Hi Guys, me again. Just uploading a short post really about my first 1/35 build of a Canadian LAV-III.

The kit I used was made by Trumpeter and for the price was a great kit to start with.
When I started I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting myself into with regards to the time it would take to complete the model. It was very enjoyable all the same.

The first area I started was the undercarriage and worked from there.



Starting small it was a confidence booster to have it look almost right, I moved onto the drivetrain and suspension



After all that was added, I moved onto the wheels, assembling them wasn't difficult so that part was completed in little time.



With the wheels completed I finished the undercarriage and moved onto the upper hull. This was probably the more difficult part of the build due to a lot of the small parts that were involved but still it was enjoyable to complete and see the model coming together.



With the main body of the model completed(For the most part, the tools I added after painting) I moved onto the turret, again this was a bit of a challenge trying to apply the small amounts of glue required and not have it spill over onto the rest of the model.



That was the last piece of the LAV puzzle and also the end of my first build(Just needed to paint).



The instructions came with a good guide on what paints to use, so I went along and used Humbrol paints as they were the easiest to acquire. so with the paints bought I set about painting. After the first coat I left the model to dry over night(unfortunately overnight turned into a few weeks due to work arrangments)with the first coat dry I applied a second coat of green and painted the extremities such as the FN MAG mounted on top of the turret and attempting to add some character to the model.



Thanks for reading my post! Any criticism is appreciated and also any pointers on where to improve(the many areas that there are).
I did enjoy building the LAV and I look forward to building other models and hearing from you all.

Cheers Guys
Jay

You have hit the nail on the head, you enjoyed the process thats all that really matters. Keep building and sharing, cheers

I think I just found my first break from Dragon's panzers. Looks like it was a fun build. Could you post more photos of the finished model?

Nice looking LAV-3.

Cheers

Anthony

Nice build. I guess it was out of the box.
I got one myself in my stash and wonder whether the AFV Club Stryker wheels would fit Trumpeter axles.
I ask this because I have some resin wheels for my Stryker and won't use the kits ones.

Olivier

I believe that they would, from reading about here, The Stryker and the LAV both use the same core body with just a few changes made to suit the LAV build

Looks good James, but some more photos of the finished article would be handy.

Where in Kildare are you?

Cheers, Ill upload more now, and Im from the town itself, just near the train station, and you?

Hi James, I'm down in Athy.
There is a model group that meet in Dublin once a month if you're interested. It's prety good fun and a great bunch of helpful people with demos and general chat about our current builds. Check out http://forum.ipmsireland.com/index/

I'm afraid you've got the fuel tanks upside down on your LAV. They're the yokes behind the wheels under the rack with the fuel jerry-cans. You might see how they should look on this:



Other than that it's pretty good. Well weathered as most of these seem to be in the field.

Thats a big woops on my part there, cheers! and not too far away then, at the moment I wouldnt be able to make it, come april though it shouldnt be a problem, and very nice model! Hope someday to be able to build something to that level, just have to keep going at it

First off James welcome to the site and welcome to the hobby as your profile says you've just recently picked it up.
As others have said it the enjoyment of building that is most important, so I'm glad you enjoyed it.
You did ask for a critique and i guess the biggest point I could make is pay attention to the instructions. I noticed several big errors that would not happen if you studied the instructions, i have built 2 LAV IIIs from trumpeter and found the instructions not hard to follow. Also if in doubt go on to another sub- assembly and ask us for help, the only stupid question is the one not asked.
Again enjoy yourself and your hobby.

Stick at it and you will before long...I wouldn't dream of posting pics of my first builds when I got back into the hobby but then we didn't have the internet back then either. What do you plan on next?

Haha thats very true, and for my next one I am going to take on a Bradley and the trumpeter us crewmen and infantry, also happy new year to you all!