A (giant) void is not mandatory to explain away dark energy with a
  Lemaitre - Tolman model
  Lema\^itre - Tolman (L--T) toy models with a central observer have been used
to study the effect of large scale inhomogeneities on the SN Ia dimming. Claims
that a giant void is mandatory to explain away dark energy in this framework
are currently dominating. Our aim is to show that L-T models exist that
reproduce a few features of the $\Lambda$CDM model, but do not contain the
giant cosmic void. We propose to use two sets of data - the angular diameter
distance together with the redshift-space mass-density and the angular diameter
distance together with the expansion rate - both defined on the past null cone
as functions of the redshift. We assume that these functions are of the same
form as in the $\Lambda$CDM model. Using the Mustapha-Hellaby-Ellis algorithm,
we numerically transform these initial data into the usual two L-T arbitrary
functions and solve the evolution equation to calculate the mass distribution
in spacetime. For both models, we find that the current density profile does
not exhibit a giant void, but rather a giant hump. However, this hump is not
directly observable, since it is in a spacelike relation to a present observer.
The alleged existence of the giant void was a consequence of the L-T models
used earlier because their generality was limited a priori by needless
simplifying assumptions, like, for example, the bang-time function being
constant. Instead, one can feed any mass distribution or expansion rate history
on the past light cone as initial data to the L-T evolution equation. When a
fully general L-T metric is used, the giant void is not implied.
