Rowing Boat with LVT in background.. ;-)

[hansolo]

Hi guys,

Looking around for something that floats - and being an armor man - my choice fell on the LVT A5.
Being that this amphibian most resembles a tank.

I found this kit on ebay:



Waiting for it to come in, I started on the diorama.
I wanted to make a jetty on a shallow shore, where the LVT would be anchored.
Shallow, so that not to much of the vehicle would later on be submerged.

I made the jetty of coffee stirring sticks and balsa wood.

the sticks



cut to size



balsa wood poles



the completed jetty



painted with a dark brown wash



some dry brushing and some green pigments





I build a card board dummy for size and dry fitted for the size of the dio









styrofoam for the shore



cut to size and shape





cut the jetty to lineup with the base and masked of the sides before adding the das clay and ground mix







das clay added



while this dried I gathered some stowage and stuff to be unloaded from the LVT to the jetty



stowage and stuff painted



I wanted to liven up the jetty with some coasty fishery stuff, so I made a fishing net from bandage gauze



a drenched it in watered down white glue to be able to sculpt it and let it harden in the position I wanted it





Started on the earth mix

with earth, water, white glue and some stones





added the mix to the base



put some stones along the shore line and added dry sand on the embankment



a closeup of the finished fishing net. added a rope of thread and some floaters made of cut up and sanded down sprue







That's all for now, folks.
Next up: I bought some figures to add to the scene..

[OneSmallStep1966]

Awesome

[hansolo]

Awesome

Thanks!

[gaz45]

That is some very nice work there mate

[wavelet]

Wow, great stuff. I like it a lot!

[Nev]

Han buddy check with Les and Paul before you do any more! I think amphibians have been disallowed on this SIG! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news matey, just don't want you getting too far in

[Cymru]

Han buddy check with Les and Paul before you do any more! I think amphibians have been disallowed on this SIG! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news matey, just don't want you getting too far in

Carry on regardless, GREAT work

[Lysus]

Ok, that kooks like a real dock and net....

[wavelet]

Yes, please, carry on. Just move it into the appropriate topic!

[Lysus]

Maybe you could transfer the dock and LVT to a larger base and add a boat

[OliveDrab]

I'd love to watch your build of the LVT Hans, perhaps the A5 version would fit in the PTO GB?

[hansolo]

I'd love to watch your build of the LVT Hans, perhaps the A5 version would fit in the PTO GB?

Maybe you could transfer the dock and LVT to a larger base and add a boat

Unfortunetly my build is already at a stage that is beyond what I've posted so far. The LVT is already built and stuck to the dio.
But I have a beautiful little solution to the problem.

I bought a sweet little boat that will fit nicely on the dio.

[Nev]

Knew you would work round this mate awesome fella

[wavelet]

Nice boat from Reality in Scale!

[hansolo]

Hi guys,

I bought, built and painted some figures to go with the rowing boat and LVT.

I bought this kit. Because I wanted to create a scene where there would be some loading or unloading activity going on.



built the figures



primed with black acrylics



Started the colors with the shirt color of brownish, yelloish green



painted the rest of the details



did a dark wash with vallejo's dark brown



That's all for now, folks.
Next up: more work on the dio.

[Vleugelmoer]

If I'm not mistaken the LVT was an amphibious tank, so that would categories it as a floaty thing which is perfectly within the rules. I do like the idea of adding a row bow to be on the safe side

This will undoubtedly turn into a very cool diorama I think.

As always happy modeling and keep sticking styrene.

Paul

[hansolo]

If I'm not mistaken the LVT was an amphibious tank, so that would categories it as a floaty thing which is perfectly within the rules. I do like the idea of adding a row bow to be on the safe side

This will undoubtedly turn into a very cool diorama I think.

As always happy modeling and keep sticking styrene.

Paul

Well, Paul, according to the other PAUL it doesn't fit within the rules because it's not listed in the floating things list.
I already asked.
But by adding a boat I will be totally legit again.

[Twokidsnosleep]

You are fitting into the sig just fine with the rowboat
More importantly, the overall diorama is spectacular and a great thread to read...keep going, it's awesome!!!

[Stokesy44]

Or the snorkel of a sub - its a stretch but hey, live and let live is what I say.

Regardless of where it goes, its brilliant so far. The woodwork and shore is cool and the stowage looks great too. Is the LVT a Pacific theatre vehicle? You could hop over to the Pacific SIG if it is. Or stay here and be defiant in your brilliance!

EDIT - my post doesn't make much sense. I'm not stupid, I just missed page 2 of the forum! - although that may qualify me as a little on the thick side. Regardless, great dio mate!

[hansolo]

Thanks guys.

The work shall continue!

[Cymru]

Clever workaround with the boat Like I said, carry on regardless, just loving your build

[hansolo]

Hi guys,

More work on the dio done.

To give the shallow water area some blueish water reflection, I painted the sea bed various tints of blue and green.
Therefor the jetty had to be masked of with tape.



painted the blue





After painting I first added a layer of static grass





Than some patches of grass mat



And some moss from the forrest







I crafted a tree from sea foam and used super leaf for the leafs.



The tree added to the dio



I also made some little shrubs from sea foam without super leaf



That's it for now, folks
Next up: The 'background' LVT.

[Cymru]

Excellent progress, really coming to life

[Twokidsnosleep]

I agree!!!
Superb paintwork on the sea bed and the grass edge and tree look fabulous
This is some top notch diorama making

[thelittleprowler]

That's a good tree. Keep up the good work

[hansolo]

Hi guys,

I built and painted the LVT.

Some background info on the LVT's:

The Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT) is an amphibious warfare vehicle and amphibious landing craft, introduced by the United States Navy. The Marine Corps and Army used several LVT models during World War II. Originally intended solely as cargo carriers for ship to shore operations, they evolved into assault troop and fire support vehicles. The types were known as amphtrack, amtrak, amtrac etc., being portmanteaus of amphibious tractor, and alligator or gator.

The Alligator
The LVT had its origins in a civilian rescue vehicle called the Alligator. Developed by Donald Roebling in 1935, the Alligator was intended to operate in swampy areas, inaccessible to both traditional cars and boats. Two years later, Roebling built a redesigned vehicle with improved water speed. The United States Marine Corps, which had been developing amphibious warfare doctrine based on the ideas of Lt. Col Earl Hancock "Pete" Ellis and others, became interested in the machine after learning about it through an article in Life magazine and convinced Roebling to design a more seaworthy model for military use.

Both the US Navy and Roebling resisted the idea of a military design, the US Navy because it felt conventional landing craft could do the job, and Roebling because he wished his invention to be used only for peaceful purposes. Roebling was persuaded after war broke out in Europe, and completed a militarized prototype by May 1940. The Bureau of Ships requested a second prototype with a more powerful engine, and the USMC tested the design in November 1940. Impressed by the second prototype, the Bureau of Ships placed a contract for production of 100 units of a model using all-steel construction, for a more rugged and easily produced design, and the first LVT-1 was delivered in July 1941. Another 200 units were ordered even before the first production units were delivered. After more improvements to meet requirements of the Navy, made difficult by Roebling's lack of blueprints for the initial designs, the vehicle was adopted as "Landing Vehicle Tracked" or LVT.

Variants

LVT(A)-1

LVT-2 Water Buffalo with Marines bound for the beaches of Tinian Island, 1944

LVT-3

LVT-3C
The US Army used a different naming system from the Navy. Instead of using the usual Army system of Model or M-numbers, they referred to the LVTs by Mark number using Roman numerals rather than Arabic numerals. Hence the LVT-4 was the "Mark IV" (which was not the same as the "M4").[2]

LVT-1 (1941)
The first military model. Traveling at a respectable 6 knots in the water and 12 mph (19 km/h) on land, it could deliver 24 fully equipped assault troops to the beach, and supply supporting fire from two .30 cal M1919 Browning machine guns though it was only intended for delivering supplies inland until wheeled vehicles could be brought ashore. It was powered by a 146 bhp six-cylinder petrol engine, mounted in a housing in the rear cargo hold. The LVT-1 was propelled on both land and water by tracks which were fitted with Roebling patented oblique shoes that gave good grip on land as well as good drive in the water. Apart of the forward Driver's compartment the bulk of the unarmoured steel hull was given over to a 4,500 lb payload cargo hold which was divided into several watertight compartments. 1,225 LVT-1s were built between 1941 and 1943, 485 were transferred to US Army and 200 to British Army. LVT-1 had a maximum speed of 12 mph on land or 6.1 mph in water; and a range of 210 miles on land or 60 miles in water.

No armor or weapons were included in its design as its role was cargo transport from ship to shore. Many vehicles were refitted prior to the Tarawa landing to hold two .50 cal (12.7 mm) Browning heavy machine guns forward, with the .30 cal guns aft. The vehicle was not armored and its thin steel hull offered virtually no protection, although prior to Tarawa some vehicles received 9 mm of armor plating to the cab. Tracks performed well on sand, but not on tough surfaces. The rigid suspension threw tracks and roller bearings corroded in salt water.[7] Proper maintenance of the new machine was often an issue, as few Marines were trained to work on it, and early models suffered frequent breakdowns. As LVT-1 vehicles experienced many breakdowns they were gradually phased out of operational use before 1945.

LVT-2 Water Buffalo, British designation Buffalo II (1942)
This was an improved version of LVT-1. It featured a new powertrain (To save time and to simplify production it was the same as that in the M3A1 light tank) and torsilastic suspension. The aluminium track grousers were bolted on, making changes much easier since they wore out quickly on land and even more so on coral. Hard terrain performance was much better compared to the LVT-1. 2,962 units produced for US Navy, that transferred 1,507 to US Army and 100 to British Army . With a maximum speed of 20 mph on Land (or 7.5 mph on water) and an operational range of miles on land (or 50 miles on water) the LVT-2 could carry a payload of 6,950-lb. The LVT-2s participated in more campaigns that any other LVTs: Tarawa, Roi-Namur, Cape Gloucester, Northern Kwajalein, Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Europe.

LVT(A)-1 (1942)
The first infantry support LVT. With the first experience of pacific amphibious operations it was clear heavier firepower than the usual .50 cal guns was needed. Based on the LVT-2, A standing for armored, this fire support version had an armored (6 to 12 mm) hull. It was fitted with a turret nearly identical to that of the Light Tank M3, with a 37 mm Gun M6 in an M44 mount, and also carried two rear-mounted machine guns. 510 units produced. The vehicle's hull was covered in 6-12mm of armor plate, and the vehicle was powered by a 262 bhp air-cooled petrol engine. Despite the limitations imposed by the turret it could still carry a limited payload of 1,000 lbs of cargo and had a quite respectable speed of 25 mph or land and 6.5 mph in water, and an operational range of 125 miles on land or 75 miles in water.

These vehicles were intended to provide fire support to the assaulting Marines in the early stages of establishing a beachhead. It was common, however, for the LVT(A)s to commence firing whilst still in the water, which, considering the amount of naval gunfire which usually accompanied a landing, may have been a waste of ammunition.

At Roi-Namur, the 24th Marines had support of LVT(A)-1s, but they could not close up enough to effectively support the troops from the beaches. Other LVT(A)-1s supported the 22nd Marines landing at Engebi. By mid-1944 all LVT(A)-1s had been replaced by much more capable 75mm gun armed LVT(A)-4s.

LVT(A)-2 Water Buffalo (1943)
Armored version of the LVT-2 following US Army request of an armored variant of the LVT-2 cargo Amtrac. Service in the South Pacific soon indicated more protection was needed. This version had the driver's cab protected by 1.25 cm of armor plate, and the rest of the hull with 65mm armor plate. By 1944, shields were added to protect the front gunners. Surprisingly the extra weight (27,000-lb total weight compared to the 24,250-lbs weight of the unarmored LVT-2) had no impact on performance and only increased the craft drawing some 5 cm more water when afloat. Capacity 18 troops. 450 units produced.

LVT-4 Water Buffalo, British designation Buffalo IV (1943)
FMC modified an LVT-2 in August 1943 by moving the engine forward and adding a large ramp door in the rear,[8] allowing troops to exit from the rear of the vehicle. Capacity went from 16 in the LVT-2 to 30 making earlier LVTs largely obsolete. This innovation also greatly facilitated the loading and unloading of cargo. Some vehicles received armor kits. It was by far the most numerous version of the LVT, with 8,351 units delivered. US Army received 6,083 and British Army 500. Many of the British LVT versions were armed with a 20 mm Polsten cannon and 2 × .30 in (7.62 mm) Browning machine guns.

Since no major changes were made to the engine and transmission of the LVT-2 the LVT-4 was completed much quicker than the LVT-3, with the first machines going into action at Saipan in June 1944.

Sea Serpent
The Sea Serpent was designed by the 79th Armoured Division for use by the British in the Far East. Its armament was two "Wasp" flamethrowers and a machine gun. These would have been used by the "flame battery" of the 34th Amphibian Support Regiment, Royal Marines in any assault on the Japanese mainland but the war ended before they were used.[9]

LVT(A)-3
Armored version of the LVT-4, never approved for production.

LVT-3 Bushmaster (1944)
Developed by the Borg Warner Corporation as their Model B in April 1943. To allow for rear loading, the engines were moved to the sponsons and a ramp installed in the rear, and slightly wider to provide room for a Jeep to be carried in the cargo hold. Some received armor kits. First used in combat in Okinawa in April 1945. 2,964 units produced, with many remaining in US service until 1955 when they were finally superseded by the LVTP-5. Powered by the same twin 148 bhp Cadillac V-8 petrol engines and transmission of the M5 light tank, it could carry a payload of 9,000 lbs or 30 fully armed soldiers. It performed with efficiency and greater reliability, as more maintenance time was generally available than during the hectic days of the major World War II. The LVT(3)C remained standard with the Marine Corps until the introduction of the first major post—war design, the LVT(P)5, in 1953.Overall weight of the craft was 26,600 lbs, and the maximum speed was 17 mph on land (or 6 mph on water), and the operational range was 150 miles on land (or 75 miles on water).

LVT(A)-4 (1944)
The 37mm gun of the LVT(A)-1 was inadequate for fire support version so the turret of the 75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8 - armed with a 75 mm howitzer - was used to produce the LVT (A)-4. In some cases the 75 mm was replaced with the Canadian Ronson flamethrower. A single .50 cal machine gun was installed on the ring mount above the turret rear. In the late production vehicles the heavy machine gun was replaced with two M1919A4 .30 MGs on pintle mounts and one more in the bow mount. 1,890 units produced, and 1,307 were transferred to US Army and 50 to British Army.

The Chinese PLA captured several from Nationalist forces during the Civil War and placed them in service, eventually modifying some with the 37 mm M6 tank gun (?) in place of the 75 mm howitzer and others with the ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun, complete with shield, the conversion necessitating the removal of the original mantlet as well.

LVT(A)-5 (1945) The one I'm building.



LVT(A)-4 with powered turret and a gyrostabilizer for the howitzer. Some were upgraded in the late 1940s by changing armor configuration. 269 units produced.

LVT-3C (1949)
Modified LVT-3. Armored roof was fitted and the bow was extended to improve buoyancy. Armament included .30 MG in a turret and .30 bow MG in ball mount. 1200 LVT3s were converted.

I bought this kit from Bluetank on ebay



The instruction sheet turned out to be from an completely different kit!





The sprue's and decals





Rubber tracks



So I had to build the entire kit without instructions!

The lower hull



Upper hull



Turret, gun and machine guns



Completely assembled with the help of many reference images.
Lots of flesh in the kit but otherwise no issues.





The kit came with two figures



But compared with the figures that I built for the dio, they turned out as pygmies!
Quite off scale!
Needless to say I didn't use them.



Dry fit to the dio with figures.

















Painting of the LVT
First a layer of black primer



The green base color



The tracks painted dark grey



Brown pigments for the metal links



Some AK interactive rust settlements



Decals and detail painting



Mig dark wash



Oil paint rendering



Chipping with a sponge and light green color



Second layer of chipping with a dark color in the centers of the light chips



Machine guns chipped in the same way



The back deck chipped



I thought that a jetty needs a little friend. To come visit him every now and then.
So I made a little feathered friend.
A seagull.

I took the standard of a machine gun and turned them in to the feet with some tweaking and bending







The body I made from DAS clay



The beek from flattened sprue



Some sculpting on the body and put the parts together



A little paint and our feathered friend came to life!





A thumbs up for size reference



I sanded away the rope that was molded to the back of the LVT.
So I wanted to fill the void on the LVT's back side with some chain.

I took some copper chain



Painted grey



Weathering with pigments dissolved in water



And rusted up with these



And the result, a very old chain



That's it for now folks.
Next up: Water to the pond!

[RonBurgundy]

Wow, just wow. This look amazing, all of it. My favourite-seagull

[hansolo]

Wow, just wow. This look amazing, all of it. My favourite-seagull

Thanks Ron!

[wavelet]

Great work!

[Cymru]

Just stunning And the Seagull

[hansolo]

Thanks guys!

[Nev]

Hehe nice work around dude and that is one evil looking seagull, they dive bomb us here for icecreams

[peppie]

Only just discovered this, and wow

Very, very nice work on the dio up to now. Specially love that you make it all yourself from "normal" stuff. My way to go also.

I know your not ready yet, but I was wondering one thing. The LVT looks like it's going to sit very high on the water.

[hansolo]

Only just discovered this, and wow

Very, very nice work on the dio up to now. Specially love that you make it all yourself from "normal" stuff. My way to go also.

I know your not ready yet, but I was wondering one thing. The LVT looks like it's going to sit very high on the water.

It will sit high. But I want it that way. The water level is going to be low so that it won't obsqure to much of the vehicle.

[haxorb]

I have to say this is already a masterpiece! Keep me updated!

[hansolo]

I have to say this is already a masterpiece! Keep me updated!

Thanks! And will do.
Update coming soon.

[Zippo]

This is freaking awsome!

[DBMiller]

Wow! That is some fine work, especially on the diorama base!

[hansolo]

Hi guys,

Here's my final update before reveals.

For water I used this kit.



Applied to the dio.



Spread it out all over the water area and made waves using a wet paper towl







After a few days it started clearing



Bought this rowing boat from Reality in Scale



It's a full resin kit with very nice details



easy kit to build.



First I painted it in a light wood color



After a hairspray layer for chipping came the bottom color of white



Masked the bottom part with masking tape to paint the top part



Blue



Chipped



A dark brown wash



And finally some worn paint effect by stippeling the wood color at the edges of the white and blue



The paddles painted (and later brown washed)



The completed paint job





That's all folks.

Check out the final reveals here: http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 05&t=19303

[schweinhund227]

Nice work !

I still don't know why BlueTank paired this kit with those tracks...???
as we know the LVT's were equipped with swimming tracks...
http://cdn-live.warthunder.com/uploads/ ... TWeb17.jpg

overall, I really enjoyed your take on this small diorama ! well done indeed.

[hansolo]

Nice work !

I still don't know why BlueTank paired this kit with those tracks...???
as we know the LVT's were equipped with swimming tracks...
http://cdn-live.warthunder.com/uploads/ ... TWeb17.jpg

overall, I really enjoyed your take on this small diorama ! well done indeed.

Yeah, those tracks are a bad choice.
Did you see the final reveals?