| Landing
Craft, Tank LCT (6)
Black Cat Models, 1/350th Scale, Resin Reviewed by Devin Poore, July 2019
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| The LCT(6) (Landing Craft, Tank, Mark
VI), was a follow-on to the earlier versions, Marks I-V. Originally a British
design, with the LCT(5), the United States became involved with the design
and construction, an arrangement that continued on with the LCT(6). 965
Mark 6s were built during '43 and '44. Larger than the previous Mark 5
versions, the Mark 6 added the benefit of both bow and stern doors. This
greatly simplified loading and unloading of vehicles, reducing the amount
of time it took to put vehicles and supplies on a beachhead. LCT(6)s were
used in the European theater from the invasion of Normandy and onward,
and in the later Pacific Theater amphibious operations.
Black Cat Models has released two versions of the LCT: the Mark 5, covered in a previous review, and the Mark 6, reviewed here. The kits are multi-media, with resin cast hull, tanks and treads, and smaller parts done as 3D printed resin, photo etched brass, and turned-brass. A sheet of decals and comprehensive instructions are also included. |
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| HULL | ||||||||||
| The hull is a single piece casting, with two small pour
stubs on the flat bottom that will sand away easily. Gunwales and gun tubs
are thinly cast with no defects. Details such as deck tie downs and vertical
hull reinforcements are crisp and well rendered. The only defects at all
are a half-dozen micro pin holes on the very bottom of the flat hull, and
a slight mismatch of what appears to be a mold tear on one side of the
bow. All are easily filled and sanded, as they are on flat surfaces away
from details. Besides being just slightly larger than the LCT(5), the (6)
has a lot more detail cast into the hull, such as the structures aft, the
more detailed bow, and the reinforced hull sides. It's all extremely sharp
and free of blemishes.
Several print and web sources state the length of the LCT(6) at 119 feet. That converts down to 4.08" in 1/350th scale, which is exactly what the hull measures. |
to enlarge |
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| RESIN PIECES | ||||||||||
| Besides the hull, several other pieces in the kit are cast resin. These
include two structures for the superstructure, a winch, two boats, and
the bow ramp. Like the hull, these are well detailed and sharply cast.
The remainder of the cast resin pieces are for the M4 Sherman tanks, and the M7 Priest mobile howitzers, exactly like with the LCT(5) kit, so this is a copy-and-paste from that review: There are 4 Priest hulls and 2 Sherman hulls. Each comes with two sets of treads for each hull, which are slightly different between the two chassis, so take care to match up the right ones (the instructions point them out). All of these small pieces are on easily-removed casting blocks, and are as finely detailed as the ship's parts. |
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| SMALL PARTS RESIN PRINTS | ||||||||||
| The remainder of the kit's resin are made up of 3D printed parts. These are extremely fine, and like those in the LCT(5) review, have to be seen to be believed. The pieces are mounted on two small casting blocks for the Sherman and Priest guns, with all of the ship parts on an single casting block. The print supports are very thin, so it shouldn't be an issue to get a blade in there to cut them free. Detail parts such as boat davits, propellers and prop guards, smoke generators, chocks, and everything else needed, are in this set of parts. |
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| BRASS AND DECALS | ||||||||||
| A single sheet of brass contains the ship's railing and a couple of
ladders. This appears to be a common fret between the LCT(5) and (6) kits,
and contains the usual railings, vents, doors, and a gantry.
A small bag marked Master contains two turned brass pieces: a flagstaff, and what appears to be a radio aerial. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS AND DECALS | ||||||||||
| Instructions are on 12 pages, front and back, small format.
The cover has a brief history of the ship , and a duplicate of the box
cover art. The following two pages have an inventory of the kit's parts,
color coded to denote if they are cast resin, printed resin, or brass,
and denote the number of each included. Assembly steps are covered on 5
pages. There are no written instruction, but color-coded CAD perspective
drawings, that show the placement of all the pieces. The final 5 pages
of the instructions give plan and profile drawings of ship and armor with
color recommendations and decal placement. Two schemes are shown for the
LCT(6), one a revised Measure 14, and the other a camouflaged green measure
31/20L.
Decals are provided on one small sheet. US codes and hull numbers are provided for the ship, as well as small white stars for the armor. NOTE: I didn't include a photo of the decals, as they're exactly the same as in the LCT(5) review, and I wanted to maintain my photo symmetry here. |
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| CONCLUSIONS | ||||||||||
Black Cat Models has released another unique subject, and
done an amazing job with it. The resin cast parts are very high quality,
and the 3D printed resin accessories are the best I have ever seen. Barring
any unforeseen issues, this model should build quickly and easily, and
look fantastic when complete. I also want to thank Black Cat Models for
making sure that the delicate 3D printed pieces are well protected, double-sided-taped
into a plastic blister pack, so that they don't slide around during shipping.
Highly recommended. Thank you to Black Cat Models for the review sample. |
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