I am planning a WW2 pacific diorama and need to know which of the following kits is the best:
Trumpeter - LCM
Italeri - Lcm
Italeri - Lcvp

This will be in 1/35 scale.
Thanks
recon

Hi Mike ...From what I've read the Italeri LCM has a more correct shape over the Trumpeter kit but does not have some of the finess ..no P/E shields as for the lcvp the Italeri kit is the only one worth looking at ...it all depends on if you want the LCM or the LCVPin your dio.

Rick

Hi Mike,

I've built the Italeri LCM and LCVP, both of which I thought were excellent kits. Only negative commemt would be the .30 Cals on the LCVP are not great. I didn't use the .50 Cal on the LCM but I believe the Trumpeter ones are excellent.

The Italerie LCM is supposed to be more accurate, at least that's what the review said. You also get the six Dragon infantry figures, which is a plus.

The Italeri crew aren't great, but you could always replace the heads. There is a new Trumpeter crew out (?) but I can't remember for which craft, and a few other Naval Type US Figures, Verlinden I think.

If you build one you'll want to build the other, so just buy both!!

Hope this helps a little.

Al

Italeri's LCVP is the only on ein 1/35. It looks pretty good. There was the old Lindberg dog in 1/32 and a Foundrie Miniatures repop of it with PE and resin parts added, plus the proce was quadrupled.

For the LCM(3), both Italeri and Trumpeter has their ups and downs. Here is a comparison of the two at PMMS.

LCM(3) vs. LVCP depends on what you want to depict. Both were used in the Pacific. LCM(3) is bigger than the LCVP adn can carry larger loads and/or vehicles. LCVP could carry up to a Jeep. LCM could feasably carry up to a Sherman, but it wasn't done often because it made them very unstable. Usually, the largest load would be a M5 Stuart or a 2 1/2 ton truck. Both carried lots of troopers, an LCM(3) carried lots more than an LCVP.

The Italeri LCM is a pretty nice kit. I'm working on one right now. I was long planning to scratchbuild one with a set of 1/35th plans I got years ago from an ad in Military Modelling. The Italeri kit matches the plans perfectly.

Like has been said, the .50s need a bit of fixing. The mounts in both the Italeri and the Trumpeter kits are WRONG. They are oversimplified and post-war. I'm still trying to track down plans of the Mark 21 mounts (there are no gun mounts included in the plans I have), and may have to reconstruct them from photographs. Oh well, the rest of the kit has gone together so well , I suppose I had to find something to fix.

Bob - can you elaborate on the LCM(3) .50 cal mounts? Of all the photos I've been able to find, not a one begins to suggest what the machine gun mount looks like. How do I become more knowledgable on details like that?

Thanks!

John A.