KIT:

Fonderie Miniature 1/35 LCA

KIT #

 8002

PRICE:

 $64.95 ($58.97 at Squadron)

DECALS:

 One Vessel

REVIEWER:

Scott Van Aken

NOTES:

 Short run

 

HISTORY

The British LCAs (Landing Craft, Assault) were similar to the American LCVP, but carried more armor and tended to run lower in the water, thus increasing the chance that the craft would take on water during its time in the choppy English Channel. Like most landing craft of its size, the LCA was carried aboard larger ships and lowered into the sea by davits. 486 LCAs were used during Operation Overlord.

This craft was initially used for daring Commando raids. They were also used in the other landings such as D-day and Sicily. They could not carry as many troops as the American landing craft, but they had two engines opposed to one, and was therefore much faster. Armament consisted of a Bren Light Machine Gun. They had a capacity of 35 troops or 800lb cargo. They had a crew of four.
 

THE KIT

 

This is the second landing craft that F.M. has produced so apparently there is a real market for these sorts of boats. Like most F.M. kits the plastic is a bit soft, thick and rather rough. In this case, the roughness isn't that much of a detriment as these boats were not exactly highly varnished racing yachts! The kit parts themselves consist of mainly flat panels and a few detail fittings to go on the inside of the boat. There is some flash; there are some sink areas, but nothing at all which will really impede construction. The kit parts do have some mold release oils on them so a good cleanup prior to building is needed. Overall, the quality of the moldings is pretty good.

Metal parts are provided for the Bren gun and some of the more intricate deck fittings and pulleys. Castings are fairly well done though will need some cleanup prior to use. A small decal sheet (not shown) has the numbers for the box art boat. A number of items will have to be made such as the side lines and the attachment fittings for them as well as some other small bits. Again, not a problem for those who have had some experience with short run kits and who realize that this is the norm.

The instructions are adequate and consist of a single sheet of paper with 7 construction sequences. There is no color guide or other color references provided other than the box art or whatever can be gleaned from other sources.

 

CONCLUSIONS

A toss together kit it isn't, but those of us who have had experience with these kits know what we are getting into when we buy them. The subject is interesting and one that hasn't been done before in this scale. F.M. should be applauded for bringing us things like this as really, this is just what short run kits are for.

This kit has been sent to a dedicated landing craft enthusiast for construction so stay tuned!

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