LARCV - Gecko Hobby 1/35
Isn’t it always the way…? I start building the old, hard to find, resin LARC-V from Hobby Fan and no sooner had the first drop of CA glue hit the resin Gecko Models announce they will be releasing the subject in a mainstream, styrene kit. On one hand I was really excited by the announcement as the long-neglected subject would now be available to the masses, but on the other hand I was annoyed the modelling gods had messed with me again! How many times has this happened to you? I know we have all been there.
I had actually built the resin kit for a friend of mine. Of course he wasn’t satisfied with just one LARC on his display shelf, he needed two. As soon as the news of the release dropped he asked me if I would build the Gecko Models release for him. This time though, he was asking for it to be displayed in a specific way. He wanted to be able to show it as a waterline model. He also asked that the weathering on this display be kept to a minimum to represent a reasonably well maintained, sea-worthy vessel (as the last model I had weathered in a somewhat heavy-handed way…as us armour modellers tend to do from time to time).
A Brief History
The LARC-V (Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 ton) was developed during the 1950’s by the United States and was used for a variety of auxiliary roles. It first saw action during the Vietnam War and was used extensively by the US Army and Navy for beach supply. They supported the 101st Airborne Division in 1967 and later the 1st Cavalry Division in 1968.
The LARC-V would later see active service with the Argentinian Forces during the Falkland Islands conflict.
The LARC-V had an aluminium hull and had a top land speed of just under 50km/h, a water speed of 7.5 knots and was operated by a crew of 3. It could carry up to 20 passengers or a load of just under 5T.
968 examples were produced and were used by the United States, Australia, Argentina, Portugal, The Philippines as well as Iceland.
FULL BUILD AND PAINT review available in MMI Magazine - Issue 196