Tamiya 31003 1/700 JMSDF Defense Ship LST-4001 - Ohsumi (Waterline)

This is a plastic model kit, which comes unassembled and unpainted. So glue, model paints and other basic modelling tools are additionally required.

The Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) was established in 1954 and soon began the deployment of landing ships. At that time, only tank landing ships borrowed from the U.S. were used. From 1965, however, the Japanese produced, "Atsumi" and "Miura" type landing ships, deployed one after another. With the ever increasing size of vehicles and equipment to be loaded, and due to the expanding variety of duties to be performed, the deployment of multi-purpose landing ships with increased loading capacity and manoeuvrability became necessary. Plans were drawn up in 1993 and in March of 1998, the biggest transport ship of the JMSDF, the "Ohsumi" was deployed. She boasts an immense upper deck, with an overall length of 160m, breadth of 25.8m and houses a vehicle loading space on the front and a helicopter landing deck on the rear. The front of her hull supports a 100m long vehicle deck. In combination with the upper deck, the loading of between ten and twenty tanks and about forty large scale vehicles is possible. Vehicles are loaded on to the hull via two huge side ramps. Vertical movement of loaded vehicles is enabled by two elevators, one 20t and one 15ft, for the lifting of vehicles from deck to deck. The hull can accommodate 130 crew and 330 troops. In the case of a large scale natural disaster, "Ohsumi" is capable of accommodating more than 1000 people and is fully equipped with medical equipment. In the rear of the hull, there is a 60m long space for two LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushions) place end to end. The first transport hovercraft of the JSDF, the LCAC rides on a cushion of air over water or land at a height of 1.2m at a maximum speed of 40kt (74km/h). With a loading capacity of 50t, overall length of 27m, the LCAC can load one Type 90 tank or over ten light vehicles, manned by a crew of 5 and up to 24 JSDF troops.

The "Ohsumi" type of vessel enables the efficient transport of JDS ground troops to strategic locations, rescue of civilians in case of large scale natural disaster, and potentially functions as a supply base for United Nations Peace Keeping Operations. "Ohsumi Specifications Displacement: 8900t, Overall length: 178m, Draft: 6m Breadth: 25.8m, Maximum Speed: 22kt (40km/h), Armaments: Close in Weapon System x2, Chaff x 6, Main Engine: 2 Shaft Diesel Engine x 2 Maximum Output: 27,000ps