Trumpeter 1/35 USMC LAV-25 Piranha Light Armored Vehicle

Reasonable price and easy to build. Needs a few details and decals for a more detailed kit. Turns out nice with a little extra effort.

I'll start by saying that I've been building models for about 3 decades and got serious about it a couple of years ago when I started heavily weathering and detailing.The fit of the Trumpeter kits is known to be good, and this one isn't any different. Absolutely zero putty was needed to clean up any gaps and I used Model Master liquid cement exclusively except for clear parts where Model Master canopy glue was used. The drivetrain is extremely detailed, including the PTO on the last differential for the props. It's a shame it's all hidden. There are also 6 hatches on the hull which can be assembled open, which makes little sense as there is no interior. If you're up to building an interior from scratch or hunting down a resin interior kit it's a good option. Ive gotten to the point that I don't want to deal with painting tire, so I was happy to see well molded, with accurate tread, vinyl tires in the box. The wheels are also a tight enough fit to the suspension arms that they will support the weight of the chassis without being glued, which simplified weathering greatly. They were the last parts I glued after everything was sprayed with flat clear. there are a great number of tiny parts, hand holds, clevis tabs, and so on, and I recommend leaving them off as long as possible to avoid breaking them while handling the model.There are decals for two paint schemes included, unfortunately the one on the lid isn't one of them. Fortunately USMC LAVs aren't heavily marked, so I can just print the two decals needed, numbers on either side of the hull below the belt line just behind the front skid plate, the next time I print a sheet of decals.Overall I recommend this kit highly. It's not a perfect scale replica of the real thing, but it's an enjoyable kit and it looks good with my Academy M1A1.

This was me back in the days

Best LAV, early version, that I found. I also built a vintage Revell brand from 2001, which I don't think is manufactured currently. Found the Revell as NOS on Ebay. The Trumpeter was much more detailed and was a more enjoyable build. It has a highly detailed suspension system. It was for a diorama, and I didn't want to hide the suspension, but I mounted it. I would have been happier with an interior, so the doors could be displayed open, with something to see on the inside. I am considering building the same kit again and I'd try to place the included figures in the opened hatches. But none of the "could be improved" comments would stop me from getting this exact same kit again and building it as a few different versions and a variety of color schemes. It is priced low compared to other quality kits. I built it as a Desert Storm model, using pictures and information I found by googling "LAV in Desert Storm" I presented it to a younger brother who was assigned to a LAV in Desert Storm. When I first mentioned the project to him, he didn't seem interested, but once he saw the completed diorama, he was impressed, especially with the LAV kit details. Definitely a kit I want to build again. Highly recommended to others.

This is a great kit, but not for beginners.It's up to Trumpeter's standards with fit and finish, with little flash and no gaps to speak of.The directions are clear and easy to follow.I did deviate from the directions a little by not assembling the wheels until after the hubs were painted and the tires were weathered.I also waited to add the clear windows to the turret until after I was done painting. This was a bit tedious, but the results were worth it.Other than that the build follows the directions well.I've added a few pictures of the build. The packs, and people were from other kits.

This was home to me while I was with 1st LAR in the early days of the Iraq war. The details are outstanding, even the weld lines on the hull are detailed. Offers two barrels for the M242, an early non fluted barrel and a fluted barrel. The mesh for the bustle rack on the back of the turret could be better and the addition of a turret mounted M240 would about complete this kit. I was very surprised with the level of detail in the kit and would definitely get more of this kit and other LAV variants.

This will be quiet a project. Looking forward to it.

Great kit

First Trumpeter model kit, on the whole no too bad however a lot of parts needed trimming and sanding as there was an excess of plastic. Parts fitted relatively well not the same build quality as Tamiya kits.

as i have not build this my opinion may change but this looks like it will be a great buildupdate- a fun build great model kit- it does not come with a 9th wheel like in the pic or like ya see on most wheeled lav's and does not come with a coax machine gun- it does come with a 4 figure kit

absolutely no issue with the kit - except the decals don't let you build the cover art version

Very poor mouldings .... would of returned it if we hadn't had to open it to discover the problem.

Den Bausatz zusammenzubauen hat viel Spaß gemacht. Es gab keine unnötigen Teile die aufwändig zusammengeklebt werden mussten. Es hielt sich alles in Grenzen. Einen Stern Abzug für kleine Grate an diversen Teilen, kann aber ohne Probleme mit geeignetem Werkzeug und etwas Zeit entfernt werden.Die Anleitung ist übersichtlich, bis auf den Infanterie Teil. Da muss man öfter schauen um sich auszukennen.Die Rucksäcke die man auf dem Piranha sieht, sind nicht im Lieferumfang dabei. Da habe ich mir das US Diorama Set dazugekauft.