The underside of the vehicle is relatively simple. The thickness of the armor must be made quite sturdy on the underside. It’s a vehicle I’d rather not be inside.

I’ve pre-painted it in black. All the tracks are still in movable condition.

I couldn’t decide whether to paint it in German gray or dark yellow. The impact of the box painting is strong, so I’ll go with German gray. I bought Gaia dark yellow in bulk the other day, but this is for another time…

The number on the decal has a silvering effect. I have to make it more adhesive later. This time, I stuck whatever I had on hand because nothing came with a decal. I chose the division mark, assuming it was assigned to the 1st Armored Division. I also put nationality marks on the front, back, and sides.
(2023/05/07)

The VsKfz 617, heavy Mine Clearing Vehicle, is complete. It is a mine disposal vehicle that can neutralize landmines by crushing them under its weight. Only one prototype was manufactured in 1942. Even today, the actual vehicle is preserved in the Kubinka Museum in Russia. I’m curious how the Russian Army captured them.

I think this demining method is hazardous, though powerful in appearance. That’s probably why only prototype vehicles were manufactured. I think other methods of demining replaced it.

I think it’s safer for these rollers to be positioned well in front of the personnel.

I paired it with a German tank crew I made the other day. It doesn’t seem like tank soldiers are the ones who do the mine clearing, but I guess it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a tank crew on board because I made the marking of the 1st Armored Division.

This looks from the front, but this is the vehicle’s rear.

The nationality mark should be easily visible. And this is the front. I wonder what kind of marking it will be when deployed in combat.

It was difficult to paint without a gap because the heavy footwear worked. The ground seemed more natural to touch about two to three tracks, so I positioned it and glued them. It’s a display model, so I don’t want to see the unpainted part when I move the track later. If it were a standard tank model, the track would be fixed with pouring glue as soon as possible.

I wonder if some parts have become unnatural rust marks. It looks quite different after the paint dries, so I should carefully look at it.

This heavy mine-clearing vehicle looks even more like a block of iron than a regular tank, so it has rust and more raindrops. Looking at a construction site’s excavator, it has been outside for quite a short period and is dirty, so this is just right. For some reason, the orange color looks good in German gray. It’s so funny that I can’t help overdoing it. I weathered the main roller part with a dry brush as balanced as possible, hoping to get both rust and metallic shine.

The vehicles were surrounded by 20mm to 40mm of armor, and the most durable bottom was 80mm thick.

It feels like too much weathering, but when I think about it, this mine-clearing vehicle is the Type that goes through explosives, so this much dirt might be natural.

Until this time, the Vskfz617 seemed to be something that could only be built with a garage kit that my technology couldn’t handle, but it’s nice to see a kit from MENG that can be built so well. What’s more, I was surprised by this manufacturer’s first injection kit. There aren’t too many small parts, so it was easy and fun to make compared to the eccentricity of the appearance.
(2023/05/11)