QUESTION on LCS types .

tankerbuilder

I am just throwing this out there for any who might be thinking about it however casually . Will we ever see a LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP in any scale BUT 1/700 ? That scale is NOT nice to my tired old eyes . I would love to see one in 1/350 or even 1/200 ? Now, there are sizes you can do something with . Looking at the model in the article in the magazine  and the boxcover I see nothing interesting , do you ? They are so bent on radar reduction technology that things aren,t looking like ships as I think of them . I would really like to have your input about this "wonderful , NEW , technology ,that makes a ship something I wouldn,t want to ride out a storm on . It,s kinda like "CRUISE SHIPS" . Since when is something that is a danger to passengers in stormy weather even lightly called a ship ? If the ship is so great then why do they run like scalded cats every time the weather kicks up  ,and how many actually make deep ocean voyages ? I believe the answer is NONE or maybe close to NONE !! I don,t consider the waters that most cruise ships travel in, deep sea voyages. Sure its deep , but now a TRANS-ATLANTIC or TRANS-PACIFIC voyage now that,s cruising .The LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP is to me another NAVY department monetary boondoggle , I bet they couldn,t fight their way out of a real furball . I would buy a model of one in the scale I,ve suggested just to go what if with the thing .Tell me what you would do .       tankerbuilder .

1:350 scale LCS-2 kits are currently available from both Dragon and HobbyBoss.

At the IPMS Nats, Stevens International had buried in their display a single sprue labeled as from a 1:350 scale LCS-1.   So that one is on the way

Trumpeter also has a LCS-2 and Stevens just announced the LCS-1 from Trumpeter in one of their mailers.

I know that TRACY will probably read this too .I just yesterday ,picked up DRAGON,S "SMART KIT" of the INDEPENDENCE - LCS . This is one strange puppy .It looks more like a space ship rather than a seagoing vessel . My traditional eyes are causing me to ask myself questions .Where are the guns ? There,s two that I think are there and such but ,"where are the guns ?" When I was in the NAVY (before my MARINE CORP time) we got shot at and we replied with all four 5" 38 calibre guns .We got them too ! Now if these ships ? are intended to go into harms way they shouldn,t be without lotsa guns and missiles. Now whats next ? Navy ships with hyper drive? I am gonna build this and add it to my 1/350 fleet , Gee , it will look strange next to the WISCONSIN and the NORTH CAROLINA that have ALL those guns . HMM?       tankerbuilder      P.S. This will make a nice base for a what if ,won,t it ?

The USN's LCS program has been mired in controversy and overruns. The 1/1 LCS-2 has been "grounded" so to speak due to corrosion; improper grounding has caused dissimilar metal corrosion between her steel pumpjet engines and aluminum hull. They're different looking, but probably one of the worst spec'd naval projects in recent history, including the Zumwalts. Modular weapons and sensor packages that have all either been cancelled or delayed due to technical and cost programs, etc.

Still, I have two LCS-2's in my collection ;)