1:35 LVT-4 Walter Buffalo (italeri)

The real subject

The LVT-4 is an American amphibious tracked landing vehicle of the Second World War, listed under the name Water Buffalo. It carried troops and cargo from a ship right to the shore and continued on land as well: in the water it was driven by the cleats on the tracks, on dry ground by the tracks themselves. Compared with the earlier versions the LVT-4 has the engine moved forward and a drop ramp at the rear, so the cargo did not have to be lifted over the side. On a model it is a vehicle with a large open cargo bay that can be seen into.

What the set contains

A photo-etched metal fret with additional parts for a model of the LVT-4 in 1:35 scale, planned around the kit from Italeri. The parts are cut from the fret, bent along the etched score lines and glued to the model where the sheet is meant to be thin. The extent of the fret and the placement of the individual parts are given in the manufacturer's instructions.

Building and painting tips

Cut the parts off with a sharp knife on a hard surface and hold them in the tweezers by the edge. Metal is glued with cyanoacrylate glue, as cement for polystyrene will not hold on it. With an open cargo bay, plan the order of work: whatever is meant to be inside is fitted and painted before the interior space is closed up. Before painting, wash the parts, degrease them and give them a coat of primer. A vehicle that worked in salt water and in sand will take a heavier hand at the final dirtying than a tank from a European battlefield.

Who it is for

For modelers who build American equipment from the fighting in the Pacific and want finer detail on an amphibious vehicle than injection-molded plastic allows. The set assumes a part-built model and the basic equipment for working with photo-etch. The kit itself, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.