It was not plastic in sense of styrene. The frame was made of steel, the “planking”, that is usually sheet metal was made of resin soaked cardboard(!). Hence the nickname of the car Plaste (DDR slang for plastic) or Pappe (cardboard). Had the advantage that the outsides of the car can´t rust.
BTW The nickname of the P601 A (A stands for Armee) was Stoffhund or plushdog.
A bit about the car- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhpIgM6TpwA
Some images of the Mödlareuth memorial site.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Freilichtmuseum_M%C3%B6dlareuth?uselang=de
Yeah I kinda figured it wasn’t plastic the way we styrene heads know it lol, but I heard it was something like what you described. I also read where they didn’t have brake lights or turn signals?
East Germany were as pedandic in terms of traffic safety as we in the West were. There were of course brake lights AND turning signals. You can see the Blinker on my P601A pic.
COOOOL
I search a model to do it!
Trabant P 601 A in action along the GDR/FRG border
> Blockquote
Another GDR truck, Geländewagen P3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHMbjtCS7fo
The distance shots are certainly how I remember them - both the Trabant and the Robur truck. All very grim, and perhaps the black and white shots do add to that aspect.
I was aware of this; I recall reading somewhere that it was more agile than its Soviet counterpart.
There was a resin manufacturer of this and others NVA vehicles some years ago (now sadly gone I believe); I can’t remember the name and by the time I realized the attraction (and rarity) of such models it was all too late.
Some of my previous NVA models.
Wow! Very impressive; clearly I need to get a move on.
Great thread. We need an MZ.
Rob, we not only need an MZ but a driver for it and some NVA soldiers/tank crews.
Like this one?
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/MZ_ETZ_250/251/301#/media/Datei:Motorrad_im_Grenzmuseum.jpg
I’d have to check my photos, but I think the ones I saw (and rode) were older. The one in the photo has a front rotor. Like the Ural, one easy way to ID “old skool” is the brakes. That said, I would take a model of that one. The engine would be ridiculously easy for one of our 3D gurus to design. In fact it would be an easy scratch build - several layers of two differently sized plates for the cylinder and cooling fins. You could probably get lucky and bogart front and rear wheels from existing kits. As well as controls. The fuel tank is about a half hour’s work with a chunk of resin and a good file.
I’ve thought many times to do one, but one thing I’ve learned in this hobby is patience. We’ll get one. Sooner than later.
One very interesting conversion.
Hi Brian,
if you are bold enough, you can add scratchbuild GDR Watchtower.
This
https://www.haertle.de/Modelleisenbahn/Spur+H0/Gebaeude+Spur+H0/BUSCH+1015+Beobachtungsturm+Bausatz+Spur+H0.html
you can use as tempate.
I’ve often thought about ti but to be honest, i just don’t have the skills; some days, I’m pushed just to cut a straight edge on plastic card. I’d love to see one (in 1:35) but it’ll be a long wait I fear.
Hi Brian,
this thing will be 45 cm in 1/35 scale. I remember that I was inside one, when I was at Mödlareuth Memorial site back in 1993.
Cheers
Hans-Hermann
P.S. I talked today to my co-worker who was Hauptmann of the Grenztruppen near Heldburg. He had a UAZ-469 as Dienstfahrzeug. I think I will build my Trumpeter UAZ kit as his Kommandeurfahrzeug someday.
