German Mine Clearing Vehicle
by Gil Gonsoulin
There was only one of these German Mine Clearing Vehicles made, whose purpose was to clear minefields. And it was captured by the United States. It weighed 130 tons and was 15 meters long. It’s official name was Krupp Raumer SS Super Heavy Mine Clearing Vehicle.
The wheels were staggered – – close together in the front, wide in the rear – – to allow a wider clearing path.
There is what seems to be a design flaw in the real vehicle: the mufflers are armored but the two hydraulic cylinders underneath are not. Since its job was to explode mines, wouldn’t it have made more sense to armor those too? I mean, sooner or later it’s not going to be able to turn after the seals or piston are blown.
I painted the Mine Clearer with Valejo RLM26 and then used Windsor Newton red, yellow and white oils to give it a faded look. The tires and steel pads were painted with Tamiya Tire Black. The kit is made by Takom and is in 1/35 scale.
Photos by Jeff Junker