FREEDOM MODEL FM16003SP 1/16 Sd.kfz. 302 Goliath Demolition Vehicle with cart & German Soldier 1944 Observation

This new 1/16th scale model from Freedom Models recreates the tracked remote-controlled mine used by the Germans in WWII called the "Goliath". It was a diminutive tracked vehicle about 1.5m long that could carry up to 60kg of light explosives and was remotely controlled via 3 cables that spooled out of its rear. Some 7,564 were produced in all, split between 12V battery and gas engine-powered variants. They were largely deployed by assault pioneer (Sturmpionier) units and were hoped to give the advantage of surprise. They were used on all fronts including German counters to the allied invasions in Normandy.

The Goliath in history.
In late 1940, inspired by a French miniature tracked vehicle prototype it recovered from the Seine, the Wehrmacht Ordnance Bureau ordered Bremen-based automaker Carl F.W. Borgward to develop a similar vehicle, capable of delivering at least 100 pounds of high explosive to a target by remote control.

In spring 1942 Borgward rolled out its Sd.Kfz. 302, nicknamed Goliath, powered by two 2.5-kilowatt Bosch electric motors. Its limited range (less than a mile on flat surfaces) and high cost eventually led to its discontinuance.

Although a total of 7,564 Goliaths were produced, the single-use weapon was not considered a success due to high unit cost, low speed (just above 7 miles per hour 11 km/h), poor ground clearance (just 11.4 centimetres), the vulnerable control cable, and thin armour which could not protect the vehicle from small-arms fire. The Goliath was also too big and heavy to be easily man-portable and a trailer was used to pull the goliath along. Mostly, they failed to reach their target although the effect was considerable when they did.