Italeri 1/35 scale LVT-4 "Water Buffalo"

Manufacturer: Italeri, distributed by Testor Corp., 620 Buckbee St., Rockford, IL, 61104-4891, 815-962-6654 www.testors.com
Kit: No. 379
Scale: 1/35
Price: $29
Comments: Injection-molded, 143 parts (4 vinyl), decals
Pros: Most-wanted subject, good shapes and external detail
Cons:Vinyl tracks are stiff, ejection-pin marks mar some parts, adding tracks can be difficult

Italeri has filled an important gap in the wish lists of many armor modelers - an up-to-date kit of the LVT-4 in 1/35 scale. The LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) could propel itself in water, then travel on the ground to dispense troops on the beach during amphibious landings. Early versions featured the driver's compartment in the front and the engine in the rear, but this meant that the troops had to disembark by climbing over the sides. The LVT-4 was a mid-engined design that would allow personnel to exit by a fold-down ramp at the rear of the vehicle. More than 8,000 LVT-4s were produced during World War II.



Italeri's kit is molded in olive plastic, and features fine detail. Each track is made of two silver-gray vinyl parts. The rear ramp can be displayed either closed or lowered, and decals are provided for three machines, one WWII U.S. Marines and two postwar vehicles (French and Italian).



The hatches on top of the driver's compartment are molded in the closed position. No figures are provided with the kit. It appears that Italeri's kit represents a very late LVT-4, with the armored crew cab, similar to a late LVT(A)-4, and add-on armor for the front of the vehicle. The breakdown of the parts indicates that the LVT(A)-4 with turret is on the horizon.


I started building my LVT by assembling the side panels. Their appearance can be improved by carefully removing all of the mold seam lines. It was tedious work cleaning the small road wheels, but once they were done, assembly sped up. Most of the ejector-pin marks on the side panels (part No. 10A and 16A) will be covered, but a few are in visible areas. One weld seam on 10A was damaged by an ejector pin mark, and I rebuilt it with a little textured Squadron Green Putty.


With the side pods built it was time to add the floor panel. I suggest that you assemble the hull top (step 6) before you glue the side panels to the bottom, so you can check to make sure everything is aligned properly. The fit of the top side pieces (31C, 32C) to the top panel (30B) is poor, especially at the front. I used gap-filling super glue to fill the large gaps on the sides and bottom of the top panel.


I usually add the tracks to my models after painting and assembly, but these are a tight fit, especially at the rear. I suggest if you plan on adding the tracks later, leave off the diverter assemblies (33B, 34A, 35B, 36A) from the rear of the top panel in step 6. Their positions are not precise, and if placed too close to the idler wheels they will interfere with the addition of the tracks. I filled a small gap where the top met the hull at the front with a small strip of styrene.


With the top panel in place I added all of the details to the hull, but left off the fold-down benches and machine guns until after painting. Since it was basically an empty box on tracks, the assembly took only one day.


I painted my model with Polly Scale Olive Drab with Grimy Black road wheels. The decals were applied with a little Super Sol over a coat of Future floor polish. The placement of most of the markings differs between the box art and the instruction sheet. I went with the placement as shown on the instructions. The tracks were also given a shot of the dark earth, then dry-brushed with Xtracolor oily steel.


It took only 16 hours to build the LVT. The finished model matches exactly the dimensions given in Ian Hogg and John Weeks' The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles. I would have preferred injection-molded link-and-length tracks over the heavy and stiff vinyl, but any modeler with basic model building skills should be able to handle this kit. Italeri has produced another fine kit of an important vehicle. I'm anxiously waiting to see what they come out with next.