Hi Guys,
Well, one of the new items from FOV has turned up in one of the Hobby Shops which I check out, every other week. As you can see it's the LCM3 Landing Craft.
It cost me £18.99 at Jaimison's Model Shop. It is now being offered at Toy box, Mail Order for £15.99+ P&P.
I am quite pleased with the model, but I'm afraid that those of you who thought that it would be a die-cast will have to be disappointed. It is made of plastic, but does have some weight. They have put in a metal slug, or some resin in the base to give it some weight.
I tested it with FOV's own Sherman. It fits, but only just! There are four lifebelts within the loading area, two mounted on the interior walls on each side, and you can just fit the Sherman between them. It does spoil the illusion, though, of the tank being able to disembark without ripping the lifebelts from the interior hull sides!
I like the detailing on this model. It looks pretty solid, and there is the trace of rust along the welds of the outer hull sides. Also some chipping and rust spots seek to promote the illusion of wear and damage.
The ramp is mounted with a piano hinge, and looks solid ( I remember the flimsiness of the old Airfix LCM3, and how easy it was to damage the ramp! )
( was this type built with steel plates? I thought that most of the Higgins boats were made of plywood? )
The set comes with three figures : two infantrymen disembarking, and one coxswain steering. There are also two guns to mount. ( are these 50 cal or heavier? They look longer and heavier than 50 Cal. ). There are also a couple of anti-tank obstacles and a couple of oildrums.
All in all, a pleasing set, although the anti-slip decking looks a little over-scale, to me. A couple of figures manning the guns would have been pleasing!
My on big criticism is that the display box is total rubbish. All the auxilliary items which add detail and animation to the set are mounted on blister panels and have to be torn free, which ruins the box for collectors who just like to display. Also, the box is cardboard and thin, clear plastic, which will not last.
Again I say, get your act together, FOV, and take some note of Dragon's efforts to provide a decent display box! If you want collectors to collect, give us something to display.
Model number :UN85042
US LCM3 LANDING CRAFT - NORMANDY 1944 with Figures 
You can't see the figure of the Coxswain in this pic. You can't see the fire extiguisher which is mounted on the port side of the deck-house. You can see the guns mounted, and also those problematic life-belts!
MoMo