Review

One of those unusual vehicles that make it to production is the M76 Otter. A vehicle designed in to 1950’s as a replacement for the amphibious vehicles that saw service in World War 2. The M76 was utilised by the US Marine Corps in Vietnam and cannot be said to be an attractive vehicle in any way. Areas of note are the wide tracks which help on soft ground and the road wheels which have tyres on them and should help with ride comfort and floatation. Steering was via handle bars rather than tillers. Propulsion in the water was via a centrally mounted propeller at the rear.

The packing of this offering should mean it reaches you in perfect condition as it is robust. Gates on the sprue are a little on the large side bit as placement is on flat areas for the most part clean up should be a fairly easy task. I have noted that there are a number of small details that will require care when removing and some parts are a little cramped when it comes to removal. Surface detail on the main structure parts is good in all cases from my observations, but I am aware that some will want to remove tie down detail to add their own special touch.

The tracks are very well detailed and are link and length and so a good compromise for fans of individual track links and rubber band offerings. The suspension uses the torsion bar type, but each torsion bar accommodates two wheel stations. Looking at the detail you could mess with the locations but as the track is link and length I see no point to taking that trouble. There is a good amount of photo etch provided with this release and a fair amount of it is small so you are warned. A defensive heavy MG is also provided that I think looks rather good in all regards. Two finishing options are provided both using different styles of the tiger mouth that was popular from the Korean War on.

All told this is a very nice offering from Gecko Models that I suspect like me no one expected to see from a major plastic kit manufacturer. I find Gecko Models offerings as regards vehicles tend to be high mid difficulty but they look good when finished as Gecko Models does try to add the highest levels of detail rather than cutting corners.