rco45

[Slash]

Noted flare gun collector Greg Baker shared pics of this rg34 to the old BCN group about 20 years ago. It took over two years of near constant badgering and some healthy trade bait but I was finally able to talk him out of it. Exhibits nothing but what I would consider storage wear and would be pretty difficult to upgrade. Greg stated that he never touched the components and in my opinion they are all accurate for the maker and period of manufacture. Sheetmetal oil bottle is a combination of phosphate and in-the-white. The chain and tool are essentially without finish. The rco45 marked tools are very seldom encountered.

 

[ditch68]

Now THAT is a nice can. Wow.

Jeff

 

[jack944]

Wow

I have been looking for one like that a long time.....

 

[momok98k]

ARGGGG Je meurt........................

Mon rêve de collectionneur.................




ARGGGG I'm dying ........................

My collector's dream .................

 

[Hambone]

Good grief, that thing is awesome. That's the nicest and most completest I've ever seen. Well done Slash. Pic sticky ref.

 

[grimlin13]

That`s a damn nice kit. In fantastic condition and with contents. DROOL !
Thanks for sharing here.

 

[pwcosol]

Nice to see a complete, late kit. Could you please elaborate on the chain and HKW? With the few rco44/45 kits I have seen, if there was a HKW, seemed it was typically a late/flat-stamped/unattributed example. Thanks!

 

[Slash]

Nice to see a complete, late kit. Could you please elaborate on the chain and HKW? With the few rco44/45 kits I have seen, if there was a HKW, seemed it was typically a late/flat-stamped/unattributed example. Thanks!

This twisted wire chain is a typical component for late Braunsweigische Blechwarenfabrik produced rg34. Usually found with three (sometimes two) steel or alloy beads at the terminating end. This is the very late style with simplified wire loop. Look for the "tail" within the loop as a sign of originality. Late Braunsweigische kits can also be encountered with a similar twisted wire chain, steel/alloy beads, and standard toggle body with this simple wire loop mounted within. These chains were contracted from Vereinigte Kettenfabriken GmbH and are sometimes stamped kcy on the toggle body.

The arched body and rolled handle tool (Hülsenkopfwischer) with slightly crimped ridges to the end loop is the correct component for Braunsweigische rg34. This maker never went to a more simplified flat stamped tool to my knowledge. In my collection I have these tools marked arr42, arr43, arr4, arr44, and rco45. Many of the late (1944-'45) arr/rco kits also include unmarked tools of the same configuration which were clearly made by Braunsweigische.

 

[mrfarb]

How sure are you that other makers didn’t use rco45 cans, such as Kyffhäuserhütte? I ask because it seems there are at least 2 variations of contents in these rco45 kits, with some having typical Kyffhäuserhütte HKW and some with HKW like yours. We know GAppel used arr marked cans.


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[Slash]

How sure are you that other makers didn’t use rco45 cans, such as Kyffhäuserhütte? I ask because it seems there are at least 2 variations of contents in these rco45 kits, with some having typical Kyffhäuserhütte HKW and some with HKW like yours. We know GAppel used arr marked cans.
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You make a good point. I think it would be fair to suggest that other makers DID use Braunsweigische cans. There are also unmarked cans which appear to be Braunsweigische made. Personally, I'm not convinced that certain cans always containing a specific set of components is an exact science. Same with matching all components up with any specific maker. Especially as the war progressed.

 

[mrfarb]

I agree with that. When I see rco45 cans with Ky type HKW they usually have Bakelite oilers. But, as you say I don’t think matching up maker codes to all the parts inside a can is always a “correct” way of evaluating whether a kit “matches”. But, to me cans like this are benchmarks for sure, for a can by this maker.


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[CanadianAR]

Wow that’s killer condition!! Nice score!

 

[pwcosol]

Thanks Slash & Mrfarb for your additional thoughts. Back in the mid-'80s I visited Bob Landies. This was prior to OOW, Inc. so was snooping around his garage and found about 10 tan RG34 kits in a box. He said they had come out of Yugoslavia and offered one to me. However, most were missing one or two components. So, got the nicest tin (rco44), and added whatever was missing from the others. I know none were "rco45" marked. Later, Bob said there had been one, but Doug Smith (a.k.a. "Jubba the Smith") had bought it from him at the previous O.G.C.A. show. BTW, none had steel oilers and I only saw the dark brown, penolic ones...

 

[dot]

Thanks Slash for showing us a fantastic rco45 kit in pristine condition.

With respect to the Braunsweigische Blechwarenfabrik firm, everything indicates that this company, in addition to assembling its own kits, also supplied cans to other companies such as Gustav Appel and Kyffhäuserhütte. Also, to complete its own Rg34, this company made extensive use of subcontracted parts. With regard to rco44/45 kits, I also believe, as mrbfarb says, that there are at least 2 contents variations in these late kits, one assembled by Kyffhäuserhütte and the other by Braunsweigische. As far as I know, stamped oilers were only used by Braunsweigische and I think used only their own marked HKW with kits assembled by it.

I attach some photos of a "funde" rco45 kit. It is not in very good condition, but its originality is absolutely guaranteed. Note that the parts found inside are almost identical to those in the kit shown by Slash.

This late kit shows no signs of use, since when I cleaned it, I had not found traces of oil inside the stamped oiler, the brushes were not used and there was no Reinigungsdochte inside. The brushes have natural (the Ölbürste) and synthetic (the Reinigungsbürste) bristles, the orange colour are due rust. The stamped oiler seems to be all phosphated.

Antoni

 

[ZF41 K98k]

Simply superb! I am fortunate to have its slightly older brother (rco 44) in similar shape

 

[pwcosol]

Said dot "...I attach some photos of a "funde" rco45 kit. It is not in very good condition, but its originality is absolutely guaranteed."

I think your kit certainly reinforces what Slash has said about his example. The rco45 I found at the swapmeet a couple of years ago also had a gray-finished, sheet metal oiler and was complete sans the HKW. With some factories making material excess to their needs, & others having shortfalls, the brilliance of Albert Speer is evident. My understanding is, despite loss of territory, resources, and allied bombing, the German industrial complex produced more war material in 1944 than any previous year...

 

[mrfarb]

I’ve noticed the really late kits seem to have 1 piece sheetmetal oilers and earlier have the welded ones. Makes you wonder if these were made wrong (long) and all early made ones had to be cut and welded? Never heard an explanation for that weld. My late arr4 tan kit has one piece sheetmetal type like this.


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[dot]

I’ve noticed the really late kits seem to have 1 piece sheetmetal oilers and earlier have the welded ones. Makes you wonder if these were made wrong (long) and all early made ones had to be cut and welded? Never heard an explanation for that weld. My late arr4 tan kit has one piece sheetmetal type like this.

I agree with you. I exposed my opinion about this at another post:

I am of this opinion too.

I have observed that the sheet metal oilers appear only in kits manufactured/assembled by Braunsweigische Blechwarenfabrik, with WaA392 and without Waffenamt. I think also that these sheet metal oilers probably were made by a subcontractor firm and suplied only to the Braunsweigische Blechwarenfabrik firm and and not used by the other firms, that assembled the kits with cans supplied by that company.

With regard to the welding seam present in the body of many of these oilers, I have observed these oilers in arr43 (with Waffenamt WaA392) and arr4 (no Waffenamt) kits, and oilers without the welding seam in arr4 and rco (no Waffenamt) kits.

I'm the opinion that these stamped oilers were supplied to Braunsweigische Blechwarenfabrik by a subcontractor firm, but probably at first (late 1943/early 1944) they were made "out of tolerance", with the oiler body too long to fit inside the can, and they were cut and soldered together again. Observing the oilers, the ones with the welding seam, have the body a little shorter. Of course, more research in needed.

Antoni