1/700 Blue Ridge Model Ships

Blue Ridge Models Specialized Landing Craft Excellence

Blue Ridge Models has established itself as a premier manufacturer of specialized naval subjects through meticulous research, precision engineering, and dedication to bringing lesser-known but historically significant vessels to the modeling community. This collection of 1/700 scale landing craft kits represents Blue Ridge's commitment to documenting the amphibious warfare vessels that enabled Allied victory in World War II through their essential role in delivering troops, tanks, and supplies directly onto hostile beaches. Landing Craft Tank vessels were the workhorses of amphibious operations, designed with flat bottoms for beach landings, bow ramps for rapid vehicle deployment, and shallow drafts that allowed them to approach shorelines inaccessible to larger vessels. Blue Ridge Models captures these distinctive characteristics with precision-molded parts, accurate hull forms, and comprehensive deck details that allow modelers to recreate these essential vessels with historical fidelity.

LCT5 Landing Craft Tank Development and Service

The LCT5 Landing Ship Set 10045 represents the Mark 5 variant of the Landing Craft Tank design that saw extensive service in both European and Pacific theaters. The LCT5 featured a 117-foot overall length with distinctive flat-bottomed hull form optimized for beach landings, bow ramp capable of deploying five 30-ton tanks or equivalent cargo, twin diesel engines providing 8-knot maximum speed, and armament typically consisting of two 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns. This variant incorporated lessons learned from earlier LCT marks, with improved seakeeping qualities, enhanced structural strength for rough-water operations, and better crew accommodations for extended voyages. LCT5s participated in major amphibious operations including the Normandy landings, Southern France invasion, and numerous Pacific island assaults, proving their worth through reliable service under combat conditions. The Blue Ridge kit captures the vessel's distinctive profile with accurate hull proportions, detailed ramp mechanism, proper deck layout with vehicle tie-down points, and authentic superstructure configuration.

LCT6 Landing Craft Tank Evolution

The LCT6 Landing Ship Set 10046 depicts the final and most numerous variant of the LCT design, incorporating further refinements based on operational experience. The LCT6 featured similar dimensions to the LCT5 but with improved propulsion machinery, enhanced defensive armament with additional 20mm positions, strengthened bow ramp structure for heavier loads, and modified superstructure arrangement for better visibility and command control. Over 500 LCT6s were constructed during the war, serving with American, British, and Commonwealth navies in every theater of operations. These vessels proved particularly valuable in the Pacific where their shallow draft allowed access to coral-fringed beaches and atolls, while their cargo capacity enabled sustained logistical support for island-hopping campaigns. The Blue Ridge kit replicates the LCT6's distinctive features with accurate deck fittings, properly scaled armament, detailed crew positions, and authentic weathering opportunities that reflect hard service in tropical and temperate environments.

Amphibious Warfare Doctrine and Operations

Landing Craft Tank vessels represented a revolutionary approach to amphibious warfare, solving the critical problem of delivering armored vehicles directly onto hostile beaches without requiring port facilities. Prior to LCT development, amphibious operations required either capturing intact ports or conducting laborious ship-to-shore transfers using cranes and lighters, both of which were time-consuming and vulnerable to enemy action. LCTs eliminated these constraints by combining ocean-going capability with beach-landing characteristics, allowing tank-equipped forces to assault defended coastlines with armored support from the initial assault waves. Typical LCT operations involved loading at rear-area ports or from larger ships offshore, transit to the objective area in convoy formation, final approach to the beach at high tide to maximize water depth, bow ramp deployment allowing vehicles to drive directly onto the beach, and rapid retraction to avoid becoming stranded by falling tides. LCTs often made multiple trips during amphibious operations, shuttling reinforcements and supplies from offshore shipping to the beachhead throughout the critical establishment phase.

Kit Contents and Construction Features

Both Blue Ridge Models LCT sets include two complete landing craft, allowing modelers to create convoy scenes, beach landing dioramas, or comparative displays showing different operational configurations. Each kit features precision-molded hull halves with accurate flat-bottom configuration and proper sheer, detailed bow ramp assembly with operating mechanism representation, comprehensive deck fittings including vehicle tie-downs and deck equipment, superstructure components with crew positions and navigation equipment, armament including 20mm Oerlikon guns with shields, and clear instruction sheets with assembly sequences and painting guides. The injection-molded parts exhibit crisp detail with minimal flash, tight-fitting joints that require minimal filling, and thoughtful parts breakdown that simplifies construction while maintaining accuracy. Modelers can enhance these kits with aftermarket photo-etched railings, turned brass gun barrels, and crew figures to create highly detailed representations suitable for competition or museum-quality display.

Scale Accuracy and Historical Fidelity

Blue Ridge Models has earned recognition for meticulous research and dimensional accuracy, with these LCT kits based on original construction drawings, period photographs, and surviving examples. The 1/700 scale allows modelers to build complete amphibious task forces with multiple landing craft, support vessels, and capital ships in manageable display space, while still capturing essential details that define each vessel type. At this scale, the LCT models measure approximately 2 inches in length, making them ideal for diorama construction showing beach assault scenes with multiple craft, convoy formations with destroyer escorts, or loading operations from larger transports. The kits accurately replicate distinctive LCT characteristics including the blunt bow profile with ramp configuration, low freeboard and shallow draft appearance, minimal superstructure concentrated aft, and utilitarian construction reflecting rapid wartime production priorities.

Painting and Finishing Techniques

LCT vessels typically wore simple paint schemes reflecting their utilitarian nature and rapid construction schedules. U.S. Navy LCTs generally carried overall Navy Gray (5-N) or Haze Gray (5-H) schemes, with some vessels showing weathering from beach operations including rust streaks, paint chipping, and coral scraping along the hull bottom. British LCTs often wore Admiralty Gray schemes with variations depending on theater and time period. Weathering techniques should emphasize the hard service these vessels endured, with rust staining around deck fittings and ramp hinges, paint wear on high-traffic deck areas, salt spray effects on vertical surfaces, and beach sand accumulation in deck corners and recesses. The flat deck surfaces provide excellent opportunities for demonstrating cargo loading with scale vehicles, fuel drums, ammunition crates, and other supplies that would have been carried during actual operations. Crew figures add life to the models, showing sailors at their stations, vehicle crews preparing for landing, or beach parties coordinating unloading operations.

Diorama and Display Opportunities

These LCT kits offer exceptional diorama potential for modelers interested in recreating amphibious operations. Beach landing scenes can show multiple LCTs approaching shore with bow ramps down, tanks and vehicles driving onto the beach, and infantry following in support. Convoy formations can depict LCTs in transit with destroyer escorts, showing the massive logistical effort required for amphibious campaigns. Loading operations can feature LCTs alongside larger transports or LSTs, with vehicles being transferred between vessels. The two-kit format allows modelers to show different operational states simultaneously, such as one LCT beaching while another retracts from shore, or vessels in different paint schemes representing different time periods or theaters. Water effects using resin or acrylic gel can enhance beach scenes, showing surf breaking around grounded craft and wake patterns from vessels under way.

Historical Context and Operational Significance

Landing Craft Tank vessels played crucial roles in every major Allied amphibious operation of World War II, from the North African landings in 1942 through the final assaults on Japanese-held islands in 1945. At Normandy, hundreds of LCTs delivered tanks and vehicles to the invasion beaches, with many craft making multiple trips despite heavy enemy fire and rough seas. In the Pacific, LCTs enabled the island-hopping campaign by providing the means to land armored forces on coral atolls and volcanic islands where conventional ports did not exist. The vessels' shallow draft and bow ramp configuration proved so successful that the basic design influenced post-war amphibious warfare development, with modern landing craft still employing similar principles. Many LCTs continued service after the war, with some vessels operating into the 1960s in various navies and commercial roles, testament to their robust construction and versatile design.

Complementary Products and Fleet Building

Enhance your Blue Ridge Models landing craft with premium aftermarket components from our 1/700 Blue Ridge Ship Accessories collection featuring manufacturer-specific detail sets. Explore photo-etched railings and detail components from our 1/700 AFV Ship Accessories, 1/700 Artwox Ship Accessories, and 1/700 Flyhawk Models Ship Accessories collections. Build complete amphibious task forces by combining these landing craft with destroyer escorts from our 1/700 Trumpeter Model Ships, 1/700 Tamiya Model Ships, and 1/700 Fujimi Model Ships collections. Browse our complete 1/700 Ship Accessories inventory for additional enhancement options including crew figures, vehicles, and deck cargo. Visit Squadron for additional Blue Ridge Models products and historical references that support accurate modeling of these essential amphibious warfare vessels.