Hobby Boss

German Land-Wasser-Schlepper (LWS) Amphibious Tractor
Early Production

Hobby Boss has kitted the Land Wasser amphibious tractor in 1/72. Very nice molding, simpler than their associated Hobby Boss 1/35 kit, but has the makings of a nice model when built. I'll skip history details except to say the kit is called the "early production". The difference between early and late production variants is the front windows, exhaust stacks, small details and the suspension system. There are pix of the kit version with dark two color camouflage, but not the fancy schemes seen on versions with the different suspension.


I have provided closeups of the molded detail (above). Overviews of the sprues can be found on other websites.

There are only three sprues, with the lower hull, cabin and tracks being removed from the molding sprues. All pieces and sprues are individually wrapped in sealed bags.


For a simplified kit, there are lots of detail, beautifully molded, crisp, etc., BUT you wish some pieces like the anchor and rope holders had not been molded on the cabin. Included in this review is a photo of a 1/35 kit to show the difference when the items are not molded on.


The track is the current simple kit style, wheels and track molded together, but with an important difference. HobbyBoss has molded the track teeth on one side only, so there are no "bars" spanning the space where the road wheel should run. You will need to decide if adding the inside row of track teeth is worth the effort... taht's 74 per side! The detail of the suspension, wheels and springs is excellent and accurate.

A trial fit found the hull, deck and cabin fit perfectly. The tracks fit into the location pegs but spring away when pressure is released. With glue, they should fit fine. The cabin openings for the clear windows were too small on the inside for a flush fit. Some reaming of the cabin opening on THE INSIDE ONLY resulted in a perfect fit.

The obvious omissions: all those drainage holes on the rear side panels, 140 per side! Way too many to try drilling, for me at least. I will make a decal made of "periods" and hope it will suffice. Also, no bumper cushions, not even molded on.

Preview sample purchased by the author.

Article Last Updated: 15 February 2017