Kit: No. AF35022
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: AFV Club, distributed by Marco Polo Import, 532 S. Coralridge Place, City of Industry, CA 91746, 626-333-2328.
Price: $41.98
Comments: Injection molded, 327 parts, decals.
Pros: Excellent exterior detail, good fit, good "link and length" track.
Cons: No interior, tricky assembly of road-wheel arms.
After World War II, the U.S. Marines drew up specifications for a new (and much larger) tracked landing craft that became known as the LVTP5 (Landing Vehicle Tracked Personnel), which could carry 35 troops as well as its three-man crew. An upgraded version designated LVTP5A1 differed from the original vehicle in that a new, raised exhaust section was added to the top of the vehicle. More than 1,000 LVTP5s were built, and they saw service in the Korean War, and well as extensive use in Vietnam. Besides the USMC, Taiwan, Chile, and the Philippines used the LVTP5.
As far as I know, AFV Club's kit is the first LVTP5 in 1/35 scale. Molded in a medium olive drab plastic, the kit features excellent detail. Tracks are injection molded, but rather than individual links, the kit provides "link and length" tracks - large sections of the tracks in one piece, with smaller pieces and individual links to go around the drive sprocket and idler wheel. Markings are provided for five different vehicles, two Republic of China vehicles, and three USMC vehicles.
All of the major hatches can be shown in the open position, but no interior is provided in the kit - even though the box top possibly refers to an optional interior set. No figures are included.
I usually assemble as much of an armor kit as I can before painting, leaving the running gear off until final assembly. However, the LVTP requires that the running gear be painted before the sides can be installed, as the road wheels are trapped between the bottom plate and the side plates of the vehicle. I assembled the road wheel arms and idler wheels before painting. Take care when assembling the road wheel arms, as the inner and outer arms are not keyed to each other, and if they are glued together even a little bit off, the road wheels will not sit flat on the ground. Also, the arms just ahead of the idler assembly have a slightly different angle than all of the others. Be careful not to mix them up.
Don't waste time painting the return rollers. They will never be seen once the side panels are installed. You could probably get away with leaving off the hidden upper track sections, too. The track is well molded and fits together well. Several extra single links are provided.
With the running gear and tracks installed, I glued the side panels to the vehicle. Getting all of the parts to line up was pretty tricky. You'll need lots of tape to hold the panels in position while the glue dries. I also added the front and rear panels at this time to make sure everything was square before the glue set.
The instructions would have you install all of the detail pieces to the top panel before it is installed on the vehicle. This is impractical, so I added them after all of the side panels were dry. The top panel fit well, but a little filler was needed, especially in the rear. If I had to do it again, I would add the major panels to the top before I glued it in place. Several panels, especially the main engine cover (part No. C5), are a tight fit and would have been easier to install with the top plate off of the model.
I masked the painted running gear with plastic wrap and sprayed the vehicle with Gunze Sangyo dark green (H80). When it was dry, I sprayed on vertical streaks of a thinned lighter green on the sides and applied a random "cloud pattern" to the top to help break up the large areas of solid color and start the weathering process. Thinned Polly Scale German red brown was lightly sprayed over the running gear and the lower hull to simulate the red-brown earth prevalent in Vietnam.
The decals were applied over a coat of Future floor polish. They are thin and responded well to Micro Sol. When dry, I oversprayed them with Polly Scale clear flat and proceeded to paint the details. I then washed the vehicle with a combination of black and burnt umber oils thinned with mineral spirits. Finally, I dry-brushed the entire vehicle with lighter shades of the base color to bring out the details.
The completed model measures almost exactly the dimensions I found in Ian Hogg's and John Week's The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles. The kit was a pretty easy build, taking only 21 hours to finish. Modelers with experience should have no problems building it. I suspect that AFV Club will offer additional versions in the future - perhaps an LVTP5 or an LVTP6 with a 105mm gun turret. Hmmm?
- John Plzak