The landing craft air cushion (LCAC) is a high-speed, over-the-beach fully amphibious landing craft capable of carrying a 60-75 ton payload. It is used to transport weapons systems, equipment, cargo and personnel from ship to shore and across the beach. The advantages of air-cushion landing craft are numerous. They can carry heavy payloads, such as an M-1 tank, at high speeds. Their payload and speed mean more forces reach the shore in a shorter time, with shorter intervals between trips.
The air cushion allows this vehicle to reach more than 70 percent of the world’s coastline compared to only 17% with conventional landing craft.
- Kit # 07302
- USMC Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)
- Scale 1/72
- Length:372mm Width:198.6 mm Height: 95mm
- Parts: 338
- Photo Etched parts
- 9 sprues, lower hull , deck and cushion
- One-piece hull with full deck made from four-directional slide molds
- Cargo deck scupper pattern finely rendered
- One-piece real rubber cushion.
You may have seen this model kit in you local hobby shop or favorite on-line retailer. What is really inside the box of the 1/72 Trumpeter USMC LCAC?
There are 9 cleanly molded sprues, a sharply detailed photo etch fret and a real rubber air cushion among others. The molding is very clean, no flash at all and no bothersome molding lines. My single complaint is that the fan guards/grills are on the thick side.
For the price tag of this model kit I would have welcomed a couple of 1/72 figures. As far as I know, this kit is no longer in production. But they are still widely available. Trumpeter is actually producing the same kit with Japanese markings (Trumpeter kit # 07301).
Preview sample courtesy of my wallet.
