discussion Gecko amphibious LARC-V

[Andy T]

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a boat or a vehicle?

It has wheels so I hope you'll agree with my choice to put it in this section.

Received as a birthday present from my lad, this isn't a subject I'd have chosen myself but I'm enjoying building something different to the norm.



There's quite a lot of plastic in the box for what seems like a fairly simple craft



Construction has been straightforward so far, however as with other Gecko kits I've built there does seem to be a lot of unnecessary or superfluous photo etch. I haven't used all of it.

Here are a few snaps of progress so far, with the cockpit area nearly finished. All of the plate decals you see had a pe backing plate for them. Why bother?









There's a bit more work to do in this area, not least adding the steering wheel, before I can carry on with the rest.

Thanks for looking in.

 

[flyjoe180]

Off to a good start Andy

 

[yak face]

Lots of bits there andy ! The parts count is impressive/ frightening ( delete as appropriate !) especially as the main body is a one piece moulding . Great start on the interior ,I see what you mean about the unnecessary pe , the plaque decals dont really need a pe backer .

 

[Andy T]

I see what you mean about the unnecessary pe , the plaque decals dont really need a pe backer .

Yes, especially since the plastic already has raised detail for them.

 

[Jim R]

An unusual vehicle. Not seen this built before. The interior is looking excellent. I suppose this is no different to most PE in that rarely is it all worth using. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your progress.

 

[Steven000]

Interesting project Andy, looking good, have fun

 

[papa 695]

A cracking start Andy

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,

Off to a great start I will follow along.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks for the support gents.

I've got the back half of the load area and the engine deck built, just rested in place here.



It did bring some more etch madness though! This item appears to be a cooling radiator, to which the instructions ask you to add an etch grille front & back



However, once in place you can't see it from the rear / outlet



And with the inlet hidden down here you can't see anything with the engine deck on either.





Oh well, at least I know it's there

 

[Jon Heptonstall]

That's looking great Andy.Quite a few Larcs were used by the Argentinians in the Falklands and if you go to Hunstanton you can take a short sea trip on a modified one.

 

[flyjoe180]

Looking good Andy

 

[The Smythe Meister]

Excellent stuff,that interior is stunning Andy

 

[Andy T]

It's starting to take shape with the major sub assemblies now fixed to the hull. There's a minor amount of filling & sanding to do once the glue dries but nothing to write home about.



I've left all of the rubber buffers (?) off for now as I think they'll be easier to paint separately.

 

[yak face]

Nice progress andy , looking at the sprues it looks like theres a rubber dinghy included , does this go on the back of the vehicle or is there a trailer ?

 

[Ian M]

Great work so far Andy. Surprised that you didn't jump in on the Logistics GB.
It could be a blast having one of those. Drive down to the harbour and carry on off the boat ramp. lol. (Bit heavy8,900kg for my Licence though. max 3,500kg).

 

[Andy T]

@yak face - yes Tony, there's a dingy included which can sit in the load area. I'm not sure if I'll include it though as it there are other options like seats and a stowage box. I'll have to see what fits.

@Ian M - unfortunately I'd started this before noticing the logistics gb, but I'm building something else for that.

 

[scottie3158]

Nice work as always Andy.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Paul

Construction is now finished, except for a few bits left loose for ease of painting:



So it was on with a coat of primer:



Then onto some preshading. I've tried something different here, adding a speckled layer of white.

I expect these faded quite a bit due to being in and out of the sea, so hopefully these will show through the final colour, adding a bit more variation and interest:

 

[Andy T]

The main colour is on now, with plenty more work to come:

 

[Steven000]

Looking good so far Andy have fun