LSM 20mm Version

Black Cat Models No. 350021b, 1/350th Scale Printed Resin

Reviewed by Devin Poore, May 2025


 
The design of the Landing Ship, Medium (LSM) was based on experiences from the Landing Craft, Tank (LCT) and Landing Ship, Tank (LST). Sized between the LST and Landing Craft, Infantry (LCI), it shared some features from both. The LSM had bow doors and ramp similar to LST and LCT and a tower-style pilot house/conning tower similar to LCI, but placed offset to the starboard amidships.

The original design for the LSM had six 20mm Oerlikons fitted with two mounted in tubs at the bow, two amidships and two at the stern. The early vessels were built to this design, but it was later decided to replace the bow 20mm guns with a single 40mm Bofors for future production. Some ships were refitted while others retained the original configuration. Later in the war, LSMs were fitted with a twin 40mm Bofors. A variant of the LSM was the LSM(R), designed for close-in support for amphibious landings.

**This history taken from the Black Cat Models instruction sheet. After doing a bit of research, I realized they'd summarized the ship better than I could.**
LSM 45 Underway in 1945

 
 
HULL 
The main component of the kit is, as usual, the hull. The hull is printed in a single piece, with the bow door mounts, deck overhangs with supports, and the prop guards all included in the one-piece part. Overall detail is excellent, with ladder rungs, doors, hatches, etc, all well defined. The bottom of the hull has artifacts from support removal, which will have to be lightly filled and sanded if one wishes it totally smooth, but if it's to be mounted on a base or put in the water, these defects won't show.

My hull does have some print layer lines visible as the hull sides curve aft towards the transom. These lines show to the naked eye more than they can be felt with a finger, so a coat of primer and light sanding should take care of them quickly. Also, my sample has two more prominent lines in the side of the hull, about even with the 20mm tub locations, that look as if the model shifted during printing. These, too, can be easily filled and sanded, as the hull is perfectly flat and vertical in that area, but it will mean the loss of the rubbing strakes, that'll have to be replaced with thin styrene stock.

All of the online sources I found list the full-sized LSMs as 203.5' in length. Overall length of the model's hull comes in at 6.9", which is nearly spot-on for 1/350th scale. 
PRINTED PARTS 
Two plastic blister packs contain the balance of the printed resin pieces. Everything is in here from the conning tower/bridge to the gun tubs, 20mm mounts (both stowed and in-use versions), ammo boxes, and all of the other small details that go with Black Cat kits. The main hull has recessed lines for alignment of the plant-on parts, which makes everything much easier. Many of the parts typically associated with photoetched brass are printed, such as ladders, both inclined and vertical, boat davits, fire stations, etc. 

A couple of the larger pieces, such as the bow doors and conning tower have layer lines, but nothing major. They're noticeable enough on the bow doors that I believe sanding will be required, but they're smooth surfaces, so the effort will be minimal. That's the price of working with 3D printed parts.

Two mast assemblies are included -- check your references for the ship you're building -- and while they're straight and well detailed, if you're going to rig them, either use rigid wire for the rigging material, or replace the mast body with a brass rod. 
TANKS
The LSM's cargo is included in the form of Sherman and Stuart tanks, four and six of each, respectively. Each tank is two-piece, the hull and the turret. Gun barrels are straight and look the part. While these are small in 1/350th, they're very well detailed. A coat of paint and a wash will really make the detail pop. I'm not a tank guru, so I won't comment on their accuracy for specific variants, but they definitely look like Shermans and Stuarts, so they'll look fine in the LSM well deck. 
   
PHOTO ETCHED BRASS AND DECALS
Photoetch is a small sheet with mostly railings, with a couple of small pieces included to make up the mast's yardarm assembly. The brass is thin, so care is required in cutting and handling the pieces. A small bag includes two lengths of brass wire, one for the yardarm assembly, and one for a well deck mast.

Decals are on two small sheets and are simply white numbers in two sizes. One should be able to make up the hull numbers for any ship of the class using a combination of what's provided. No insignia or flag decals are provided.
 
INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions are the typical Black Cat full-color booklet. The first nine pages are dedicated to part maps, showing every piece included with their corresponding part number, and color code: 3D parts are in red, PE in orange, brass rod in brown, decals in black, and cast resin (none included in this kit) in blue. 

Actual assembly of the LSM, including the tank cargo, is shown in seven steps, each color coded and close-up, depicting each piece in its exact location. A couple of the steps call out optional parts, such as choosing which mast to install, or whether to use the stowed or firing positioned 20mm mounts.

The last two pages are color profiles, showing LSM 210 in a Measure 31 variant scheme. 
CONCLUSIONS
Black Cat Models has a reputation as a producer of unique small craft, and this LSM is a great example. These little ships were key in the amphibious march across the Pacific, and saw extended and varied use after the war. Besides this 20mm version, Black Cat makes a 40mm version, with hopefully other variants on the way. These craft were extensively modified into gunboats, rocket launchers, with even a few getting a 5" turret.

This kit looks to be a good compromise in that it doesn't have a ton of parts and looks busy once completed, but the quality of the parts and instructions make it a good subject for a first or second printed resin kit. As long as one's careful and works slowly, especially with removing the printed parts from the print supports, and the brass rails from the fret, this should build up into a nice model.

Highly recommended. Thank you to Black Cat Models for this review sample. You can find their kits online at various retailers, which are linked at their website via their logo to the right.

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