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ICM Acrylic Paint Sets ICM via H G Hannants Ltd In 2021 ICM released their own Acrylic Paint range, and soon after began offering boxed sets that matched with their recent kit releases, which is good marketing, and helpful to the modellers building these kits. The sets arrive in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops that have knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian, plus a bar-code. As is sensible with a new range of paints, we undertook some testing of the first issues to establish whether the paint was good for brushing and airbrushing, and what sort of finish you can achieve with their products. They have released many sets since then, and so far we’ve been reviewing them separately, which is not only time intensive for us, but also means that they’ll be scattered throughout the Tools & Paint Review area, due to the time between releases and the volume of reviews that we post. To counter this, we’ll be putting all the sets in this thread going forward, so that anyone with an ICM kit can check the availability of a suitable set, and only have to read that they have a polypropylene bottle holding 12ml of paint the once. It should cut down on the instances of déjà vu too, which is always nice. Below you can see the results of our initial testing, complete with painted spoons that help to show off the smoothness and effect that light and shade has on the colours. The individual sets will be listed below these, with photos and a note of the colours included for your reference. Testing with Airbrush I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. The photo below shows the five actual colours sprayed out onto plastic spoons that have been prepared by buffing with a fine grade flexible sanding stick of the kind you use in the penultimate step before buffing to a shine. As the paint dried it obtained a highly matt finish with the exception of the Oily Steel paint, which is clearly semi-gloss. The Satin Varnish also worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The satin patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them a chance of adhesion. There was very little damage to the cured paint from scraping my fingernails across the surface too. There were track-marks of course, but no lifting of paint at all. Testing with Paint Brush As usual I used a #6 synthetic filbert brush from AMMO, which has slightly curved edges to keep tramlines in the paint to a minimum. The colours brushed extremely well with one exception, which was the Oily Steel. It appeared to pull up when over-brushed during application, despite the surface remaining wet, which resulted in the appearance of tiny fibre-like structures in the paint that led to a gritty finish that was also translucent even after two coats, obtaining a rather lumpy opaqueness after three coats. The rest of the colours covered perfectly after two coats with minimal brush marks visible, which was thoroughly impressive to this long-lapsed brush painter, and some were almost completely opaque after one coat, save for the fact that they were laid down over a white surface. The undiluted Satin Varnish brushed out well over the matt surface of the brush painted spoon undersides, and I had to leave it until the next day to have my evening meal. The satin effect was excellent again, and the paint was tough enough to stand up to my fingernail test without lifting, although you can’t avoid leaving tracks across the surface due to the deposition of tiny particles from your fingernail on the surface. The Sets We’ve updated this review with all the sets that we’ve reviewed over the last couple of years (how time flies!), and will keep adding the new ones so that it becomes a comprehensive reference. WWII Marder I (3003) This set contains the following colours: 1060 Middle Stone, 1071 Camouflage Green, 1050 Saddle Brown, 1038 German Grey, 1027 Gun Metal, 1002 Matt Varnish B-26K Invader (3007) This set contains the following colours: 1072 US Dark Green, 1058 Tan Earth, 1069 Extra Dark Green, 1002 Black, 1024 Silver, 2002 Satin Varnish OV-10A Bronco (3008) This set contains the following colours: 1071 Camouflage Green, 1031 Warm Grey, 1032 Blue Grey, 1026 Oily Steel, 1002 Black, 2002 Satin Varnish Laffly (3009) This set contains the following colours: 1072 US Dark Green, 1042 Pale Sand, 1052 Hull Red, 1039 Rubber Black, 1027 Gun Metal, 2001 Matt Varnish Basic Colours (3010) This set contains the following colours: 1001 White, 1002 Black, 1003 Deep Yellow, 1004 Deep Red, 1005 Dark Blue, 1006 Deep Green The rear of the box shows the following: USAAF Pilots 1944-45 (1012) This set contains the following colours: 1002 Black, 1008 Deep Brown, 1052 Hull Red, 1068 Olive Green, 1044 Basic Skin Tone, 1059 Green Ochre American Civil War Union Infantry (3013) This set contains the following colours: 1037 Dark Grey, 1026 Oily Steel, 1075 Grey-Blue, 1050 Saddle Brown, 1017 Gold, 1043 Light Flesh German WWII Aviation (3014) This set contains the following colours: 1074 Pale Blue, 1034 Dark Sea Grey, 1003 Deep Yellow, 1070 German Field Grey, 1035 Grey-Green, 2002 Satin Varnish WWII Soviet Aviation (3016) This set contains the following colours: 1032 Blue Grey, 1033 Sky Grey, 1036 neutral Grey, 1069 Extra Dark Green, 1071 Camouflage Green, 2003 Gloss varnish The rear of the box shows the following: Bundeswehr Vehicles & AFVs (3017) This set contains the following colours: 1026 Oily Steel, 1060 Middle Stone, 1072 US Dark Green, 1039 Rubber Black, 1052 Hull Red, 1073 4BO The rear of the box shows the following: WWII Royal Air Force (3018) This set contains the following colours: 1054 Chocolate, 1069 Extra Dark Green, 1037 Dark Grey, 1032 Blue Grey, 1027 Gun Metal, 2002 Satin Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: US Cargo Trucks (3019) This set contains the following colours: 1046 Blood Red, 1003 Deep Yellow, 1066 grass Green, 1068 Olive Green, 1001 White, 2003 Matt Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: Try Me (3020) This set contains the following colours: 1001 White, 1002 Black, 1027 Gun Metal, 1073 4BO Green, 1011 Clear Red, 2004 Grey Primer The rear of the box shows the following: WWII Japanese Aviation (3021) This set contains the following colours: 1063 Green-Grey, 1023 Aluminium, 1025 Natural Steel, 1062 British Khaki, 1073 4BO Green, 2002 Satin Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: US Helicopter Pilots – Vietnam War (3023) This set contains the following colours: 1060 Middle Stone, 1062 British Khaki, 1002 Black, 1072 US Dark Green, 1073 4BO Green, 2001 Matt Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: WWI US Infantry (3024) This set contains the following colours: 1059 Green Ochre, 1055 Deck Tan, 1061 Green Brown, 1050 Saddle Brown, 1008 Deep Brown, 2002 Satin Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: Armed Forces of Ukraine (3025) This set contains the following colours: 1072 US Dark Green, 1035 Grey Green, 1041 Buff, 1069 Extra Dark Green, 1054 Chocolate, 2001 Matt Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: US Helicopters (3026) This set contains the following colours: 1071 Camouflage Green, 1072 US Dark Green, 1001 White, 1007 Deep Red, 1027 Gun Metal, 1011 Clear Red The rear of the box shows the following: Ghost of Kyiv (3027) This set contains the following colours: 1028 Offwhite, 1033 Sky Grey, 1034 Dark Sea Grey, 1037 Dark Grey, 1038 German Grey, 2002 Satin Varnish US Aviation 1980-90 (3028) This set contains the following colours: 1055 Deck Tan, 1056 Light Earth, 1039 Rubber Black, 1072 US Dark Green, 1032 Blue Grey, 1011 Clear Red The rear of the box shows the following: Ships of the Kriegsmarine (3029) This set contains the following colours: 1007 Deep Red, 1018 Brass, 1037 Dark Grey, 1056 Light Earth, 1027 Gun Metal, 1011 Clear Red The rear of the box shows the following: Civilians (3030) This set contains the following colours: 1005 Deep Purple, 1008 Deep Brown, 1009 Deep Green, 1030 Ivory, 1047 Matt Red, 1077 Dark Blue The rear of the box shows the following: Fire Trucks (3031) This set contains the following colours: 1001 White, 1007 Deep Red, 1039 Rubber Black, 1023 Aluminium, 1060 Middle Stone, 1012 Clear Blue The rear of the box shows the following: WWII German Tank Crew (3032) This set contains the following colours: 1024 Silver, 1004 intense Pink, 1002 Black, 1036 Neutral Grey, 1070 German Field Grey, 2001 Matt Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: WWII RAF Pilots (3033) This set contains the following colours: 1077 Dark Blue, 1075 Grey Blue, 1003 Deep Yellow, 1054 Chocolate, 1060 Middle Stone, 2001 Matt Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: American Civil War Confederate Infantry (3034) This set contains the following colours: 1075 Grey Blue, 1076 Deep Sky Blue, 1036 Neutral Grey, 1055 Deck Tan, 1020 Bronze, 2002 Satin varnish The rear of the box shows the following: https://www.britmodeller.com/reviews/icm/paint/3034-american.civil.war.confederate.army/example.jpg Personal Protective Equipment (3035) This set contains the following colours: 1045 Medium, Orange, 1035 Grey Green, 1011 Clear Red, 1039 Rubber Black, 1015 Clear Yellow, 1024 Silver The rear of the box shows the following: WWII Aircraft Armament (3036) This set contains the following colours: 1071 Camouflage Green, 1057 Ochre, 1037 Dark Grey, 1002 Black, 1072 US Dark Green, 1026 Oily Steel The rear of the box shows the following: WWII US Infantry (3037) This set contains the following colours: 1041 Buff, 1058 Tan Earth, 1031 Warm Grey, 1072 US Dark Green, 1008 Deep Brown, 2001 Matt Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: Wehrmacht Trucks (3038) This set contains the following colours: 1038 German Grey, 1040 Beige, 1029 White Grey, 1052 Hull Red, 1072 US Dark green, 2003 Gloss varnish The rear of the box shows the following: Combat Vehicles Armed Forces of Ukraine (3040) This set contains the following colours: 1001 White, 1011 Clear Red, 1027 Gun Metal, 1072 US Dark Green, 1039 Rubber Black, 1073 4BO Green The rear of the box shows the following: WWI British Infantry (3042) This set contains the following colours: 1018 Brass, 1059 Green Ochre, 1071 Camouflage Green, 1062 British Khaki, 1052 Hull Red, 2001 Matt Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the metallics and varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnishes. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

V3000S Einheitsfahrerhaus (35409) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The V3000 was a product of Ford’s German operation that was established before WWII as Ford Werke, and even after WWII started, Mr Ford, who was quite a fan of Herr Hitler, continued doing business with the regime, with some saying that this relationship continued much longer than it perhaps should have done. The truck was powered by a V8 petrol engine that output a respectable 95hp, with a load capacity of three tonnes and a single enclosed cabin, that while it was angular and with no consideration to aerodynamics, it kept the crew dry and warm. Initial production batches suffered from overheating issues when the weather was warmer, so later variants had larger radiators and additional vents around the bonnet to allow more cooling air into the compartment. The V3000S came into service in 1941, and was built in many forms, sometimes referred to as the Maultier when the rear axle was replaced by a track system to improve traction on poor ground, others using the long-winded Einheitsfahrerhaus, which means single cabin. As strategic resources became an issue, efforts were made to simplify production and reduce the use of metallic components, with many cabs being made from pressed wooden panels, which introduced the problem of rotting during the extreme thaw that was inherent to the climate on the Eastern Front. Over 25,000 were made of all types throughout the war, and at the end of the conflict, even though Ford’s factory had led a relatively charmed life with little damage and had chosen to use slave labour despite not being forced to, the parent company was given $1.1m in war damages, and was allowed access to the profits from the WWII period. Mr Ford must have had some pretty powerful connections. The Kit This is a reboxing of a kit that originated in 2010, but has had new parts in the interim, and has also been seen in other people’s boxes over the years. It arrives in ICM’s top-opening box with a captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are four sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, small decal sheet inside the glossy colour printed instruction booklet, which has colour profiles of the decal options on the rear pages. Detail is good, and incorporates a full engine and bay, chassis, axles and cab features, as we’ve come to expect from ICM. Construction begins with the chassis rails, which are extended on top at the rear, then are fitted with three two-part u-clamps, after which the cross-braces are prepared by adding small parts to them to improve the detail. There are a total of six cross-beams mating the two rails together, then the leaf-spring suspension is attached underneath each end, adding extra parts at the front. The V8 engine is built upon a two-part block, which has cylinder heads and ancillaries added, plus air box, gear lever over the transmission box, and cooling fan at the front. The completed motor is dropped into the front of the chassis, with a two-part spare tyre on a double-rail in the middle of the chassis, then a choice of early or late radiators are built, one having directing tin-work to guide the air from the fan behind it. It is fitted to the front of the chassis, joined to the engine by a pair of L-shaped feeder hoses, which vary between the style of radiator you have chosen. The front wheels are made from two halves, with a stepped washer placed in the centre without glue to leave them movable after completion, so don’t overdo the glue. They are joined to the ends of the front axle, with a steering arm ensuring that the wheels turn in unison once they are glued in place and the axle is fitted to the leaf-springs under the chassis, which also received a bumper iron and two curved support rods to the sides. Several brackets and a towing hook are installed around the chassis, the latter on the rear cross-beam, with a locking pin inserted through the two halves. The rear wheels are paired, and have another stepped washer held between the two halves of the inner tyre, while the outer tyre is simply glued to the inner via a keyed hub. The short rear axle with separate differential housing insert is placed between the pairs, and glued to the rear springs, fixing two drive-shaft components to the engine, the forward part needing the two pins removing from its ends. The exhaust pipes leave the manifolds on each side of the engine separately, and only converge at the muffler around halfway down the chassis, with a single exhaust pipe with curved end exiting just in front of one of the rear wheel pairs, with a total of seven parts to make this assembly. A scrap diagram shows how the finished item should be laid out under the chassis once complete, marked in grey to help identify its route. The cab is begun by inserting the two rounded corner windscreen panels into the frame at the top of the bulkhead, and placing the dashboard under it, applying a decal to depict the instruments. The floor panel with integral kick-board has the foot pedals and handbrake lever applied, then it is mated with the bulkhead, which has a lower section installed at the same time to extend it into the firewall. A short scuttle panel covers the space under the windscreen, and the engine bay’s side walls are fitted to mount the curved radiator grille between their front ends, after which the driver gets his steering wheel on a short column, then a bench seat is glued to the floor in two parts, adding the door frames on each side, and the rear of the cab that has the back cushion and a small window fitted before it is mated with the base and the roof is mounted. The doors each have handles and window-winders plus flat clear panes to give the winders their raison d'être. The tapering bonnet has two extensions added to the underside, plus a brace across the underside and a fin with logo down the centre, or there is an alternative with more grille cut-outs in the front of the bonnet that has a fin without logo and uses different parts, including a separate front that has the grille cut-outs moulded-in. The assemblies are brought together to complete the cab, which then has a choice of three styles of fenders, two of which require alteration to remove or shorten the crew steps that are moulded in. Convoy light, headlamps with clear lenses, door handles, fuel filler cap, width indicator lollipops, windscreen wipers and even a shovel are added around the exterior of the cab to finish it off. The load bed has a single floor part that is stiffened by adding five cross-members underneath, and four shallow walls around the edges, the headboard being higher than the others, with a cut-out for rear visibility. Two small three-part stowage boxes are made and fixed under opposite corners of the bed, then the rear fenders are fitted with each one supported by four short strips that install on pegs in the sides of the cross-rails. The headboard has a two-part former for the tilt slotted into receivers moulded into the headboard, and the three sub-assemblies are then brought together to create the truck, finishing the build by adding two additional brackets that create a skeletal crew step beneath each door. Markings There are two options included on the tiny decal sheet, both in later war Dunkelgelb dark yellow, with one wearing a comprehensive brown and green camouflage scheme applied over the yellow. From the box you can build one of the following, although not much information is given: Non-camouflage 1944 Camouflage 1944 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A welcome re-release of the base kit in later war “austerity” mode, where it more closely resembles some of Soviet Russia’s output of the time, especially around the cab. Plenty of detail is apparent, and construction should be straight forward, as long as you remember that you have a choice of radiators that then informs your choice of bonnet fittings. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Mistel 1 (48100) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Mistel came about partly due to the lack of already developed heavy bombers in the German inventory, which forced them to consider using one aircraft to guide another to the target, then set it loose to crash to the ground, triggering the explosives that had been packed into the lower aircraft in advance. They usually used old, obsolete and worn-out medium bombers such as the Junkers Ju.88, with the crew compartment and nose removed, and a large stepped-cylindrical bomb unit bolted in place instead. The guiding aircraft was typically a fighter such as the Bf.109 or Fw.190, and these too were usually earlier versions due to the alterations needed to install the hardened locations that joined the two aircraft together on a trestle that separated the two with enough space to allow for props to spin and reduce the aerodynamic interference between them to an acceptable minimum. This was not a task that a pilot could tackle fresh from flying a standard solo fighter, so training rigs were made that retained the cockpit and crew, left out the explosives for obvious reasons, but otherwise had the same flight characteristics as the more dangerous “live” version. The weaponised Ju.88 had the forward section of the fuselage removed, including the cockpit and nose, to be replaced by a custom fairing that held a substantial explosive charge that would be detonated by the fuse that was mounted to an long probe in the new nose of the aircraft. The pilot in the 109 would control both aircraft on the journey to the target, line the assembly up, releasing the clamps that held his fighter in position as late as possible to increase the chances of hitting the target, letting the ju.88 dive into the ground, detonating the warhead, destroying the aircraft, and hopefully the target too. Providing it survived the process, the fighter flew back to base and carry out another mission, although attrition rates were high, as any hits on the forward part of the Ju.88 risked pre-detonating the warhead, destroying both aircraft. The Boxed Set Just like the real thing, this is a composite of two kits from ICM’s stable, the Bf.109F-4 from 2006, and the Ju.88A-4 from more recently in 2015, which was very well received then, and stands up well now. The new mating parts are held on a separate sprue, and create the link between the two aircraft. The new forward fuselage and bomb section are held on another sprue that is bagged separately with the linking sprue. The decals for the two models have been merged into a single sheet too, as has the thick, glossy-covered instruction booklet, which has colour profiles on the pages following the instruction steps for each component of the twin. It’s worthy of note that ICM have printed the shapes for a set of masks for the 109 for you to lay kabuki tape over and cut your own masks without the faff of doing it live on the model transparencies, or the expense of buying a commercial masking sheet. Good to see. Inside the top-opening box with captive inner flap on the lower tray are thirteen sprues in grey styrene, two sprues of clear parts for both aircraft, a decal sheet, instruction booklet printed in colour on glossy paper, with painting and decaling profiles on the rear pages. There is also a small flyer for the ICM Acrylic paints range, and it is noted on the front page of the instructions that the set #3014 is suitable for these models, a set that we reviewed here. Junkers Ju.88A-4 (48133) The Ju-88 was designed as a schnellbomber in the mid-30s, and at the time it was faster than current fighter designs, so it was projected that it could infiltrate, bomb and exfiltrate without interception by the enemy. That was the theory at least. By the time WWII began in the west, fighters had caught up with the previously untouchable speed of the Ju.88, and it needed escorting to protect it from its Merlin equipped British Spitfires and Hurricanes. It was a sound design however, and turned out to be a jack of all trades, being of use as a competent night fighter, dive bomber or doing reconnaissance to improve the accuracy of its brethren that were engaged in nightly bombing Britain’s major cities and industrial areas. They even popped a big gun on the nose and sent it against tanks and bombers, with variable success. The A series sported a pair of Jumo 211 engines in cylindrical cowlings producing over 1,000hp each, and the design was improved gradually up until the A-17, at which point it was replaced by the C and D, skipping the B, which became the Ju.188 in due course. The Kit Detail is right up there in terms of quality and crispness, with ICM really improving over the last few years, which is great news for modellers, as they aren't frightened of tackling what may seem niche subjects to some. Construction begins with shortening the fuselage at the point marked by red lines on the first drawing. You can install the rear cockpit bulkhead and optionally remove the raised radio boxes from it if you feel the need, before the fuselage floor is added that includes the lower parts of the inner wings and gives the structure some strength. The two halves of the bomb cowling and nose probe are joined together, optionally cutting off the cylindrical tip of the probe to shorten the fuse, inserting the detonator insert into the front, then installing sixteen triangular clasps that are applied to shallow recesses around the rear lip of the bomb cowling. The completed sub-assembly is then mated to the truncated fuselage to replace the missing cockpit. The tail plane has articulated flying surfaces, and the wings are supplied as top and bottom, with the flaps and ailerons separate from the box, and neat curved fairings so they look good when deflected. The flaps include the rear section of the soon-to-be-fitted nacelles, which are added as separate parts to avoid sink-marks, and these and the ailerons run full-span, terminating at the wingtip. The landing gear is made up on a pair of upstands that are added to the underwing in preparation for the installation of the nacelle cowlings. The engines must be built up first though, with a high part count and plenty of detail, plus a rear firewall that securely fits inside the cowling. Even though this is an in-line engine with a V-shaped piston layout, the addition of the annular radiators gives it the look of a radial, with their representation added to the front of the cowling, obscuring much of the engine detail. The side panels can be left off to show all that detail however, so your work can still be seen. The cooling gills around the cowling are separated into sections due to their curve, and the exhausts have separate stacks, which aren't hollow but are large enough to make opening them up with a drill possible. The completed nacelles fit to the underwing over the top of the main gear installation, securing in place on four pegs, two on each side of each nacelle. The props are made from spinner, backplate and a single part containing all three blades, sliding onto a shaft projecting from the engine front, which will require some glue if you want to keep them on. While the airframe is flipped over, the two-part wheels and twin main gear bay doors are added, both having good detail and the former a radial tread. Markings The kit includes three markings options from the sheet. There are halved Swastikas included, although two decal options have them partly obscured by over-painted Tail numbers. From the box you can build one of the following: Ju.88A-4, 2./KG101, St Dizier, June 1944 Ju.88A-4, 2.KG101, France, Summer 1944 Ju.88A-4, probably from Einsatzgruppe 101, Burg, Autumn, 1944 Messerschmitt Bf.109F-4 (48100) The Bf.109 needs little introduction, suffice to say that it was the Luftwaffe’s mainstay frontline fighter throughout WWII, and went through many incarnations in the constant implementation of improvements to keep up with and in some cases surpass the allied fighters it was up against. The F variant was the second major redesign of the basic airframe, including a further uprated engine and the attendant strengthening of the airframe that was required, plus adding rounded tips to the wings that remained for the rest of the 109’s career. It fought in small numbers toward the end of the Battle of Britain and was finally phased out of front-line service in 1942 to be replaced by the Gustav, thereby freeing up battle-weary airframes for use as Mistel chaperones. This kit first hit the shelves in 2006, and while it isn’t the newest 109 in the world, it has all the parts you’d expect, and the flash seen on earlier pressings seems to have disappeared, which is good to (not) see. The cockpit is straight-forward, based upon an angled L-shaped floor with the central cannon breech between the pilot’s knees, and the instrument panel supported on an outcrop from the forward bulkhead with a decal to depict the dials and other controls. The clear gunsight, rudder pedals, control column and seat pan finish the cockpit, then the DB601E engine, which is quite well-detailed and includes exhaust stubs and flame-guards over the top is made up and attached to the front of the cockpit by joining the engine bearers, then a pair of machine guns and ammo canisters are fixed between the two sub-assemblies as they are joined together. With the addition of a trim wheel on the fuselage sidewall and some paint, the fuselage can be closed around the completed interior. The elevators are each single parts, and are installed in their slots, then joined later by a separate rudder that can be posed deflected. Two side cowlings are installed around the engine and the fuselage is joined to the lower wing, which is full width and has the upper halves glued to the top, then the wingtips are inserted into newly formed slots. The windscreen with bullet-proof insert is glued in place along with its fixed rear section and the canopy, which has a set of head-armour installed inside. The supercharger intake trunk is applied to the left side of the cowling, and underneath the nose the chin intake for the oil cooler goes in, then the two radiator baths are inserted into their underwing positions with the flaps put into their tracks in the trailing edge. The narrow track main gear legs are each made up from strut, captive bay door and wheel, which are narrow enough to be moulded from a single part each, and these are both laid flat into the gear bays, as the 109 has no use for its wheels in the Mistel configuration until it returns from its mission. The fixed tail wheel is a single part and slots into the rear under the tail, then it’s back to the front for the prop with two-part spinner and retaining ring. Markings Three similar markings options from the same locations as the Ju.88s (predictably) are supplied for the 109 and can be seen in the photo of the sheet above, and from the box you can build one of the following: Bf.109F-4, 2.KG101, St Dizier, June 1944 Bf.109F-4, 2.KG101, France, Summer 1944 Bf.109F-4, probably from Einsatzgruppe 101, Burg, Autumn, 1944 Joining the Kits There is a comprehensive drawing of the undersides of the 109 and top of the 88 showing exactly where the various holes should be drilled in the two aircraft to enable you to fit the supports to mount the 109. The main support parts are three V-shaped struts under the centre of the fighter, and a single support pole under the tail, plus a hollow V-shaped antenna behind the supports, probably relocated from the spine during the conversion. Conclusion The Mistels were a sign of desperation from the Nazis to an extent, although the Allies also sent some worn out B-17s and B-24s to Germany piloted by radio control, one of which famously killed one of the Kennedy family by detonating prematurely over England before his crew had chance to bail out. A nice pair of well-detailed kits depicting the less well-known phase of development of these composite aircraft from WWII. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

US Helicopter Pilots 1960-70s (53101) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd We’ve had two 1:35 CH-54 Tarhe or Sky Crane kits in for review from ICM lately, and they’re impressive pieces of injection moulded engineering and no mistake, regardless of your feelings on the chosen scale. This set of figures will help to convey a human scale to this gigantic helo, and it arrives in a shallow top-opening box with captive inner flap on the lower tray. Inside are three sprues in grey styrene, a double-sided colour instruction sheet, a flyer for the recently introduced new ICM paint range, and a reminder of their 6-bottle set that is suitable for this set of figures is numbered #3023, which we reviewed here a little while back. There are four figures in the set, two of whom are wearing traditional crew overalls of the era, while the other two wear standard fatigues, with their sleeves rolled-up to counter the heat of their typical arena of operation, Vietnam. All figures are standing, while one pilot has an arm and leg out as if stepping up to the entry of his aircraft, and both overall clad crew have shoulder holsters with a sidearm that is a separate part attached to the junction of the straps under one arm. All the figures have peaked caps, and some can be holding a crew helmet that is found on the smaller sprues in two halves, joining up down the centre to create the hollow inner, which has ear cups for comms moulded into the lining. There are two subtly different styles of helmets, one that has no visible equipment around the sides of the face, and another that has clasps for oxygen masks or other equipment to the sides, and there are two of each type available. All the crew have flat tops to their heads for the caps, so if you decided to make them wear the helmets, you may have to do a little padding to get the correct ‘sit’ on the pilot’s head, or just add a blob of filler to simulate the rest of his head. The parts for each figure are found in separate areas of the main sprue for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from ICM’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. Conclusion These figures are the perfect accompaniment if you want to give viewers a sense of the scale of this immense aircraft without creating a gigantic diorama. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

WWII US Infantry Acrylic Paint Set (3037) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your American Soldiers, recently included in the US Military Patrol kit from ICM themselves, and you will find the following colours in the box: 1041 Buff 1058 Tan Earth 1031 Warm Grey 1072 US Dark Green 1008 Deep Brown 2001 Matt Varnish The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, using drawings of the figures included with that kit. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Satin Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The satin patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Oily Steel and Satin Varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnish, but what happened to the Oily Steel is a mystery to me at this stage, possibly a bad mix, or some other oddity peculiar to my bottle or batch. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

WWII US Military Patrol with G7107 Truck (35599) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that could carry up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, with a four-speed “crash” (non-synchro) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The G7017 had a cargo bed with canvas top, while the G7117 was the same except for the addition of a winch to give it some static pulling power. They were well-liked by their drivers and crews, and were adapted to other tasks due to their ubiquity, such as being used by the Soviets to carry Katyusha rockets on a stripped-down flatbed. The Kit This is a reboxing with added figures of a recent kit from ICM, and is one of a range that is now available from them. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, chassis, cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the chunky tyres, plus the four figures of course. It arrives in one of ICM’s medium-sized top-opening boxes with the usual captive inner flap, and inside are six sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the rear pages. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the rear bumper irons, fuel tank, transfer casing and front axle installed, before the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front, and a short drive-shaft at the rear that links to the transfer box in the middle of the chassis. The rear axle is made up and fitted with another drive-shaft, while the front axle gets the steering arm installed, which keeps the twin ball-jointed hubs pointing in the same direction, providing you’ve not been over-enthusiastic with the glue. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, and the battery box attaches to the outside of the ladder chassis next to a pair of tread-plated steps, then from the left of the engine, the air box and intake are attached to finish it off. The crew cab is next, beginning with the dashboard that inserts in the front bulkhead along with a top panel complete with decal for the dials, then is joined with the cab floor and decked out with a pair of levers, gear stick and hand-brake on the floor, three foot pedals and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in the diagonal floor section in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits into the rear of the cab and has the back wall with small radiused window, then the roof fitted, after which the doors are made up with handles, winders and glazing, fitting within the frame in the open, or closed position. On the front of the firewall a vent is glued to the scuttle panel, and two reservoirs are attached, then the cab is mated to the chassis along with a couple of additional engine ancillaries and linkages to the front axle. The radiator is laminated from core, surround and tin-work, with a bezel fitted to the front and the assembly is then applied to the front of the engine, attaching to the chassis and input/outlet hoses that are already there. The cowling sides and front fenders are installed to permit the front grille to be attached, plus the bonnet and a large front bumper iron that runs full width, and is quite literally a girder. Behind the cab a spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and attention turns to the load bed. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture down the walkway, and a thick rear section with hooks, and the optional reflectors moulded-in, which are removed for three quarters of the decal options. The same is true of the shallow sides, which also have a series of tie-down hooks fixed along their lengths, and the front upright gets the same treatment. An upstand incorporating two vertical pillars is glued to the front, and a pair of sides that consist of siding on five pillars per side are made up and are added to their locations, while underneath the floor is stiffened by adding four lateral supports, a trapezoid rear valence with lights, and four vertical mudguard boards and their supports. The front valance has a hole with a length of tube for the fuel filler to travel, and the final position of this tricky part is shown in a scrap diagram to help you with placement. It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two halves each, and twin wheels at the rear axle, put together with two two-part wheels each, and two hub parts added to the finished pair. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, and is secured in place by a central cap. There is a choice of steps when completing the load bed, as the lower portion of the sides can be built either vertically to make maximum use of the cargo area, or with the lower sections flipped down to form seats for the transport of troops. This is accomplished by using a different set of supports, fitted vertically for stowed, or diagonally below for deployed. Both options then have the five tilt hoops fixed into the tops of their pillars to finish off. The model is finished off with front light with clear lenses, door handles, bonnet clasps, wing mirrors, and a choice of open or closed front windscreen parts, which requires the fitting of alternative wipers to accommodate the horizontally stowed screen, which has small supports fitted diagonally against the A-pillars, as shown in scrap diagrams at the end. Figures There are four crew, three of which are stood or seated in or around the vehicle, plus the driver, who is sat down with his hands and feet arranged to match the pedals of the vehicle. The parts for each figure are found in separate areas of the sprue for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from ICM’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. Markings These vehicles were usually left in their factory-applied scheme of olive drab, but were personalised with unit and other markings. From the box you can model one of the following machine: Decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Maybe it wasn’t very high profile at the time, but this was an almost ubiquitous vehicle in the battle against the Axis forces, that helped to carry out the crucial task of keeping the front-line supplied with weapons and supplies, as well as acting as a cheap and rugged transport for troops when they were out on extended patrols. It is all moulded in great detail as we’ve come to expect from ICM. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Personal Protective Equipment Acrylic Paint Set (3035) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your Chernobyl Liquidators or the new Feat of Divers set from ICM themselves, and you will find the following colours in the box: 1045 Medium Orange 1035 Grey Green 1011 Clear Red 1039 Rubber Black 1015 Clear Yellow 1024 Silver The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, and also depicts some of the figures that have been released as part of ICM’s Chernobyl series of vehicle and figure kits, which at time of writing extends to six boxings… so far. The suitable kits for this set are Radiation Monitoring Station 35901, Rubble Cleaners 35903, Deactivators 35904 & Feat of Divers 35906. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Satin Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The satin patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Oily Steel and Satin Varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnish, but what happened to the Oily Steel is a mystery to me at this stage, possibly a bad mix, or some other oddity peculiar to my bottle or batch. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the thickness of the paint, and the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Chernobyl #6 Feat of Divers (35906) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd In 1986, during the last few years of the Soviet era, April the 26th to be more precise, a supposedly routine test that had been put off during the hurry to commission reactor No.4 was started. It did not go at all well. Due to a design flaw in the reaction moderating control rods, instead of the reactor output reducing to a safe level during this shut-down practice, it ran away and steam voids within the cooling system allowed the temperature to increase, causing an explosion that resulted in the meltdown of the reactor, spewing out radioactive particles via the displaced “lid” of the reactor, which was blown off in the initial explosion, as was the roof of the building. Two workers were killed outright immediately, another two were badly burned, and many of the others were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation over the coming hours, especially the firemen that were in attendance first, before the true extent of the disaster was known. During the initial days following the meltdown, concerns arose that the mixture of molten fuel rods, graphite and concrete that is known as Corium was burning through the thick floor of the reactor, and if it was to reach the large ‘bubbler’ water pools located beneath, the resulting steam explosion could dwarf the initial meltdown, with the potential to irradiate large areas of Europe, making it uninhabitable for an extremely long time. The decision was taken to drain the pool, and three men were chosen to undertake this dangerous mission, two of them because they were familiar with the layout of the corridors under the reactor, the other as shift supervisor. The two engineers were Valeri Bezpalov and Alexei Ananenko, and their supervisor was Boris Baranov. They took their lives in their hands for the greater good and from a sense of duty, donning diving suits and respirators to protect them from inhaling any radioactive particulate. They walked through the flooded corridors, sometimes up to their waists in radioactive water, and eventually achieved their goal of opening the valves that would drain the pool and prevent a catastrophic steam explosion. These men were erroneously reported to have died soon after their brave mission, but this wasn’t the case as the two engineers are still alive, the supervisor dying from heart failure aged 65, which may or may not have been related to his exposure to radiation. Their bravery was eventually rewarded by the Order of Courage from the Ukrainian President, although they had to wait many years before official recognition was given. As it turned out however, the Corium was dripping slowly into the pool, cooling as it did so, without the likelihood of the predicted explosion, but this wasn’t known at the time, and in no way detracts from the men’s bravery and selflessness. The Kit This kit is a new tooling from Ukrainian company ICM, who have been working through several kits to honour the bravery of all the men that worked to reduce and mitigate the effects of the meltdown on the populace of Europe and beyond, a task that is still ongoing at time of writing. It is number 6 in the line, the others having been reviewed on this forum already. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with the usual captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are four sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a printed cardboard backdrop, and an instruction sheet with drawings of the figures on one side, plus a sprue diagram and paint chart on the other side. ICM’s figure sculptors are exceptional, creating realistic figures that have sensible parts breakdown to minimise clean-up. There are four figures in this set, comprising three divers and one military assistant that is reaching up to adjust the equipment of one of the divers before he ventures into the tunnels. Each drawing on the instructions shows the part numbers as well as the paint codes that are shown as red boxed letters that correspond to the table on the opposite page, giving the colour names in Ukrainian, English and ICM’s relatively recent acrylic paint range, which also advises you that their six-bottle set #3035 is suitable to paint this kit. The three divers are dressed head-to-foot in thick, baggy diving suits, complete with a tight-fitting head-piece, and traditional goggles, which have clear parts supplied for added realism. Their air tanks are strapped to their backs and are made up from three small tanks and a regulator under a fairing that has a flexible hose exiting each side and going over the shoulders, joining the mouth-piece at the front. Two of the divers have already donned their masks, while one still has his around the upstanding collar at his neck. They are all stood upright in stances that imply their resignation to the task in hand as you can probably imagine, especially if you have seen the superb HBO mini-series Chernobyl. The third diver is adjusting the seating of his mask with both hands, while the assistant is wearing Soviet military uniform, plus a face mask to help reduce ingestion of radioactive dust, and is reaching up to assist his colleague with his mask. The backdrop is made from thick card with a matt printed front surface that replicates the area where the divers entered the catacombs, with the smouldering reactor #4 in the background, complete with its candy-striped chimney. It folds up into a three-sides of a rectangle that will retain its shape with a little glue or tape on the tab that is present on the short side, which has the kit number printed on it in white. The scene is well-depicted, and even has a couple of fire engines and one of the helicopters that dropped loads of sand/boron mixture on the exposed reactor in the hope that it would keep the radiation in check, at least temporarily. Conclusion The sculpting on the figures in this set is crisp and realistic, showing some small differences between the equipment worn by the individual divers, with separate hoses, masks and heads adding to the detail. A great tribute to those brave me. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

URAL-43203 Military Box Vehicle of the Ukraine Armed Forces (72709) 1:72 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The URAL-4320 originally entered into Soviet service in the late 70s, and as it is still in production, they and their derivatives are almost ubiquitous in Eastern Europe. It is in use with the Ukrainian Armed Forces today, where its off-road capabilities are essential, bouncing over rutted and turned-over terrain where tanks and shell holes have ruined the surface over the course of the last year. The invader has also donated some additional trucks that have been left behind, which is helpful. The vehicles are painted in a striking digital camouflage over their basic green colour to help hide them in built-up areas. Keep up the good work! The Kit This is a reboxing of a kit that has its heritage in the late 1990s, although there have been numerous additional parts over the years. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with captive lid to the lower tray, and inside are three sprues, load box and cab parts in grey styrene, a larger sprue in black, two small clear sprues, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet on glossy paper with colour profiles on the rear. Due to the age of the kit there are some minor issues with flash here and there, but it looks to have been reduced in this latest boxing, and where it remains, a quick scrape with the edge of a blade will see it disappear in moments. The cab part is slide-moulded, and a little flash is visible around the edges where the mould sections meet, probably as a result of the age of the mould. A little more care will be needed here to ensure you don’t accidentally remove any of the detail that should be there. The load area is also slide-moulded to obtain detail on all sides of the exterior, and the window cut-outs on the diagonal roof sections. Construction begins with the chassis, which is predominantly moulded in black, as per the finished colour of the underside, which is helpful. The three axles, drive-shafts, cross-members, exhaust and a representation of the underside of the drive-train are all added to the ladder chassis, and the axles are tipped with six two-part wheels with separate hub inserts. The cab interior is relatively simple, and is made from a sled-like floor to which the twin-seat part and gear stick are fitted, while the dash is given a steering wheel on the left side, and a grab rail on the right for the co-driver to stabilise himself when traversing rough terrain. These sub-assemblies are inserted into the cab from below after the numerous windows are fitted from within, adding radiator and inner arches within the engine bay, and two crew steps are fixed under the side doors, plus lights and door mirrors to complete the cab, which is then put to the side while the load bed is made. The bed floor is a single part that is stepped and has raised areas to accommodate the rear wheels, with plenty of support structure underneath, and mudflaps added on each side of the double rear axles. A small section of the floor is removed before installation of the upper, then an extending aerial on a bracket, spare tyre, and stowage areas are fitted around the rear and underneath. At the front of the load box, there are various piece of equipment related to climate control fixed high up above the cab, a cluster of small windows on the diagonal sections of the roof, and optional extra parts on the flat part of the roof to complete the detail. When it is installed on the chassis, a five-part fuel tank is inserted under the left front of the bed, completing the model by adding the substantial front bumper iron to the front end of the chassis rail. Markings There are two options included on the decal sheet, but with four number plates, that’s really four with two camouflage colour options. The base colour remains the same, adding either subdued digital camouflage decals, or the brighter yellow and brown option. It’s entirely up to you and/or your references which combination you go for. From the box you can build one of the following: Armed Forces of Ukraine Armed Forces of Ukraine, camouflage version from 2021 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s not a new kit, so a little work tidying up the parts will pay dividends, but it’s an example of a Ukrainian workhorse that’s carrying crucial goods for the soldiers and civilians during this terrible war, this time with protection from the elements, and a likelihood that it could also serve as a radio truck. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Bristol Beaufort Mk.I British Dominions Air Force (48312) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Beaufort was originally designed as a torpedo bomber by Bristol, using the experience they had gained in developing the then-excellent Blenheim. They were ready in time for the outbreak of WWII, and as well as their prescribed role, they were also used as light bombers, undertaking many ‘Rhubarb’ missions over enemy territory in the so-called ‘phony war’, undertaking daylight missions that saw heavy casualties, although the accidental loss tally outstripped combat losses, surprisingly. Roughly 1,200 were built in the UK, with the total being elevated to almost 2,000 by additional Australian-built airframes that were known as DAP Beauforts. They were rapidly overhauled by the German fighters and were withdrawn from frontline service as early as 1942, by which time they had also been tasked with Aerial mine-laying. From then on, they were assigned to serve away from the front, and saw extensive use as a trainer, which might go at least some of the way to explain the high attrition rate due to accidents. A further development of the Beaufort was the Beaufighter, which used important components of the Beaufort that included the wings and engines, with a new cut-down fuselage that was comparatively low and streamlined, with a powerful cannon armament under the nose that was useful in its assigned duties as long-distance heavy fighter, and later nightfighter, where it excelled. Some obsolete Beauforts were even converted to Beaufighters to make further use of the shared parts, which gave many of the original airframes a more honourable end than they would otherwise have seen. In an attempt to improve on the original Mk.I that took up the majority of production, the designers created additional variants that used other engines, had faired over turrets when they were to be used as trainers, and even a project that saw the fitment of a pair of Merlin XX engine that didn’t achieve the desired effect, so was cancelled, in much the same manner as the Merlin powered Beaufighter that managed to be “underpowered” despite the pedigree of the engines that propelled it. The Kit A lot of modellers that build in 1:48 waited with baited breath for this new tooling from ICM, and now we have several boxings and we’re still very happy about it. This new issue arrives in a reasonable-sized top-opening box with their usual captive lid on the lower tray. Inside are eight sprues in mid-grey styrene, a large clear sprue, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet that has colour profiles on the rear pages. Opening the resealable bags reveals the detail that has been lavished on this kit that includes lots of internal ribbing, a set of ribbed flap bays and flaps, a representation of both banks of the Bristol Taurus engines, detailed gear bays and bay doors, and a torpedo in a separate bag to complete the package. As the strapline “WWII British Dominions Air Force” suggests, all the operators for the decal options are, or rather were Dominions of the British Empire during WWII, including New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa. Construction begins with a narrow torpedo bay under the fuselage that is glued to a section of the aft floor, then detailed with ribs, flipped over and joined to a bulkhead that has a doorway cut in it, then has a chute made up on one side before it is attached to the rest of the interior floor, which is initially free of detail, apart from underneath, where it has bomb shackles moulded-in, and a semi-cylindrical bay toward the front of the fuselage, which will allow the torpedo to nestle into the fuselage part way. The starboard fuselage half has an insert fitted in the wing-root depression to match the crisp moulded ribbing that is all over the interior as far back as the trailing edge of the wings, and begins again in the tail-wheel bay. The side windows are inserted from inside, swapping the rear one out for an opaque cover if appropriate, then the floor is mated on several slots into the fuselage sides ready for the twin spars and a good quantity of detail. The forward spar is detailed with four parts to depict the radio gear with a plotting table below it, and on the other side a section of sloped fairing is fixed, then the assembly is glued into its slot, joining the bottom of the spar with the internal floor. The cockpit is a separate assembly that is started by joining the two halves of the side console together, adding a raised floor panel, the instrument panel with six dial decals and rudder pedals, a short half-bulkhead, and the swivelling front seat. Another simple seat is made up and glued to the rear spar along with another step-like fairing, and it too is slipped into the rear slot in the fuselage and glued in place. The pilot’s seat is made up from two parts and has a bow-tie control column placed in front of it, while to the rear, an Elsan toilet is dropped onto a raised plinth in the rear fuselage floor. The tail wheel bay is made up from ceiling with two small oval bulkhead ends, and it is glued into the very rear, which already has ribbing moulded into the sides. The tail-wheel and strut are moulded as one that inserts in the bay ceiling on a peg, so can be left off until after main painting. The port fuselage half is prepared in a similar manner to the starboard, save for the optional rear window, and a pair of 0.9mm holes that are drilled in the ceiling. Just before closing the fuselage, another detail part is fixed to the bulkhead behind the pilot’s seat, with another glued into the nose, which might be better added before you paint the cockpit. The main canopy is glued over the cockpit aperture, and the nose is glazed by four additional clear parts, and a choice of port-side aft door with a circular porthole or gun port fitted over the hole in the fuselage, which can have a Lewis machine-gun with dinner plate magazine on a spar across the opening. If you are installing the gun, the clamshell door part should be left off. The Beaufort had mid-mounted wings, so each one is separate, and made from two halves. The port wing has a small landing light bay inserted before it is closed, and a small dome is removed from the leading edge for some variants, then the clear glazing is inserted once the glue has set up. A clear wingtip is fitted, and a one-piece aileron is added and able to be offset if you feel the urge. You also should make a choice whether to fit the wing surface over the inner flaps with a trio of strakes in a nacelle extension, or a straight section with curved root fairing. The same process is carried out minus the landing light bay on the starboard wing, then both wings are slotted over the two spars that have corresponding guides moulded into the inside of the wings to ensure good location. The elevator fins are each two parts and are mounted in the usual slot/tab method, to be joined by one-piece elevators and rudder, which the latter having a pair of horns near the hinge. Two flap sections are added to each wing’s underside, then the two nacelles are made up from halves along with a bulkhead near the front, and another that is glued into the wing before the nacelles are put in place. The roof of the bay is free of any detail, and is the location that the twin strut gear legs and their actuators are fixed once they are built up. The main wheels are each two halves, and they flex-fit into the lower section of the main leg, which has a curved tubular framework added to the top section, probably to assist with the smooth opening and closing of the door bays. The lower section of the main gear forms a twin triangular framework that is linked by a couple of cross-members before the lower section is glued into the sockets in the upper section, and has another pair of actuators added at the rear to brace the top section. Both assemblies are inserted into the bays on each level of the ceiling, then the twin bay doors with their ribbed inners are added to the sides of the bays on hinge tabs. At the same time, the bomb bay has a small insert attached to the front bulkhead to add detail to the area. Each Taurus radial engine is formed from two well-detailed banks of cylinders with a circular collector ring attached to the centre by three stators, plus a complex system of tubes installed around the circumference in between the cylinders, and another at the rear of the engine that has a square peg at the back for fixing them to the wing through the cooling flaps at the rear of the cowlings. Two holes on the top of the nacelle receive a two-part intake, then the cowling is wrapped around the engine, comprising two halves and a pair of curved exhausts for each engine. She’s looking very much like a Beaufort now, but needs some defensive armament in addition to the optional Lewis gun in the side. The mid-upper turret is semi-conformal to the back of the cockpit “hump”, and is built upon a section of the fuselage with a circular base that receives the guns’ mount and gunner’s bicycle-style seat below the lip, gluing the front of the turret into position, then creating a platter for the two Lewis guns, one of which is mounted at 90° to the other to fit within the confined space, plus an armour plate at the rear of the breech with a letterbox for the gunner to peer through. This is emplaced on the mount, and is closed in by adding the rear glazing. It is inserted into the aperture behind the wings, and is faired-in by a single horse-shoe shaped part that cuts down on the whistling as it flies along. The bomb/torpedo bay forms a cruciform shape when viewed from below, as it was lengthened to accept the torpedo, and has the mount fitted into the wider centre section, and if not carrying a torpedo, two inserts close off the bomb bay from its two narrower sections. The bay doors are in three sections, the narrower front and rear sections having one door per side, while the wider bomb bay section has two doors each side that fold together, minimising the aerodynamic drag, as well as fitting in the space below the aircraft when on the ground. If you plan on posing all the bay doors closed, there are three additional conjoined parts to ease your path, which is always nice to see. The torpedo has been seen in a separate box before, and its build is covered on the last page of instruction steps, making it up from two halves, adding a three-part H-tail with twin spinners, and another spinner-plus-spacer at the business end. There are also five steps to create a trolley for moving your Torp about and loading it onto the Beaufort on rising scissor-links if you want to add a bit of diorama appeal to your model. The torpedo is mounted with all bay doors open, and glues onto a long curved rectangular frame in the centre of the bomb bay. While the model is inverted, the underslung nose turret can be built from three parts for the gun and two-part dome, or a blanking plate is fitted over the aperture. A pitot is also mounted under the nose, a towel-rail antenna under the fuselage, and three small outlets are mounted on the wings and just behind the bomb bay. Back on its wheels, the cockpit hump is detailed with two more antennae, and another optional post at an angle on the roof. Markings ICM have begun to include templates for masking material with each of their new kits, which can be found just in front of the colour profiles for you to place tape over, cut around and apply to your model, thanks to drawings above that indicate what goes where. There are a generous five decal options included on the sheet, all but one of them having the early war green/brown camo on top, and grey, sky or black undersides. The different option is in green/grey with black undersides. From the box you can build one of the following: N1089 or N1106 P, No.489 Sqn. RNZAF, Fall, 1941 L9802 GX-S, No.415 Sqn. RCAF, Thorney Island, November 1941 753 O, 36 Coastal Flight SAAF, Wingfield, Capetown, Spring 1942 761 W, 27 Coastal Flight SAAF, Spring 1942 N1030, No.149 Sqn. RCAF, British Columbia, June 1943 The decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, and include dials for the instrument panels, with good register, sharpness and solid colours. Conclusion The ICM Beaufort is an easy nomination for the definitive kit of the type in 1:48, and deserves the plaudits despite being the only kid on the block. There’s plenty of detail, a sensible build process and a good choice of decal options. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Unimog S404 German Military Radio Truck (35137) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Unimog was the brand-name used by Mercedes for their truck, tractor and commercial vehicle range that began post WWII as an agricultural brand, initially built by another company for them whilst using their engines. The range broadened in the late 40s and early 50s to include trucks, of which the 404 series was one, entering production in 1955. It is a small (1.5 tonne) 4x4 truck that was driven by a 2.2 litre M180 straight-6 Mercedes engine and has impressive off-road performance due to a change that had been required by a customer, the French Army, who wanted the spare tyre to be stored clear of the load compartment. The designers altered the shape of the rear chassis rails to allow the wheel to sit under the floor, the downward sweep giving the chassis extra flexibility that smoothed the ride on rough surfaces, assisted by coil springs, rather than traditional leaf springs. The four-wheel drive system could be disengaged on smoother ground, leaving just the rear wheels engaged, thereby saving fuel and wear on the front drive-shafts, and generally improving performance all round. The 404 series was the most numerous of the Unimog line, and was available as a short or long-wheelbase chassis, with the shorter option phased out at the beginning of the 70s, while the longer wheelbase continued on for another decade before it too was retired. The nascent West German Bundeswehr were a major customer, buying substantial quantities of the S404 as a workhorse for their forces, taking on many roles in their service. A total of over 62,000 S404s were made over its lengthy production run, with many of them still on and off the roads to this day due to their rugged engineering. The Kit This is a rebox with additional sprues of a new tooling from Ukrainian company ICM of this Bundeswehr pillar of their transport arm. It arrives in a top-opening box with a captive lid on the lower tray, and inside are seven sprues of grey styrene, two clear sprues, five flexible black tyres, a decal sheet and a glossy printed instruction booklet with colour profiles on the rear pages. Detail is excellent throughout, and includes a full chassis and engine, plus the bodywork and new load area, all crisply moulded as we’ve come to expect from ICM. The grille of the vehicle is especially well-done, as are the coil springs on each corner, and the wheels are very neat with multi-part hubs. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which is joined together with a series of cylindrical cross-members, plus front and rear beams, the latter braced by diagonal stiffeners to strengthen the area around the towing eye at the rear. The suspension is next, adding an insert to the opposite side of each spring to avoid sink-marks, but care must be taken to align them neatly to minimise clean-up afterwards. Triangular supports for the fuel tanks are added on each side, then attention turns to the six-cylinder Mercedes motor. Beginning with the two-part cylinder block and gearbox, the basic structure is augmented by ancillaries, fan, pulleys and drive-shaft for the front wheels, after which the engine is mated to the chassis and has the long exhaust system installed, adding a muffler insert around the half-way point, and siting another drive-shaft adjacent. Two stamped fuel tanks are each made from top and bottom halves, with the forward one having a filler tube and cap glued to the side, sitting on the out-riggers that were fitted to the chassis earlier. The front axle is made up from five parts to capture the complex shape of the assembly, to be installed between the suspension mounts and mated to the forward drive-shaft, plus the stub axles for the front wheels. A stowage box is made for the opposite side of the chassis from the fuel tanks, then the rear axle is built with similar detail and part count, fitting between the suspension and having larger circular stub-axles that have the drum brakes moulded-in. The front wheels have separate drum brakes, and both front and rear axles are braced with damping struts, while the front axle has a steering arm linking the two wheels together, with more parts connecting it to the steering column. With the chassis inverted, the front bumper and its sump guard are fixed to the front, and a curved convoy shield-light on the rear cross-member, plus another pair of diagonal bracing struts for the rear axles. Each wheel is made up from a two-part hub that goes together much like a real steel hub, but without the heat of welding, around the flexible black tyres. The front and rear hubs are of different design, so take care inserting them in the correct location. Lastly, the chassis is completed by adding the radiator and its frame at the front of the vehicle. The cab is the first section of the bodywork to be made, starting with the floor, adding foot pedals, shaped metalwork around the gearbox cut-out, sidewalls and the internal wheel wells below the floor level. Several additional parts are glued beneath the floor for later mounting, then the lower cab is built up on the floor, including the front with recessed headlight reflectors; bonnet surround, dashboard with decal, plus various trim panels. The floor is then lowered onto the chassis with four arrows showing where it should meet with the floor, taking care with the radiator. Once in place, the bonnet and more interior trim is installed along with a bunch of stalks between the seat positions. The seats are made from the sprung frame to which the two cushions are fixed, much like the real thing, then they’re mounted inside the cab, followed closely by the two crew doors, which have handles on both sides, and pockets on the interior, and can be posed open or closed. More grab-handles, controls and other small parts are fixed around the dash, and the windscreen frame with two glazing panels are put in place, with a highly detailed steering wheel that has the individual finger ‘bumps’ on the underside, and for your ease, it’s probably better to put the wheel in before the windscreen is fixed in place. The cab is finished off by adding the canvas top, which starts with an L-shaped top and rear, to which a small rectangular window and two side sections are added, dropped over the cab when the glue is dry and the seams have been dealt with along with the side windows that consist of the frame with two glazing panels in each one. Later, the recessed headlight reflectors should be painted with the brightest metallic you can find before they are covered by the clear lenses and their protective cages, joined slightly outboard by combined side-light/indicator lenses, a choice of two styles of door mirrors, and a pair of windscreen wipers to keep the screen clear. The load bed begins with a flat rectangular floor, several supports and two lateral beams that takes the weight of the bed once complete. The sides of the load area are covered with raised and recessed detail, and comprise four parts, one for each side, with windows and optional grilles added from the inside. The roof has moulded-in hatches, which are covered by a tubular framework with cross-braces. A quartet of clear lights are fitted to the corners of the roof, adding twin V-shaped tubes closer into each corner, with a mushroom vent near the front. A set of poles are glued to the side in a rack, handles are added to the recessed areas of the doors, with a frame fixed to the front of the load box to carry the turbo-heater that is built from halves as a clasped case and a tubular assembly with a grille at the intake end. Underneath is a rack for a nicely detailed jerry can, several stowage boxes and optional racks or steps, and the spare wheel on a dropped C-shaped mount, built in the same manner as the road wheels. A plate holder is hung under the rear, also holding the rear lights for that side, with another less substantial part on the opposite side. On the left-hand back door of the load area, a large extending antenna is located, with a winder handle for deployment, and the roof can either be fitted with four fixed antennae on the corners between the V-tubes, or smaller lights can be inserted into the holes if you wish. Markings You might guess that some of the decal options are green, but there are two in NATO camouflage that is so typical of how many of us will remember the Unimog in West German service. From the box you can build one of these four: S404 Radio Truck, 5th Signal Battalion, 5th Tank Division, Dietz, early 70s S404 Radio Truck, 74th Fighter Sqn., Germany, 70s S404 Radio Truck, 77th Artillery Regiment, 7th Panzer Division, Trutzige Sachsen Exercise, Northern Germany, 1985 S404 Radio Truck, 12th Air Defence Regiment, Hardheim, 1991 The decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, and consist of dials, number plates, stencils and a few other small decals, with good register, sharpness and solid colours. If you don't think you have the correct paint shades in stock for this kit, there is a new Acrylic Paint Set from ICM specifically designed for this model, our review of which we can see here. Conclusion The Unimogs were ubiquitous in Cold War West German army service, so there ought to be a good market for a modern tooling of the type, with some variants already released, and more probably on the way in due course. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Sikorsky CH-54A with M-121 Bomb (53055) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd With the advent of the helicopter, their ability to rise vertically into the air led them to lifting heavy loads, and by the end of the Korean War, there were already Heavy Lift choppers in service, most using piston-engines as their motive force, which was a limitation both in terms of power and reliability – a very important factor when you aren’t flying, but are instead beating the air into submission with your rotors. The peculiarly ungainly-looking CH-60 Mojave was reaching the end of its service life, and Igor Sikorsky had already identified the need for a very heavy lift helicopter with the S-60 that was powered by WWII era radial engines. The design was the basis for the Tarhe, but updated and given the more powerful and reliable turbo-shaft engines that were just coming into production. The engines for the nascent CH-54 were created in conjunction with Pratt & Whitney, adapting one of their new JT12 jet engines to their requirements. In an effort to keep the weight of the airframe down, the designers gave the Tarhe a cut-down skeletal fuselage, with only the crew compartment boxed in. This compartment also contained a rearward-facing cab that gave the crane operators an excellent view of proceedings, as well as limited control over the height and attitude of the airframe, as the CH-54 had an early form of fly-by-wire that allowed the duplicating of controls in a secondary location, but with the effectiveness of the controls lessened to reduce the likelihood of accidents due to sudden movements caused by the crane-operator. The advanced control system also gave it such luxuries as altitude control, reducing the workload of the pilots during extended hovers. The US Army recognised the potential of the type after a short testing phase, and took over 100 airframes on charge that would see extensive use in Vietnam. A civilian version was created too, called the S-64 Skycrane, while in army service it was often referred to as just ‘The Crane’. Because of its size, The Crane was capable of carrying enormous loads that were hitherto impossible to lift vertically, if at all. It was able to carry a Sheridan Tank, an M101 Howitzer, or up to 90 fully kitted out soldiers in a passenger pod that could be slung under the skeletal bodywork. There’s some fantastic diorama fodder right there. One of the more unusual tasks allotted to the Tarhe was carrying a huge 10,000lb bomb that was nicknamed the ‘Daisy Cutter’, although its proper designation was M-121. It was intended to explode above ground to clear landing areas for helicopters, but could also be used to clear foliage and enemy equipment, booby-traps and other unwanted obstacles away. It was packed with TNT and had an effective blast radius of 60m, but the shockwave could incapacitate or injure NVA troops up to 500m away. The Tarhe was an expensive method of delivery with limited range however, and the C-130 took over the job eventually, unloading the bomb via the rear load ramp. The bomb was superseded with a more powerful BLU-82 once stocks of the M-121 were depleted. The Tarhe was eventually withdrawn from service in the late 80s, as the airframes were ageing and the new Chinook was taking over in military service, the Tarhe finally leaving National Guard service in the early 90s. Due to their usefulness however, many of them were bought by civilian operators, especially Erickson Air-Crane of Oregon, who also took over type approval to ensure their ongoing airworthiness. The Kit This is a rebox of a brand-new tooling from ICM with a new sprue for the bomb, and while I initially rubbed my chin sceptically over the chosen scale, it makes an awful lot of sense when you consider what it can carry. The master tooling is the first of its kind in this scale, and in fact we’ve not been very well served in any scale as far as the Tarhe goes, other than a really old kit in 1:72 from another manufacturer. It arrives in a long top-opening box with a wrap-around painting of the type in action, and inside are a deceptive two lower trays with the usual captive lids, all of which is held in by tape. Take care when opening the box, as it could surprise you when the second box drops out. Once the boxes are open, the sprues have been spread evenly across the two trays to reduce the likelihood of damage to some of the lovely detail that’s within. There are fifteen sprues in grey styrene, one of clear parts, a relatively small decal sheet, and a moderately thick instruction booklet printed on glossy paper with colour profiles in the rear. It’s difficult to get a feel for the scale of the finished model from the sprues, but the length is stated on the box of 774mm or 30.4” long, and 225mm or 8.9” tall. The width isn’t given, but each rotor is 28cm or 11” long, so allowing for the extra width of the centre boss it should be a little more than twice that wide. Detail is excellent, as we’ve come to expect from ICM in recent years, with finely engraved panel lines, raised rivets where appropriate, and crystal-clear canopy parts, which will be very visible on the finished model. Without a shadow of a doubt someone will manage to create a diorama that uses the cables to support the finished model above its load to give the impression of flight, and if they also manage to make the blades rotate, they may just achieve modelling godhood. Construction begins with the stepped cockpit floor, which is kitted out with rudder pedals for both pilots, adding the instrument panel and supporting centre console with decals to the centre, then fixing collective and cyclic sticks in position, followed by the seats that are each made from rear frame, seat pad and back cushion, locating in holes in their adjustment rails moulded into the floor. Another seat is made up from a solid base and two cushions, gluing in position on the lower section of the floor, facing aft and forming the first part of the crane operator’s cab. A partial bulkhead separates the front seats from the rear, adding another to the side of the seat that has a small console with joystick sprouting from the centre. Another L-shaped column is added on the inner side, and a short frame with an instrument panel and decal attached to it at the side of the cut-out, which is fleshed out with a pair of curved bulkheads. At the front of the cockpit, the nose cone is mounted in front of the instrument panel, then the sides and underside of the cockpit structure closes in much of the area. Turning the assembly around, the rear is closed in with a panel that wraps under the edge, and under the crane-operator seat, a foot rest with twin supports is slotted into the edge. The back of the cockpit has a lot of glazing, starting with five radiused panes in the starboard corner, one more on the port by the crane-op’s seat, and a large wrap-around section enclosing the operator’s cab. Much of the fuselage of this behemoth is skeletal, and is built up as a separate assembly, including internal bracing to ensure your Tarhe doesn’t become a Droopee. The process starts with the underside of the fuselage structure, which is made from three overlapping lengths that have location grooves for the bracing that comes later. Firstly, the winch is made from two halves that form a drum, capped off with two nicely detailed parts that turn it into a bobbin, which is supported between two angled trunnions that are each laminated from three parts, and braced at one end by rods and by the bobbin at the rounded end. It is glued between two vertical braces that have two more braces slotted in across the front and rear of the winch bay, fixing two exterior panels to the end of the cross-braces, plus another that is slotted in nearer the front. Take care here, as there are two slots, and the aft-most is the correct choice. At the same time, a cross-brace that supports the main landing gear sponsons is added from underneath, and this slots into all four thicknesses, as does another short brace behind and one more in the front, making the assembly stronger, and once it is glued to the underside of the fuselage it should be very strong. On the tapering tail section two more bulkheads are shown being added, but in the next step a longitudinal brace is shown already fitted, which I suspect is part D11, but test fit to reassure yourself when you build yours. The two tail sides with moulded-in fin hides the tail internals, joining together at the tip of the fin, and secured by adding the rear surface, and cutting a raised area off the underside. The topside of the fuselage is then boxed in with three panels, the largest having a hole in the centre for the rotor head later. The full length of the beast can be seen for the first time now, when you mate the cockpit to the front of the fuselage, gluing the side extensions to the bare section to create one assembly. An overhead console is decaled and detailed with levers, and is fixed to the rear bulkhead of the cockpit alongside another, after which the cockpit roof is laid over the area, followed by the windscreen and side doors that give your Tarhe a face. Two small two-part “ears” are made up and inserted in recesses near the rear of the cockpit, as are a couple of other small humps and bumps, the uses for which will become clear later. On the port fuselage side, a thick trunk of cables is fixed to the side and overlaid by a pair of C-shaped assemblies that are each built from three parts. The CH-54 had long legs that allowed it to pull its loads close to the spine to reduce sway, and these are next to be made, starting with a pair of two-part wheels, and the sponsons that support them, each one made from four surfaces, plus the struts, which have a two-part sleeve around the upper area, separate scissor-links and two tie-down hooks, fitting to the end of the sponson by the flattened rear of the outer sleeve. The nose wheel is also two-part, and fits on a short oleo with a one-part scissor-link under the nose. The winch head is also two parts and is added to the winch mechanism while the main gear sponsons are slipped over the supports and the nose wheel is put in place. The tail rotor head is a complex assembly that should remain mobile after construction, made up from eleven parts and fitted on the back of the tail fin along with a small bracing rod at the front. There are also several external trunks added individually on the starboard side and down the leg sponsons, some of which are overlaid by a protective panel near the front, and yet more small lengths are dotted around all over the place, making for a complex, detailed surface that should look more realistic than moulded-in alternatives. The drive-shaft for the tail rotor is also external, and runs up the back of the fin through some additional brackets, and terminating at the bottom with a four-part universal joint. More scabbed-on panels are fitted to the back of the fuselage, and a pair of optional aerodynamic fairings are supplied for the sides of the main gear sponsons. This isn’t even close to the final layer of detail yet, but we take a break from detailing to build the main rotor head next. The rotor-head starts with a bell-housing that has two input shafts from the twin turbo-shaft engines, the main portion of which is two parts, plus two-part end caps that is then placed on a circular base, and has the shaft cover and ring fitted to the top, adding a number of actuators and rods to the side, plus a housing with pulleys and equipment that mounts on the back of the head. The basic assembly is then mated with the opening in the top of the fuselage, after which there are a host of small wires/actuators/hoses that link the two assemblies together. A scabbed-on box is fixed to the fuselage behind the rotor off to one side to accommodate the drive-shaft for the tail rotor later, and a bulwark slots into a groove just in front of the rotor-head, followed by the drive-shaft, which slots through a support and dives through the tail to emerge behind the fin at the universal joint. A two-layer cover is placed over the drive-shaft around half way back, possibly to protect it from blade strikes, but it’s not the only piece of equipment that is sited on the fuselage top, which includes what appears to be a radiator assembly and some kind of exhaust, both installed behind the rotor-head, an area that is getting busy already. More parts are added further enmeshing the various assemblies, then it’s time to build the two engines. The Pratt & Whitney engines are identical in make-up until they reach the exhaust stage, which is handed. The front section is made from thirty-five parts before the handed exhausts are made, each one a mirror-image of the other, and built from eight more parts. The motors are mounted on the top deck with an M-brace between them, adding a few more small parts around them, then building up two intake filter boxes from sixteen parts each, handed to each side, with a scrap diagram showing how they should look from the front. They mount in front of the engine intakes on the ears we made earlier, and have two Z-braces front and rear between them. There are four auxiliary winches for load stabilising placed around the front and rear sides of the fuselage, with a four-part assembly making each one, and locating on a pair of brackets moulded into the fuselage sides. More detail is applied to the cockpit in the shape of four clear lenses underneath, a towel-rail and blade antenna, two more externally routed wires around the rear, and crew step plus three ladder rungs on each side, with two more around the rear. Grab-handles, door handles and windscreen wipers are next, followed by yet more grab handles on both sides leading up to the cockpit roof. More aerials are fixed at the root of the tail boom, and at the very rear, a three-part bumper is fitted under the fin, then an asymmetrical stabiliser is mounted on the opposite side of the fin to the tail rotor. Most traditional choppers have two rotors, and despite its size the Tarhe conforms to that layout, and the tail-rotor is first to be made, starting with the two-part rotor base that accepts the four individual blades, and a two-part actuator crown in the centre. It fits to the axle and should be able to rotate if you’ve been sparing with the glue. That’s the easy, simple part over with, now you must do it again on a much larger scale and with six blades. Work starts with the axle, the lower end of which slips through a centre boss and is covered by the six-point star assembly, which has another smaller star fixed to the centre, six D-shaped inserts added to the tips, and T-shaped spacers added vertically to separate the top rotor “star” from the bottom. The top portion is made up identically to the lower apart from the spacers, then it is closed over the rotor holders after gluing them in place on the lower. Each blade holder then has its four-part actuator mechanism installed over the top, and the whole assembly is topped by a three-part spinner cap. The final act is to insert each of the six blades into the holders, then drop the completed rotor into the rotor-head. The Bomb I resisted the urge to call it “da bomb”, because I’m mature, but the sprue can be found in its own bag, with the instructions buried in the booklet at step 189. The bomb is built from two halves with a rear bulkhead, and when complete, it looks like a large shell. The retarding parachute pack is two parts that attach to the rear bulkhead with straps holding it in position, and the fuse is attached via an extender to ensure it lives up to its nickname and doesn’t bury itself in the ground before detonating. A short length of chain is made up from individual links that are put together without glue, using nine to create the connection to the aft shackle on the casing. The front shackle mounts on an eye that passes through the crane hook, and the whole assembly is fitted with bracing frame on each side. Markings There is just one decal option on the sheet included on the sheet, and unsurprisingly, it’s green. Many of the decals are for the blades, but there are also national and airframe markings, plus the instrument panel decals and some stencils. From the box you can build the following: 67-18416 with M-121 bomb, 478 HHC (1st Cavalry Division), Phu Bai Air base, Autumn 1968 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This will make a superbly detailed model, and its size will draw some admiring or envious glances if you take it to a show. Detail is excellent, construction is sensible, and it is a new tool of this monstrous machine. Did I mention it also has a massive bomb? Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

AH-1G Cobra Late Prod. (53031) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The AH-1 Cobra was the first dedicated production Gunship or Attack Helicopter to see US service as a new type of weapons platform. During the Vietnam war the US Army began to see the need for armed helicopter to escort its (mostly) unarmed UH-1 Hueys into combat. Fortunately, Bell Helicopters had been independently investigating helicopter gunships as early as the late 1950s, so in 1962 Bell was able to display a mock up concept to the US Army, featuring a 20mm gun pod, and a ball turret mounted grenade launcher. It was felt by the Army to be lightweight, under-powered and unsuitable. Following this the US Army launched and Advanced Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS) competition, which gave rise to the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne heavy attack helicopter that proved to be too technologically advanced and therefore risky for its time, eventually being cancelled in 1972 after 10 years of development (some things never change). Despite the failure of the AAFSS programme, Bell stuck with its idea of a smaller, lighter gunship and invested its own money developing the AH-1 further. They used as many of the proven components they could from the UH-1 platform, adding these to a newly designed slender fuselage that had a minimal frontal profile, making it harder to hit. When The US Army later asked for plans for an interim gunship for use in Vietnam, Bell was in a fortunate position to be able to offer the ready-made AH-1, or the Bell 209 as it was called internally. Given the work Bell had already done, the programme was completed in a relatively rapid eight months and won the evaluation battle against the competition. In 1966 the US Army signed an initial contract for 110 aircraft. Some slight modifications were made to the production airframes, replacing the heavy armoured glass canopy with Plexiglas to improve performance. Wider rotor blades were fitted and the original retracting skids were replaced by simple fixed units. The G model was the initial 1966 production model gunship for the US Army, with one 1,400shp (1,000 kW) Avco Lycoming T53-13 turboshaft. Bell built over 1,100 AH-1Gs between 1967 and 1973, and the Cobras would go on to fly over a million operational hours in Vietnam, losing approximately 300 to combat shoot-downs and accidents during the war. The U.S. Marine Corps would use AH-1G Cobra in Vietnam for a short period before acquiring more damage resilient twin-engined AH-1J Cobras. The M-35 Gun System was a single M195 20mm cannon (a short-barrelled version of the six-barrel M61A1 Vulcan) on the port inboard pylon of the AH-1G, with 950 rounds of ammunition stored in boxes faired to the side of the aircraft. The system was primarily pilot controlled, but featured dual controls so it could be either pilot or gunner controlled by an M73 sight. The AH-1 went on to serve the US Army until it was replaced by the AH-64 Apache, the last one leaving active service in 1999. The Kit This is a new tool along the same lines as their recent 1:48 and 1:32 toolings, but with the scale tweaked to 1:35 to match the rash of 1:35 helicopter kits we’ve had lately, some from ICM themselves. The kit arrives in a reasonable-sized top-opening box, with a captive inner flap on the bottom tray, and inside are five sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and the instruction booklet, which is printed in colour on glossy paper in A4 portrait format, with colour profiles on the rear pages for the decal options. Detail is crisp throughout, including engraved panel lines, plus recessed and raised details, all of which should result in a highly detailed model without pressing need for aftermarket, unless you’re one of those who really must have at least some, and I’m not ashamed to admit that some of the time I’m one of those folks. Construction begins with the armoured crew seats, each made from five parts, the shell for which differs between them. The completed seats and control column plus pedals (mustn’t say rudder pedals, or the helo boys will have kittens!) are all inserted into the nicely appointed cockpit tub, adding ancillary stick and a quadrant to the side consoles in the front cockpit, and a collective in the rear cockpit that is similarly mounted on the side console. The rear instrument panel is inserted into a coaming with a box on top, and a decal is applied over the moulded-in dials to add detail, the same is applied to the front cockpit, although without any box on top. A complete change of pace is then made, assembling the rotor base, some of which is visible once installed, especially if you leave the hatches open, so be sure to make a good job of aligning the circular sections in between the bulkheads and louvres, which takes up more than a page of the instructions, and as you can imagine, it must be fitted between the fuselage halves during closure. A few holes are drilled into the rotor cowling, and some small parts are inserted from inside, plus the tail fin halves are mated with a long overlap for strength, and surprisingly, you are instructed to install the tail rotor, locking it in place with a washer, and inserting the actuator crown into depressions in the outer side. The rotor base, insert behind it and a blank bulkhead in front are glued into the port fuselage half, with another quilted bulkhead in front, and the cockpit assembly in the nose, adding insulation and armour panels in the sidewalls during closure of the fuselage halves. The base of the exhaust is inserted in the rear of the rotor cowling, adding a beacon with clear part on the top, and optional appliqué armour to the exterior of the cockpit if applicable, whilst gluing the nose and the separate cone, with a probe competing the front. As with many chopper kits, the underside is a separate insert, and while it is inverted, there are a couple of small parts such as an antenna, skid wire, and two fairings on the lower side of the rotor/engine cowling, one of which is optional depending on which decal scheme you have chosen. A further insert and fairing is added to the front of the underside behind the gun turret, which is built up next from a cylindrical fairing, a 7.62 mm Minigun and M129 40mm grenade launcher, each attaching to different inserts in the turret. The instructions advise leaving the turret loose if you have chosen a shark-mouthed decal option to make the task a little easier, which seems entirely sensible. A drop-down searchlight is placed in a recess behind the turret, and a pair of loops have holes waiting for them on either side of the underside. The Cobra’s winglets are where the external weapons are stored, and these are built up from top and bottom halves, with a three-part combined tip and shackle on each one, plus another three-part pylon mid-span. Each pylon receives an insert with anti-sway braces, then they are inserted into depressions in the side of the fuselage, with a choice of exhaust ring lip, or the upward facing extended lip, which is made from two halves. Two decal options have an additional 20mm minigun under the port winglet, with ammunition storage in panniers on each side of the fuselage, linked together by a shallow feeder that inserts into a slot in each one, and into the breech of the weapon via the rear of its nearest panier. The gun itself is moulded in two halves, with additional details on the sides, a rendition of the muzzles applied to the front, and a mounting adaptor to allow it to fit onto the pylon. Another pair of eyes are installed under the winglet roots on each side for three of the decal options, fitting a tiny clear light on the wingtips before inserting the stabiliser fins to each side of the boom. The skids are each a single part, and join to the sides of the fuselage on long pegs for strength, one on each side of course. The narrow cockpit has a similarly narrow canopy, starting with gluing the combined roof and windscreen part in place, then adding the individual panes to the sides, with stays included if you wish to pose them open to expose the detail within. The turboshaft engine can be exposed by choosing different parts for the cover, with the same option being available on both sides, adding hinges or inserts depending on which option you choose. Creating the twin rotor blades involves building each one from two halves, aligning them on small ribs and thereby avoiding sink marks from the parts being too thick. The rotor head itself is a well-detailed assembly that is made from top and bottom halves, and has extra detail fitted before it is joined together, trapping the blades in position, then applying actuators to each one that joins to an lifter-ring moulded into the rotor shaft with an additional layer supported by a pair of tapered links. Then it’s just a simple matter of lowering the rotor assembly down into the hole in the top of the fuselage and deciding whether to glue it in place or not, and if so, at what angle to the line of flight. The model itself is finished, but there is a choice of additional weaponry, should you so desire. Three different rocket pods are included, as is a gun pod, just in case three miniguns isn’t quite enough firepower. 2 x M200 19-tube Rocket Launcher 2 x SUU-11A 7.62mm Minigun Pod 2 x M260 7-tube Rocket Launcher 2 x XM-158 7-tube FFAR Rocket Launcher The tubular rocket pods are built in halves, plus end caps with details moulded into the caps, while the bare XM-158 pack is made from two halves, plus a semi-cylindrical mounting plate, and end caps. The gun pod is again made from two halves, with a muzzle insert in the tapered front. Markings There are five decal options on the sheet included with the kit, all wearing US Dark Green overall, with the differences in fixtures and fittings as well as the personal markings of the aircraft separating them. From the box you can build one of the following: 68-15532, Company D, 229th AHB, Quan Loi, 1971 67-15578, 165th AHC, ‘Bushwhackers’ Platoon, Vinh Long, 1971 67-15738, 129th AHC, An Son, Summer, 1972 68-15054, Troop F, 8th Cav Regiment, Chu Lai, Autumn, 1972 70-16000, 3rd Sqn., 8th Cavalry Division, Mainz-Finthen, Autumn, 1973 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The instrument decals for the crew panels are printed predominantly in white on a black background, so little in the way of colour-matching will be required. Conclusion If you’re a 1:35 AFV or helicopter modeller, or even a wider aircraft modeller that has taken up the recently burgeoning 1:35 scale outpouring, this kit will be a boon. It has plenty of detail, a choice of decal options, and should build up into a good replica of this early attack helicopter. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Soviet Military Airfield 1980s (DS7203) 1:72 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Cold War might of the 1980s was exemplified by the Mig-29, of which there were many examples of this new technology on airbases across their territory, serviced by crews and vehicles so that they were ready to fend off the supposed attacks from the NATO ‘horde’, who were just as terrified of the Soviet horde and nuclear Armageddon, coincidentally. The Mikoyan MiG-29, NATO reporting name 'Fulcrum', is an air superiority fighter designed and built in the Soviet Union in the 1980s. As with many other frontline aircraft of that period such as the Su-27, F-16, F-15 and Panavia Tornado, it was produced in significant numbers and is still in fairly widespread service with air arms around the world today. The MiG-29 was developed as a lighter, cheaper aircraft when compared to the visually similar Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. As with the Su-27, the engines are spaced widely apart, with the area between the engines being used to generate lift and improve manoeuvrability. The MiG-29 is powered by two Klimov RD-33 Turbofans, each of which can generate over 18,000lb of thrust in reheat. The aircraft is designed to make use of rough airstrips, with engine air intakes that can be closed completely when on the ground, allowing air to be drawn through louvers on the upper surfaces of the blended wing roots. Armament includes a combination of Vympel R-27 medium-range air-to-air missiles and R-73 or R-60 short-range air-to-air missiles, as well as a GSh-30-1 30mm cannon. The MiG-29S, also known as the Fulcrum C, features a number of improvements over the Fulcrum A, including the addition of the L-203BE Gardenyia-1 Electronic Countermeasures System in a prominent dorsal hump, improved avionics and control systems. The Kit This set includes four kits, one of the Mig-29 9-13, a ZiL-131 Command Vehicle, and another Zil-based vehicle the APA-50M, an airfield mobile electrical unit, plus a bag of PAG-14 pre-cast concrete plates that are used to quickly create a flat, textured surface on an airfield that can accommodate fast jets as well as heavy transport types. The set arrives in a medium top-opening box, with a captive lid on the lower tray, and inside each kit is individually bagged, with a printed orange label showing the original product code. Detail is good, and the quantity of modelling fun packed into the box is great value. The instructions have been gathered within a card folder, each with the decals hidden within, protected by a sheet of absorbent paper. The decals are by ICM’s usual partner, and have good register, sharpness and colour density. Mig-29 9-13 Fulcrum (72141) This is a reboxing of ICM’s 2008 tooling of this classic Cold War Soviet-era jet, but with new decals appropriate for the subject matter. The kit arrives in a stylishly appointed top-opening box with captive inner lid, and inside are three sprues of medium grey styrene, a small clear sprue, two sheets of decals and the instruction booklet, which shares the same design as the box lid, and has spot-colour throughout, including full colour profiles on the back page. Detail is on par for the era of its original release, with engraved panel lines, raised and recessed detail where appropriate, cockpit and gear bay detail, and a complement of weapons and fuel tanks, the latter remain unused. Construction begins with the cockpit, which has an ejector pin mark in the middle of the floor that will be covered by the ejection seat, but should be cut flush to ensure everything fits properly. A control column and instrument panel with raised and recessed detail moulded-in completes the cockpit, although the Zvezda K-36 seat could do with a little additional work, including adding the tubular housings for the ejection stabilisation beams that sit at each side of the headbox. The cockpit inserts into the upper fuselage from below, after which it can be closed up ready for the other components. There aren’t many stages to the instruction booklet, and we see the wings, elevators and stabilisers added at the same time as the two-part canopy. Two inset diagrams show the twin engine nacelles being made up with integral FOD guards before they too are joined to the underside of the fuselage, with the exhausts also made up from inner and outer parts in more inset diagrams. The included weapons also have inset diagrams, and you can make up two each of R-27 Alamo, R-60 Aphid and R-72 Archer air-to-air missiles, but bear in mind that the weapons sprue has a little flash, so some clean-up might be needed. Each missile has its own pylon, and the larger R-27s have separate fins perpendicular to the seamline. They are all shown inserted into the holes in the wing undersides at the same times as the main and nose gear, which have separate wheels and retraction jacks, plus gear bay doors and a clear landing light in each main gear well. The nose gear bay has three doors, and at the tip of the nose a pitot probe will poke out your eye if you look too closely. Markings There are two decal options included on the sheet, but with greyscale profiles, it’s difficult to imagine the look of the options without referring to the colour charts. From the sheet you can build one of the following: MiG-29 “9-13” type, 733 IAP (Fighter Regiment) of Russian Air Force, Damgarten (Germany), 1994 MiG-29 “9-13” type, 40th Fighter Wing of Ukrainian Air Defence, 2000 APA-50M (ZiL-131) Airfield Mobile Electric Unit (72815) This range of kits was originally started by little-known company Omega-K as a truck with canvas tilt in the 90s, before the tooling was taken over at the turn of the millennium by ICM, since when it has been re-released many times and with various alterations to the basic kit and its chassis. This boxing arrives in a relatively small top-opening box that has a captive lid to the lower tray, and inside are five sprues and two loose cab parts in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a small decal sheet and the instruction manual, with colour profiles on the rear pages showing the decal options. Even though its base kit is of a certain age, the detail is excellent throughout, and small amounts of flash are easily removed to expose that detail. Construction begins with the one-piece ladder chassis, which first has two supports removed from each side that are marked in red for your ease. The underside of the engine, transfer box, drive-shafts and various tanks are installed around the ladder, then the twin axles at the rear and single front axle are both inserted below the rails on leaf-spring suspension with the axles interlinked by numerous drive-shaft elements, and a steering link for the front. Underneath, the twin exhaust pipes merge into a muffler then make their way out to the rear as a single pipe, near to a large towing hitch. The six road wheels are all moulded in two halves with chevron tread, and have a separate hub cap for extra detail, with just the seam to clean up in the middle, conveniently located at the centre of the tread pattern. If you want to add some weighting to them, a quick swipe with a coarse sanding stick should do the trick, after which you can glue the wheels with the flat-spot at the bottom. The cab is a really nice crisp moulding that has a little flash here and there, but it’s well worth the effort to remove it, after which the cab floor with various controls and the wheels are inserted from below, then the crystal-clear windows, windscreen and headlamps are inserted to the front, with cages finely moulded, although suffering a little flash that will take care to remove, but again it’s worth the effort. Door mirrors, a small spotlight and a fire extinguisher on the rear corner finish off the detailing of the cab, after which the load box is begun. The floor panel is bracketed by a front and end bulkhead before the sides are added, then two narrow sections of roof, and an upstand with separate roof and curved sides are attached to the centre section, giving the roof a stepped surface. A pair of rails are glued to the edges of the lower roof section, quickly finishing it off, then the three subassemblies can be mated by fixing the cab and body to the chassis, whilst adding the chunky front bumper iron, a section of treadplate between the outer sections behind the bumper, and adding a couple of towing/tie-down hooks to either side of the radiator. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, with two green examples, and one in bright yellow for a little variation. From the box you can build one of the following: 738th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Zaporozhye, 1982 Unknown Military Unit, Soviet Armed Forces, 1980s Civil Aviation of the USSR, 1980s ZiL-131 Command Vehicle (72812) This is another Omega-K based kit that started life as a ZiL-131 truck with canvas tilt in the 90s, taken over at the turn of the millennium by ICM and developed from there. It is a variant of the truck reviewed above, so most of the sprues are the same in both bags, adding new parts in grey styrene for the box body, and a small additional clear sprue for the windows. Construction begins with the one-piece ladder chassis and cab, which are built in the exact same manner as above, so we’ll skip over those. The command cab is a slide-moulded part with five sides, just needing the floor adding, then detailing with vents in the roof, hand-rails at the edges, a spare tyres, ladder and other small parts, then it can be mounted on the chassis, finishing it off with mud guards, number plate holders, fuel tank and front bumper iron. Markings There are two decal options on this sheet, generic vehicles with and without camouflage. From the sheet you can build one of the following: Standard painting scheme of ZiL-131 vehicles Camouflage painting scheme of ZiL-131 vehicles PAG-14 Airfield Plates (72214) There are thirty-two of these plates in the bag, each one measuring 82mm x 28mm, and no instructions are needed, as they simply lay in serried rows next to each other. The diamond pattern engraved into the surface stops short of the edge all around, and there are small cut-outs equally spaced around the corners where the real thing has a hole with a bare rod spanning the gap that permits lifting cranes access to put them into position next to each other without having to move around them later. The purist may want to cut away the holes and add some rod, but most of us would just pop a little grass into the area, as they filled up with greenery quickly in the summer, or ice in the winter. They should be painted a grubby concrete colour, with plenty of scope for adding dirt or ice in the engraved diamond pattern, and you can create an area of approximately 14cm x 17cm with just ten of them, so 32 should supply enough to situate all the other components of the set with ease. Conclusion A great value set that brings together four linked elements to create the ingredients for a diorama, with little else needed other than your usual modelling tools and a piece of base-board to mount the PAG-14 on. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

American Civil War Confederate Infantry Acrylic Paint Set (3034) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical white plastic tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your Confederate soldiers from ICM themselves, as they have released a few sets of figures recently, and you will find the following colours in the box: 1075 Grey Blue 1076 Deep Sky Blue 1036 Neutral Grey 1055 Deck Tan 1020 Bronze 2002 Satin Varnish The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck for stirring or thinning. I drop a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they take a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, and it depicts the figures from one of the Confederate sets that we have reviewed on the forum. You can find them all here in a custom search, in case you don’t yet have figures to go with the paint you’ve just put in your basket. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Satin Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The satin patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the metallics and Satin Varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well with a little thinning, as did the varnish. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Currently on back-order, however. Review sample courtesy of

WWII British Aircraft Armament (48407) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd During WWII, numerous weapons systems (as we’d call them now) were developed to fight the Axis forces, standardised for mass manufacture, and for ease of interoperability between types of aircraft in use at the time. These were adapted and improved over time in light of operational experience, the Allies finishing the war with a much more potent arsenal than it started with. This set depicts some of these designs, and arrives in a small top-opening box with a captive flap on the lower tray. Inside are four sprues of grey styrene, a decal sheet, two instruction booklets and a pamphlet advertising the recently launched ICM range of acrylic paints that we’ve reviewed on this here forum. One sprue depicts the British 18” Mk.XII Torpedo that was an air-launched variant of the earlier Mk.XI, entering service in the early 30s. The Mark.12 was the variant used by the Fleet Air Arm and RAF Coastal Command during WWII, and could be fitted with a break-off wooden tail fairing to reduce entry speed into the water, and the nose was painted red for a training round, or the less visible black for a live round, which goes against the “red for danger” methodology normally used. It is the most complex assembly of the set and has its own booklet that details construction. The torpedo is made first, built from two halves with a double row of screws and a pair of perpendicular fins at the rear, two of which are moulded-in. The optional break-off tail is made from two rectangular end panels, with a single horizontal plane stretching between them. The wooden tail includes the tail fins of the torpedo and is a straight replacement to the standard fins, then a spacer and large spinner are fitted to the front. The guts of the trolley consists of two scissor jacks, and these are both made from four parts each that are mounted onto a slotted base, then surrounded by a framework with two small balancing wheels at either end. A short axle projects from the centre of the rails, and these mount a larger wheel with integrated tyre, plus a winder at each end that operates the scissor-jacks (on the real thing). The torpedo is lowered into the cradle along the trolley’s direction of travel to finish off. The other three sprues are identical, containing parts that allow you to make the following: 3 x 1,500lb Aerial Mine 6 x GP 250lb Bomb 6 x MC 250lb Bomb 6 x MC 500lb Bomb 6 x GP 500lb Bomb 6 x SAP 250lb Bomb 6 x Bomb Rack, combination of left & right wings, plus two bomb bay racks Each bomb is made from two halves, adding end caps and parachute bundle to the mine, additional fins and circular rings to the majority of the others, and a choice of sway-braces to the bomb racks, depending on which bombs you will be mounting. Markings The torpedo and trailer have no stencils, but the bombs have stencils and designation bands around them, which are curved on the sheet to ensure that they conform to the shape of the weapon they’re intended for. Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A useful set for anyone with a need for munitions for their latest British WWII project. There are a lot of them in the box, and despite their simple construction, they have plenty of detail moulded-in. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

He.111H-8 Paravane (48267) 1:488 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Creation of the He.111 was initially shrouded in secrecy, disguised as a civilian transport in the mid-30s, but once Nazi Germany came out of the closet and disregarded the Versailles agreement, it immediately became clear that they were rearming in a major way. The early civilian and military variants had a more traditional stepped canopy, and there is a famous piece of film that is used and reused in documentaries showing a D or "Dora" variant dropping bombs during the Spanish Civil War as part of the Condor Legion, which was Hitler's proving ground for his new designs and Blitzkreig tactics. Various revisions followed until the P, which introduced the now-iconic stepless fully glazed cockpit, which improved both aerodynamics and the pilot's situational awareness. The P series saw limited action in WWII as it was replaced by the more competent H variant, substituting Junkers Jumo 211 engines, detuned to give it the throbbing beat that was to be heard over Britain almost until the end of the war. The H-3 had an improved version of the engine and increased numbers of machine guns for self-defence. As is often the case with wartime development, the end of the Battle of Britain saw the introduction of the H-4 with better engines and external bomb racks. The H-8 also had improvements in design, usually created from rebuilt H-3s or H-5s. The Jumo 211 A-3 engine gave it increased performance, and the internal bomb bay was removed to make way for additional fuel carriage that helped to either extend its range or the ability to carry a heavier load under the fuselage or wings. The fitting of the paravane balloon cutting equipment took some of this range away, but this was countered during low-level raids by the reduced likelihood of being downed by barrage balloons. The paravane equipment didn’t stay in service long however, as low-level raids still suffered heavy casualties from ground-fire and night fighters. The Kit This is an adaptation of the (relatively) newly-tooled range of 111s from ICM which we reviewed recently, adding the components for the Paravane equipment to their existing tooling, different from their similarly equipped Ju.88 Paravane that we reviewed recently here. ICM have improved the quality of their products substantially over recent years, and this extends to all their products that we have seen during this time. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with a captive lid on the lower tray, and inside are eleven sprues in medium grey styrene, two in crystal clear styrene, a line-drawn instruction booklet in spot colour, and a decal sheet that can be found ensconced within the booklet, protected by a sheet of grease-proof paper. On opening the bags, it is very apparent that this is a thoroughly modern tooling, with lots of lovely details, crisp moulding, and some very clever engineering on display. This version includes the Paravane parts, as you might expect. Construction starts with the two wing spar parts, which are separated by the gear bay roof assemblies and a walkway part. Additional detail is added to the bulkheads along with the fuselage walkways and a smaller bulkhead toward the tail, with the lower portion of the mid-upper "turret" ring attached to the floor. The cockpit floor is then assembled with rudder pedals, instrument panels with decals, seat and control linkages, slotting into the front spar once finished. An additional seat and the overhead instrument panel with decal are installed later in the build. As a prelude to closing the fuselage, the tail wheel is fitted together, which has the wheel separate and consists of five parts. Preparation of the fuselage halves involves adding the inserts into the wing roots and making good the join; inserting the paired side windows; adding ammo can racks; sideways pointing machine guns; radio panel; the pilot's control column, and more glazing in the ventral gondola. The spar/cockpit assembly is then slotted into the starboard fuselage half and the port side is added along with some glue and the extra seat mentioned earlier. For this boxing, there are two choices for the rearmost tip of the fuselage, one of which involve cutting the moulded-in section from the rest of it after closure. The alternative it split horizontally into two halves, has a small clear tail-light added, and a remote-controlled rear machine gun barrel fixed into a trough above it. The rudder is separate and fits to the fin with actuators, then the missing fuselage panels between the spars are added, which of course will need painting and fettling in if you're bothered about the "endoscope brigade". The mid-upper insert is designed to cater for different gun installations, and has a crisp serrated ring moulded-in, with controls, gun ring and bracing struts added inside and outside before it is installed into the fuselage opening, closing off much of the rear fuselage. There is no bomb bay interior to this kit, but the side walls are included and add a little structural strength to the assembly before being closed in by the insert that has two raised bomb crutches directly where the bay doors would have been. At this point the wings are begun, with the first diagrams showing where the holes for the Paravane parts should be drilled, with arrowed lines giving the measurements from datum points that will assist you, starting with the lower wings, with the uppers done later before they are applied. With that done, the lower wing surfaces are added to the fuselage/spar assembly first. The ailerons are separate, and are built up before the uppers are added, as are the elevators, and the two engines, which are provided in their entirety, along with much of the ancillary equipment and engine mounts. The completed Jumo 211s are fitted to the front of the spars and depending on whether you want to display them or not, and then enclosed by cowling panels, radiators and the intake/outlet ramps. The bottom cowlings can be split to reveal the engine detail, which is a good way of showing off the detail without ruining the lines of the aircraft. The upper wings and ailerons are fitted, the remaining cowling panels with the exhausts are added, with the latter having a decent indent at the tip to simulate being hollow, and finally the nose glazing, which has a machine-gun and the aforementioned overhead instrument panel, which is moulded in clear styrene and is provided with a decal for the instruments and an upward firing machine gun with flexible dump bag for spent rounds. The nose "cone" is a separate clear part, and it too is fitted with a machine gun with a choice of single or twin drum mags and dump bag for the spent brass. Another two MGs are fitted to the front and rear glazing on the gondola, and the mid-upper gun is added to the turret ring, along with the protective clear shroud at the front. A different nose cone is provided if using the heavier armament and a different underside blister noses is included. A choice of parts for the front glazing of the gondola and a choice of open or closed upper turret is also included. The main wheels are each built up from two halves, and placed between the twin legs that have the main retraction jacks moulded in, and secured with cross-braces between the two legs. An additional ram is fitted within the bay, attached to the rear cross-brace, and the gear bay doors fit to the bay sides with large tabs. The props are made up from a single part with two-part spinner and back plate, which fit onto the engine's output shaft through the vented front of the cowlings. As the bomb load was stored externally for this variant, they must be made up before fitting, starting with the two halves that have two fins moulded-in, the other two fins on a single part that slots in from behind perpendicular to the joint. Additional stabilising cross-braces are fixed in small depressions at the rear tips of the fins, then they are mounted on the underside with the addition of a pair of sway-braces inserted into lateral grooves in the raised portions. You can opt to install smaller bombs on the model, and these build up identically to the larger 1,000kg units. The paravane parts are last to be added, assuming you didn’t forget to drill the holes for them earlier. There are four wing-mounted supports for the cutting blade and a larger central support under the nose, each wing A-frame attaching above and below the wing. All five supporting the two symmetrical blade sections that meet up in the centre and insert into recesses in the leading edges of the wingtips. This and the other delicate parts are best left off until main painting is complete, but that’s for you to decide. Markings There are three markings options in this boxing, all of which are early war green splinter on top over blue grey undersides for the first two options, and black for the third. From the box you can build one of the following: Unknown Unit, 1941 IV./KG27 ‘Boelcke’, France, 1941 9./KG55 ‘Greif’, France, spring 1941 The decals are up to ICM's usual standard and although they're not marked by any manufacturer name, they have good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Another impressive Heinkel He.111 from ICM with plenty of detail from the box, crystal clear parts and good quality decals. If you want a different-looking ‘einkel, then this will be right up your alley. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

To Be Ahead, To Save The Life – Sappers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (35753) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd It has been more than a year now since Ukraine was invaded, an action that the aggressor disingenuously still persists in describing as a “special military operation”. Ukraine’s response has been resolute and impressive, and with the assistance of their Western Allies, they have recovered much of the land that was lost in the initial stages, but due to the seeding of the territory taken by the invader with mines, their troops have had to clear a path for their own soldiers or risk massed death or serious injury. Sappers are a brave breed, and Ukraine’s Sappers must put their training into practice on live munitions every day that are singularly unforgiving of mistakes. Add to that the possibility of stay-behind snipers, ambushes and booby-traps, and their job is incredibly difficult and dangerous. They still go out every day to do it despite the risks, which is incredible. The Kit This figure set is a new tooling from Ukrainian company ICM, and depicts a team of three Sappers with their sniffer dog. It arrives in a shallow top-opening box with a captive lid on the lower tray, and contains a single sprue of grey styrene, a double-sided colour-printed instruction sheet plus a leaflet advertising their range of acrylic paints, and as luck would have it, they do a set specifically tailored to Ukrainian army figures, which we reviewed some time ago here. The human figures are all in different poses, one wrangling the dog, which appears to be a German Shepherd, although it’s difficult to tell with the goggles and Peltor ear defenders she’s wearing, plus the bullet-proof vest/harness she has on for protection from snipers and shrapnel. The handler is wearing the usual helmet and combat vest, with his AK shouldered on its sling, and various pouches about his person. The other standing figure is detecting mines with his electronic detector held out in front, the coil hovering just above the ground. His other hand is balancing a simple spike on a pole that is used to search for objects in the ground the old-fashioned way, and like his colleague he is wearing similar garb that includes knee-pads. The final figure is kneeling, wearing the same gear as his comrades, excavating something suspicious with an entrenching tool, which is a short shovel to us civilians. The parts for each figure are found in their own areas of the sprue for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from ICM’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the various parts of the model. If you don’t much relish the task of painting digital camouflage on your figures, you can pick up a set of Ukrainian camouflage decals from eBay, which I did immediately on receipt of the first set we reviewed, noticing on receipt that it had been made in conjunction with our good friends at Dora Wings! Conclusion An excellent candidate for a modern-day diorama, and the detail is excellent, just needing the modeller to add a lead for the hound, and a length of fine wire to complete the detector rig. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

OV-10A Bronco US Attack Aircraft (72185) 1:72 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Bronco was conceived as a light attack, long loiter aircraft of modest size, enabling it to operate from roads close to the combat zone. As so often seems the case, the final design turned out to be much larger and heavier due to the requirements of the avionics and ejection seats, thus limiting its use to conventional airfields. The twin boom aircraft first flew in 1965 and was destined to serve with the US Navy, Air Force and Marines as a replacement for the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog & O-2 Skymaster. The Marines were the first to take the OV-10 into service as a forward air controller platform operating both night and day missions. Whilst the Bronco is best known for its operations in Vietnam, it also served in further conflicts as late as the Gulf War before being retired from US service in 1995. The USAF received Broncos in 1968 and deployed the aircraft in the Forward Air Control (FAC) role, using smoke laying methods initially, and later using laser targeting designators. Eventually it carried its own ground attack armament including rockets, machine guns and bombs that gave it the capability of Light Attack Aircraft, and made it a daunting prospect for the enemy to see overhead. Seven export contracts were signed with other foreign operators including Germany, Columbia and Indonesia, the very last of which will be leaving service in the near future after long tenure. The Kit You may think your eyes are deceiving you, but you read that correctly. This is a brand-new tooling from those lovely people at ICM, the same people that recently brought the fruits of their research to their new tooling of this aircraft in the larger 1:48 scale, a scale that is very dear to my heart. Now the 1:72 folks get their turn, and we can’t say fairer than that. We’ll leave the 1:32 people out of the discussion, as their wishes were granted several years ago. Using their research to tool this new 1:72 kit isn’t as straight-forward as hitting the ‘shrinko’ button on the injection moulding machines, so a lot of additional work has gone into developing it, so let’s first give credit where it is due. The kit arrives in a shallow top-opening box with a captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are four sprues of grey styrene, a rectangular sprue of clear parts, a large decal sheet, and glossy-covered instruction booklet that has spot colour throughout, and profiles of the four decal options on the back pages. The level of detail on the sprues is excellent, and almost identical in terms of content as the larger kit that is close by, differing mostly in terms of sprue-count due to the comparative size of the parts, as more can be fitted on one sprue in this scale. Construction begins with the rear seat, which is made from six parts, and is inserted into the back of the cockpit floor in front of the aft bulkhead, which has moulded-in equipment boxes on the top shelf. Side consoles, control column and throttle quadrants are added, then the bulkhead between the seats is made up with rudder pedals on a cross-brace under the coaming. A choice of instrument panels is then cemented to the coaming, with a decal and its own coaming moulded into the top of the part, slotting it into the space between positions. The front seat is built using the same four parts in the initial step, but with three different parts on the back that have two “ears” behind the headbox. A control column and individual rudder pedals are added to the floor, then the side consoles are fitted either side of the seat. The front bulkhead has three detail parts for the nose gear bay glued to the rear, then it is put into the front of the cockpit, to be joined by detailed tops to the side consoles. The pilot’s panel has a decal applied, as it is inserted under the coaming, which has a shallow box glued into the top, allowing it to be fitted into the front of the cockpit. The cockpit is flipped over to add a pair of sidewalls with moulded-in bay doors for the nose gear bay, the top section of the nose gear strut, and a retraction jack, then the lower fuselage skin is glued in place, locating on a raised square behind the bay. The nose sides have moulded-in cockpit sidewalls with plenty of detail, adding a document box to the port side, and painting them according to the colour call-outs that appear throughout the instructions. A nose weight of just 5 grams is suggested to be placed in the space above the nose bay before you close the two halves around the cockpit. A circular light is inserted under the moulded-in probe at the tip of the nose, and a strake is fitted under the rear, building up the two winglets from top and bottom halves, plus an insert that depicts the gun openings, and a tip to finish them off. They glue into the fuselage in shaped recesses on either side, and four raised turrets are added either side of the strake, with a small bay door fitted to the retraction jack in the nose bay. The nose wheel is made from two halves and is slipped between the legs of the yoke that is glued onto the upper nose strut along with a linkage, joined by a pair of gun barrels in each winglet. The upper wing is a full-span part, and has a long spar that doubles as the back of the flap bays fitted in a recess with locating ribs helping with location. The lower outer wing panels each have 1mm holes drilled in them if you are installing the underwing pylons, then they are added to the upper wing along with the inner panels, leaving space for the engine nacelles and fuselage nacelle that will be fitted later. The four flap sections are built in mirrored pairs from three parts each, and the ailerons have two small parts added to the top and bottom before all six flying surfaces are glued into the rear of the wing, fitting an actuator to the inner edge of the ailerons, a GPS hump on the wing over the fuselage, and two intake parts above where the engines will be built shortly. First, the wings are mated to the fuselage nacelle from above, and the windscreen part with a clear instrument fitted to the top framing is fitted over the coaming. The top of the canopy joins the windscreen to the top of the fuselage, then the two side glazing panels are fixed to the remaining gaps in the side, again with no in-built option to pose either entryway open. That’s going to be a job for the aftermarket folks again. The two engine nacelles and their booms are built in mirror image, starting with drilling two holes in both sides, adding the main bay doors and an instrument box, then building the main gear legs onto the forward bay roof from several parts, fixing the main roof and aft bulkhead before they are trapped between the two nacelle halves, finishing off the front with the intake fairing and a two-part shaft that is linked to the back of the spinner, leaving the prop movable if you go easy with the glue. The lower nacelle skin fits on a pair of ribs, and two optional U-antennae are inserted into the holes drilled earlier, fitting the two-part exhausts for the turbo-prop engines, an auxiliary intake and the rudder panel as the last step. Once both booms are complete, they are offered up to the wing underside, remembering to add the three-part elevator panel between the two tail fins. The Bronco had dive brakes that popped-up sideways from inside the wing, and these can be depicted deployed or left off if you prefer, adding a pair of three-part props with spinners to the front of each nacelle. A windscreen wiper blade is added to the windscreen, two small blisters are inserted into depressions in the top of the nacelles, and a horn balance is installed on the top and bottom of the elevator, adding a blade antenna to the starboard nacelle behind the gear bay. The main wheels are each two parts, and are glued to the swing-arm at the bottom of the main gear legs, adding a lateral towel-rail antenna behind the nose gear bay, and another small antenna at the rear of the port nacelle. The optional wing pylons are two-parts each, and fit under the wings on the holes you drilled earlier for two of the decal options. Weapons There is a substantial range of munitions supplied on the sprues, as follows: 2 x LAU-33 Rocket Pod 2 x Mk.81 Snakeye Iron Bomb 2 x Mk.81 Lowdrag Iron Bomb 2 x LAU-69A Rocket Pod 2 x LAU-68 Rocket Pod 2 x Mk.82 Snakeye Iron Bomb 2 x Mk.82 Lowdrag Iron Bomb 2 x Mk.77 Incendiary Bomb 2 x LAU-10A Rocket Pod 1 x 150 gal. Fuel Tank Each weapon is well-detailed, all made from two halves, adding end caps to the tubular rocket pods, fuses of two lengths to the iron bombs, and even rocket tips on the LAU-10A. There is a full range of stencils supplied for the various weapons on the decal sheet, with diagrams to the sides of the four pages of profiles. An additional page in the instructions shows the correct location for the various weapons, and which are compatible with the mounting points under the wings and fuselage. Markings There are four options on the decal sheet, two in olive green, two in grey schemes, with white upper surfaces to the wings and elevator on the first option. From the box you can build one of the following: 155427 Marine Observation Sqn. 2 (VMNO-2), Marble Mountain Air Facility, Vietnam, 1969 155495 Light Attack Sqn. 4 (VAL-4) Black Ponies, Binh Thuy, 1969 67-14649 20th Tactical Air Support Sqn., Da Nang, 1972 155472 4th Light Attack Sqn. Black Ponies, Bin Thuy, 1972 The instruction booklet on our example has a typo on decal option 4, which differs between the Ukrainian and English translation – someone pasted the wrong option in English, it seems - it's far too easy to do with modern tech if I'm honest. A quick photo of the Ukrainian text on my phone and a the translate feature gave us the text we’ve reproduced above. Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It appears that this is the first new tooling of this type in the new millennium, and benefits from the advances in injection moulding technology and CAD rendering that give the modeller a thoroughly modern, well detailed kit of the Bronco that is complete with a host of weapons, ready to delight and amaze. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Fire Trucks Acrylic Paint Set (3031) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your AR-2 (KamAZ 43105) Hose Fire Truck (35003) from ICM themselves, and anything else big, red and prone to squirting water at fires. You will find the following colours in the box: 1001 White 1007 Deep Red 1039 Rubber Black 1023 Aluminium 1060 Middle Stone 1012 Clear Blue The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, and also depicts the ICM fire truck mentioned above in its Odesa guise during 2015. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Satin Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The satin patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Oily Steel and Satin Varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnishes. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Currently on back-order, however. Review sample courtesy of

Type 320 (W142) Cabriolet (35540) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd In the 30s, Mercedes replaced their 290 chassis with the longer 320 in 1937, offering a standard or longer chassis variant, the latter being the basis for the top-of-the-range Cabriolet body format. The extra length gave the vehicle a sleeker, more sporty appearance, which coupled with a raked radiator grille, lack of light bar, and the canvas roof made it all the more streamlined in appearance. Under the bonnet was a 3.2 litre straight-six side-valved petrol engine that produced 78hp and a top speed over 120km/h or 75mph. Power was delivered via a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on all forward gears, which was a luxury at the time. In military service as a staff car, the 320 was fitted with a shrouded convoy light on the left wing, and could also have a short mast on the same wing to display the occupant’s allegiances, battalion etc., with a spare tyre on both sides, which was a common fitment even in civilian service. In 1938 an updated model was introduced, with displacement bored out to 3.4 litres and adding overdrive to shorten the journey to top speed, although the documented HP wasn’t increased, possibly due to de-tuning of the engine to accommodate inferior fuel quality that was beginning to become a necessity as Germany geared up for war. The Kit This is a reboxing of a partial retool that was based upon the hard-top version released by ICM in 2016, depicted with a retracted hood that makes it look its most stylish. It arrives in a top-opening box with the usual captive lid on the lower tray, and inside are two large sprues and a smaller one in grey styrene, three pairs of black flexible tyres on small sprues, a clear sprue, decal sheet, and instruction booklet, where you’ll find the decals tucked away. The instructions are printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles on the rear pages to help with painting and decaling. Detail is excellent, and extends to a full engine and transmission, plus a very crisp interior, as well as a very natural depiction of the stowed roof. Construction begins with the engine, the block and transmission being made from two halves with the sump and cylinder head added from above and below. The air box and exhaust manifold along with the down pipe are made and attached to the right side of the motor, adding the dynamo and other ancillaries to the left side, the serpentine belts and pulleys to the front with the fan, and more hoses and the distributor pot on the top. The chassis rails are each made from two parts to achieve the correct length, adding short outriggers to the outsides, and a large cross-member at the rear of the chassis that holds the rails in the correct tapering attitude, as well as having moulded-in details of the rear differential on the lower side. Two more cross-members support the frame, adding the differential, axle and drive-shaft down the centreline, and the front suspension arms with their leaf-spring and coils, plus twin coils and other parts installed over the top of the rear axle. The rear wheels are created by inserting the two sides of the hubs into the holes in the tyres so they can be slipped onto the ends of the axles, adding a two-part fuel tank in the rear at the same time. The motor and bumper are fixed in the front, and joined by a pair of wing supports and the radiator, which plugs into the pipes leading to and from the engine, then the floor pan can be lowered onto the chassis, including the rear panel below the boot in-between the moulded-in rear wings. Before turning the vehicle right-side-up, the single part exhaust and two mufflers are inserted, attaching to the end of the down pipe and a tab just in front of the rear axle. Inside the cab, the pedals, gear lever and hand brake are all installed in the left footwell and transmission tunnel, followed by the firewall that has the windscreen frame moulded-in, fitting the two-pane glazing and the dashboard before it is inserted into the space between the cab and engine bay, adding a few knobs and decals before you do. A dash pot is popped into the engine side of the firewall, and the long steering column is threaded through into the cab with the lower end buried deep in the engine bay. Both front and rear seats are bench-type, and their bottom cushions are each made from a main part with a rear edge that has a recess to accommodate the transmission tunnel moulded-in, fitting into the cab on paired pegs, and are joined by the rear cushions that have their backs glued into place before fitting. The body sides are next, inserting door cards before they are latched on pegs to the floor pan, fitting the boot panel and a two-part steering wheel, then the radiator grille that is stabilised by an X- brace that fits into holes in the firewall. The side windows front and rear attach to the sides via pegs, and the bonnet covers the engine, but with a bit of surgery it could be posed open. The two spare tyres are made in a similar three-part arrangement as the others, and are locked in place in recesses in the front wings by brackets running between the tyres and body. The windscreen has a rear-view mirror and two sun visors fitted to the top interior, and two wiper arms are added to holes in the outside near the centre of each pane at the bottom, dotting lights, handles, indicators and the convoy light around the front of the vehicle as appropriate, including a three-pointed star motif on the top of the radiator. At the rear are tiny light clusters and twin handles for the boot, fixing the rear bumper to the rear panel. The canvas hood is made from a top and bottom half, with two sides finishing it off, and the metal outer framework installed after it is glued to the rear of the vehicle. The shape and creasing of the assembly is very natural-looking, and should give a realistic impression of the hood once it has been painted. Markings There are four decal options, and you’d be forgiven for thinking any colour as long as it’s black, but you’d be wrong, because there are grey and blue options too. From the box you can build one of the following: France, 1940 Unknown Luftwaffe Unit, 1940 Eastern Front, 1943 Nachtjagdgeschwader 1, probably 1943 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A sleek Merc for the transport of the upper echelons around the countryside, with plenty of detail that should allow a realistic replica of the type to be made. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

WWII German Tank Crew Acrylic Paint Set (3032) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your new Bergepanther with crew set entitled ‘Prost!’ that we reviewed here from ICM themselves, and you will find the following colours in the box: 1024 Silver 1004 Intense Pink 1002 Black 1036 Neutral Grey 1070 German Field Grey 2001 Matt Varnish The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, and depicts the mutt, although it doesn’t have any arrows sticking out of him. The pink that’s in the bottle is perhaps a little old-fashioned and unrealistic, but after mixing with some other shades to tone it down, it should act as a base to build up the flesh tones of the figures. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Satin Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The satin patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Oily Steel and Satin Varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnish. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

WWII Training Biplanes Bu.131D, DH.82A & PT-17 (32039) 1:32 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Pilots need practice to make perfect, and even today with all the immersive simulators we have access to, there comes a time when you need to grab a control column and put your feet into a pair of rudder pedals. It makes sense to give the novice pilot a docile, mild-mannered aircraft to take out initially, usually with a second cockpit for the instructor to offer advice and correction when necessary, or to take over control if the novice became confused or let the aircraft get away from him and into danger. Before WWII the majority of training aircraft were biplanes, and in the run-up to conflict air forces chose types that were suitably placid, and these became standard ab initio trainers. In the UK it was the De Havilland Tiger Moth, while the US had the PT-17 Stearman, and in Germany, the Bücker Bü-131. The Boxed Set This compact box contains all three trainers in 1:32 scale, all of which fit inside the small volume of the box, the lower tray having the usual captive top flap that we expect from ICM. Inside are a total of ten sprues in grey styrene spread over three re-sealable bags, with a further three small clear sprues, three decal sheets and three instruction booklets, one for each kit. Detail is good throughout, as all the kits are pretty recent and were well-received when they first arrived. The Tiger Moth The de Havilland Tiger Moth was one of the most important and most widely produced trainer aircraft to have seen service with the RAF. It was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland himself in the 1930s and was based on the Gypsy Moth, suitably redesigned to meet Air Ministry Specification 13/31. In comparison to its predecessor, the Tiger Moth's wings were swept and repositioned, and the cockpits were redesigned to make escape easier. The airframe was also strengthened and the engine exhaust system was redesigned. The Tiger Moth entered service with the RAF in 1932 and remained in service until well after the war. Over 8,000 examples were completed and the type also served with the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force as well as a great many other military and civilian operators. In service it proved itself to be ideally suited to its role; easy enough to fly, but challenging enough to weed out the weaker students. It was also cheap and easy to maintain. Further variants would be the DH.82C fitted with an enclosed hood for cold weather operations in Canada; and the Queen Bee which was an unmanned radio-controlled target drone that resulted in a thinning of the herd of surviving airframes. Always popular with civilian users, many Tiger Moths found their way into private ownership after the War, with many maintained in flying condition to this day. This is a reboxing of the recent tool from ICM that was first released in 2020, so it’s a thoroughly modern model. There are four sprues in grey styrene plus one of clear parts, decal sheet and instruction booklet with colour profiles on the rear pages. The detail is excellent as we’ve come to expect from ICM, and providing you aren’t phobic about rigging, should make a straight-forward build. Construction begins with drilling holes in the two fuselage halves, using holes that are pre-thinned from the inside to ease the way. The fuselage halves are then detailed with throttle quadrants, instrument panels with dial decals, and the bulkheads between the two seating areas. At this time there are a couple more 0.3mm holes drilled in the top cowling in front of the cockpit to insert more rigging wires, which you’ll need to supply yourself, along with more threaded through the holes in the fuselage sides that you drilled earlier. Helpfully, the instructions tell you the length of wire that you should plan for, although I’d be tempted to use the numbers as a minimum value, just in case. You can always cut some off, but adding some on is much more of a skill. With that the fuselage is closed, a firewall is inserted into the front, and an elevator inserted onto a rectangular peg in the rear of the fuselage, with the wider strakes that are fitted to the decal options, followed by the standard rudder fin, which has the tail skid moulded into the bottom. There is a good representation of the four-cylinder Gypsy Major engine that outputs less power than my perfectly normal family car, which makes one stop and think for a second. The block is in two halves that trap the conical drive-shaft inside, exhaust manifold, mounts and other ancillaries, with a baffle on one side, after which it can be glued into the firewall at the front of the fuselage, and have the cowling parts installed along with the open or closed access doors for the crew, small intake on the starboard cowling, and bumper-strips on the forward edge of each cockpit aperture. The lucky crew have a three-faceted windscreen placed in recesses in front of them to keep the bugs out of their teeth, then we move onto the wings. The wings are full-width parts, and the lower wing is made first, drilling rigging holes in the top surface, and leaving off the underside of this and the topside of the upper wing until after the rigging is complete. Whilst that might work for some, I’d be a little wary of gluing big parts such as the wings together after painting, although that’s just my opinion. You may have noticed there were no more cockpit details made up earlier, which is because the rest of the cockpit is built on the lower wing centre, as that’s where you will find the cockpit floor. A narrow control assembly is made first with rudder bars and control columns in duplicate, fitting into the cockpit floor on eight small rectangular slots, then joined by the aft seat, and the weird front seat that is moulded as a deep depression into the bulkhead between the two. The lower wing (upper only) is then mated with the fuselage, completing the cockpit at the same time. The interplane struts are individual parts in the outer wings, with two Z-shaped cabane struts fixed high on the fuselage sides just in front of the cockpit. More rigging holes are drilled into the lower half of the upper wing before joining it to the struts and adding the ribbed fuel tank to the centre of the upper wing. The next two diagrams show the location of the rigging using red lines, dotting them where they pass out of sight, and numbering them in a dot-to-dot fashion. After completion of rigging, the upper-upper and lower-lower wing halves are glued in place, hiding any messy rigging knots that you might have left. It does make for a clean job of the rigging, but I’m no expert at rigging. The upper wing has a pair of slats added to the leading edge, and ailerons to the lower trailing edge, then it’s time to make the landing gear. The wheels of the Tiger Moth are moulded in two halves, and slide over the axle-ends of a single complex W-shaped (ish) strut, which once it is in place is buttressed by four support struts that prevent the gear collapsing on landing. A little L-shaped tube glues to the underside of the fuselage while it’s upside down, and actuators are added under the ailerons, plus a couple of support struts are fitted between the elevators and fuselage, which also have triangular actuators added to small slots that are mirrored on the rudder, with more rigging added there later. The prop is a single part that snugs into the tapered drive-shaft, and after completion of the final rigging to the tail, a further diagram has a set of shapes printed that you can use to pattern your own masks for the two canopies if you don’t want to spend extra money on a masking set. I like these, but haven’t used them yet, and would suggest reducing the tape’s stickiness by applying it to a clean surface first, to avoid tearing or marring the paper when you remove it. Markings There are two decal options for this kit, one in silver, the other in the more traditional camouflage over yellow that most people would think of. From the box you can build one of the following: No.3 Flight Training Sqn, RAF Grantham 1938 No.25 (Polish) Elementary Flight Training School, Summer 1944 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The Stearman The Stearman Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1927 by Lloyd Stearman. then in 1929 it was sold to The United Transport & Aircraft Corporation, which would then split in 1934 due to US Antitrust legislation with Boing which had been a part of becoming its own business again. Stearman then became a subsidiary of Boeing. At about this time they designed what would become their most famous aircraft, the Model 75 Kaydet. The new aircraft was a conventional tail wheeled biplane with an exposed radial engine and fixed main gear. The aircraft was selected as the basic primary trainer for the USAAF and the USN, as well as for the Royal Canadian Air Force. In USAAF Service it would be designated the PT-13 with a Lycoming R-680 engine, The PT-17 with a Continental R-670-5 engine, and as PT-18 with a Jacobs R-755 engine. Canadian PT-27 aircraft were USAAF PT-17s supplied under Lend/Lease and renamed. In total over 10,000 airframes were built, with many were sold off post war, and a great many of these still survive today as a much-loved simple and docile private aircraft. This is a reboxing of the recent Stearman PT-17 Kaydet kit, and consists of four sprues in grey styrene and another small sprue of clear parts, plus the decal sheet and instruction booklet. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is mostly empty space with a tubular framework holding all the instruments and controls. The sidewall frames are detailed, as is the floor with a pair of linked control columns, then they are joined together and held perpendicular to each other by a triangular cross-brace. The two seats are each a single part with a ladder frame added at the rear, and they slip in between the sides, strengthening the assembly further, then the fuselage is prepared for closure and the insertion of the cockpit assembly. Just a fire extinguisher is added to the port sidewall, which has ribbed detail moulded-in, then the two halves are closed around the tail-wheel, which has a separate wheel part slipped over the axle. An insert with riveted panelling is placed under the fuselage between the wheel struts, which are incidentally moulded into the two fuselage halves, then the cockpit assembly can be pushed in from the front and secured on pins, allowing the ribbing to be seen through the framework. The upper fuselage deck is separate and has the two instrument panels and back rests glued to the underside before it is fixed in place over the cockpit, closing the fuselage. Another shorter insert fits under the front of the fuselage with another added to the port side, and the firewall closing the front. The landing gear strut ends are simple affairs with separate scissor-links that slot into the legs after adding the two-part wheels, and are covered over by inner panels that are glued to the moulded-in legs. Your model can now stand on its own three wheels for the first time. The flying surfaces are begun by joining the two halves of the elevator fins together, and fixing the flying surfaces to the rear, with the ability to pose them deflected if you wish. They fit into slots in the sides of the tail fin, which then receive a single thickness rudder with separate actuator. Both main wings are supplied as full span assemblies, with separate tops and ailerons on the lower wing only. A pair of clear wingtip lights are inserted into the upper wings, then the four cabane struts and two Z-shaped interplane struts are glued in place and the wing is then lowered onto the model, taking care to keep everything correctly aligned. The Continental R-670-5 7-cylinder radial engine of the Stearman is barely any more powerful than the Tiger Moth, and its six exhaust stacks are assembled on the firewall at the front of the fuselage, followed by the intake trunking and push-rods, then adding the carburettor underneath. The cylinder bank is made up from two halves, adding a short prop shaft from inside the front half that is covered over by a circular part to prevent it from falling out of position. The rear portion is glued into place, and a vertical housing is inserted between the bottom two cylinders, after which it can be fixed to the fuselage with a choice of two props, each with two blades. The narrower prop is a ground adjustable steel McCauley unit, while the thicker one is wooden fixed-pitch Sensenich unit. The last page of the instructions detail rigging of the model, spanning three steps that show the wires marked in red over a line-drawn diagram. To the side is a drawing that shows the shape of masks that you can make yourself to help you keep the clear parts from getting marred by paint during the build. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, two of which are bright and distinctly yellow in tone, while the third is an all-over aluminium airframe. From the box you can build one of the following: PT-17 USAAF, 63rd AAF FTD, Douglas, Georgia 1942 PT-17, WAASPs, Avenger Feild, Texas, 1943 N2S-3 USN, Unit not known 1943 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Bücker Bü-131D The Bu 131 was designed by Carl Bucker and Anders Anderssen after Bucker Flugzeugbau was established in Germany in 1932, and was to be the last biplane built in Germany. The aircraft is a conventional two seat trainer with a tubular steel fuselage, wooden wings, and all exterior surfaces fabric covered with a doped finish, powered by a Hirth HM60R engine. The aircraft was, praised for its handling characteristics, and still stacks up well against even modern aircraft. The aircraft was in use before and during WWII as the primary trainer for the Luftwaffe, and was also selected in this role by the Japanese Army where it was designated as the Kokusai Ki-86, The Japanese Navy called it the Kyushu K9W, and the Spanish Air Force flew CASA built aircraft. CASA continued manufacturing the aircraft well into the 1960s, and additional licensed production also took place in Switzerland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. A further 21 aircraft were produced in 1994 in Spain using the CASA jigs, and is still being produced today by Air Res Aviation in Poland. The Kit This kit was initially released in 2018, so is the oldest of the three by a short margin, although it is still a very modern tooling from ICM with good detail. It has a relatively low parts count and only two sprues in grey styrene, plus one clear sprue, but that’s due to it being a very simple aircraft. The decal sheet can be found inside the instruction booklet that has colour profiles on the back pages. Construction begins with the lower wing, which is of conventional construction with a single part lower and split upper surfaces. The centre of the wing will also form the floor for the front cockpit, and a section of framing is placed over it once the wing is assembled. The ailerons are each separate parts and can be added at this stage before moving onto the fuselage, which has the steel tube framework added to the cockpit sidewalls in both halves, built side-by-side with the engine that is made up with a high part count and including bearers. The fuselage is closed and the elevator fins are joined under the fixed rudder fin after adding curved hinges under each side. The fuselage is then mated to the lower wing, and the coamings and instrument panels with decals for both cockpits are made up for installation after adding the linked control columns and a seat in the rear cockpit. The rear coaming/panel assembly is inserted between the cockpits, and a bulkhead is fixed to the fuselage behind the rear seat, allowing you to fit the front seat, a pair of rudder pedals and the metal cowling panels to the sides of the engine compartment, followed by the top cowling and a firewall bulkhead closing off the area. The crew access doors are shown installed in the closed position on both sides of the cockpits, although there’s nothing preventing you from posing them open if you wish. The motor is affixed to the holes in the firewall on pins at the end of its four bearer arms, and the top cowling is applied over it, adding the front fairing and two-bladed prop to the front. The lower cowlings have exhaust outlets glued to the bottom of them, and they are both installed around the engine as the two windscreens keeping the bugs out of the crew’s teeth are fitted using a suitable non-fogging glue. The upper wing is comprised of two full-span parts that have ribbing moulded-in, as well as separate ailerons and a full set of Z-shaped cabane and straight interplane struts. The completed wing assembly is shown being placed on the model from above as the rudder is fitted, and it would be sensible to add the wing while the glue is still soft to allow accurate alignment of the two wings over each other. The elevator surfaces are both single thickness, and attach to their fins to complete the empennage. The main gear legs are fixed, and are based around an A-frame with multiple cross-rails and an axle on the bottom end to which the two-part wheels are attached, then they are braced by a peculiarly shaped cross-brace with outriggers, adding exhaust stubs under the nose, actuators to the elevators and rudder, and tail-wheel with moulded fairing under the tail. A rigging diagram is provided in the instructions, picking out the wires in red, but it is always a good idea to check your references when creating rigging from just two profile views. Markings There are four options on the decal sheet, however the swastikas are not present, so the modeller will have to source them elsewhere if their locality permits it. From the box you can build one of the following: 2./JG54, Russia, March 1942 2./JG54, Russia, Summer 1942 Stab III/NJG 1, Germany 1943 Training Unit Bad Aibling, Germany 1944 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Three well-known and regarded biplane trainers that are depicted by modern kits in 1:32 scale, arriving in one relatively small box that will help you to kid yourself that there’s very little growth of your stash. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

’Prost!’ Between Battles on Bergepanther (35343) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Panther was Germany's answer to the surprise appearance of the Russian T-34 after they finally reacted to the invasion that was Operation Barbarosa. Although the project had been in gestation for some time before, they took some design cues from the T-34 in the shape of the sloped armour, resulting in the Panther that was intended to fill the gap between the Panzer.IV and the (then) new Panzer VI Tiger. It was eventually supposed to replace both the Pz.IV and the earlier Pz.III that were really showing their age, but in reality it often fought alongside the Panzer IV due to lack of production numbers. It was planned as a lighter, more manoeuvrable tank than the Tiger, and was fitted with a high velocity gun from the outset, which gave it enormous penetrating power that was only equalled by the British 17-pounder fitted to the Sherman by the British that turned it into the highly effective Sherman Firefly. The sloped frontal armour gave it an increased effective armour thickness, but this was not quite so true of the side armour, which was weaker and more steeply sloped, becoming the preferred target area of allied tanks, especially in urban combat where this became a telling issue. Like most German tanks of WWII, it was complex and expensive to produce, so suffered in terms of volume, which led to it being rushed into service with quite a laundry-list of problems still to resolve. Later production solved most of these initial gremlins, but loses in the interim were high with many being abandoned after breaking down during combat. Curiously, the Ausf.D was the first to enter production, with the Ausf.A following later in 1943, replacing attrition of the less reliable Ausf.Ds until they themselves were superseded by the Ausf.G, which became the final major variant with increased ammo storage, simplified design to ease production, and further improvements to reliability, although this was never fully cured with a high rate of attrition due to mechanical issues, some of which resulted in catastrophic fires. This is where the Bergepanther came in, recovering vehicles that had either fallen foul of Allied fire but were still salvageable, or had broken down in a manner that was conducive to an attempt at recovery, which could also be done under fire thanks to the armour that the Bergepanther inherited from its more combative sibling. The Kit This box contains an early Bergepanther and a set of figures to add a human dimension to the kit. It arrives in a compact top-opening box with ICM’s usual captive top flap on the lower tray, and inside are two bags that contain a total of six sprues and two hull halves in grey styrene, four sprues of track links in black styrene, and a small sheet of decals. The instructions for the tank are printed in black and white, with an additional colour sheet covering the figures on glossy paper. We’ll cover the figure sets at the end under a separate heading. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is completed by adding the T-shaped rear bulkhead and the armoured surrounds around the final drive housings at the front of the hull. The many stub axles are inserted into the hull with a peg holding them at the correct angle, and these are accompanied by several additional suspension parts, bumpers, the housings themselves and of course the interleaved main wheels, plus the four-part idler wheels and two-part drive sprockets. The rear bulkhead is detailed with twin exhausts that hold the detailed jack across the armoured bases of the exhaust stacks. The upper hull has the inside of the glacis plate detailed with driver’s hatch and vision blocks, plus two hatches on pegs that insert into the lift-out front section of the forward deck. The rear deck also has a large inspection hatch in the centre that is decked out with mushroom vents and grab-handles, then has the various rectangular and circular vents from the engine compartment added either side, plus a couple more circular vents and lifting lugs. The stowage for the sides of the hull is made up on frames, one for each side, plus a tube for the barrel-cleaning rods and two racks of spare track links at the rear, again one each side. The front mudguards have width indicators added that are fairly unusual for the Panther, then it’s time to make up the tracks. The track links are made up from individual parts that are joined together to create the complete run, although you aren’t given a guide figure of how many to use, but from memory I suspect around 90 would be appropriate. They clip together, but need some glue to retain their integrity, so wrapping them around the road wheels while the glue is still flexible, then hold them in place with tape, foam wads and other tools to obtain the correct sag on the return run. The good news is that there are only two sprue gates to deal with per link, but they are on a concave surface, so if you have a circular sanding stick, file or burr for your motor tool, they won’t hold you back for long. There are however two small circular ejector-pin marks in the outriggers of each link’s outer face. Sanding those could be done with a small, flat-tipped burr, or you could make your own and glue some wet’n’dry to it, as I have done in the past. The alternative is to slap some weathering and mud on the tracks to hide any issues you didn’t fix. The new sprue includes the wooden two-part hatch that fits over the turret ring, a self-defence machine gun on a short mount on the front right corner and an upstand on the other side to move the gun to if the need arose. Additionally, there is a crane with two supports that fix on brackets at the rear, and hangs over to that side with a twin-sheave block and a pair of hooks to attach the loads on. At the rear is a large two-plate towing bracket with drop-in pin for heavy-duty towing duty. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, one in plain dunkelgelb (dark yellow), the other with stripes of diagonal green camouflage sprayed over the yellow, both wearing just a trio of crosses. Sadly, the profiles on the instructions are black and white, but are clear enough to allow you to carry out painting, although you’ll need to guesstimate the camouflage stripes on the right side of the second option, as only one side profile is provided. From the sheet you can build one of the following: S.Pz. Jäger Abt. 653, Kursk, Summer 1943 Panzer Regiment Herman Göring, East Prussia, Autumn 1944 The decal sheet is tiny, and contains just three Balkenkreuz crosses in black and white, which are well-printed with good register, sharpness and colour density. Figures The single sprue contains parts for four figures, three of whom are sitting, plus an Alsatian or German Shepherd dog. One crew member is nursing a drink with one arm draped around the dog, another is cutting a slice from a loaf of bread, while the last sitting gentleman is holding some food on his lap. The fourth figure is stood raising a bottle (most likely empty) and has his mouth wide open making a toast, glass in his other hand, also probably empty. They are all wearing bloused combat trousers over sturdy boots, and either shirts or a jersey, most with their sleeves rolled up ready for some good honest oily work. Their headgear varies from bare headed to three different styles of cap or beret, while the dog is made from two separate halves, and isn’t wearing a hat. Conclusion A good kit of the workhorse that kept the Panthers running as they were pushed back by the Allies, and the addition of figures gives a human scale to the tank, lending itself to a diorama in the Bocage in France, providing you paint it appropriately for the area, rather than using the decal options. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

WWII RAF Pilots Acrylic Paint Set (3033) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your RAF aircrew such as the RAF Bomber & Torpedo Crew we reviewed here from ICM themselves, or indeed any RAF aircrew from WWII, and you will find the following colours in the box: 1077 Dark Blue 1075 Grey Blue 1003 Deep Yellow 1054 Chocolate 1060 Middle Stone 2001 Matt Varnish The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, and depicts the figures that can be found in the set linked to above. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Matt Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The matt patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Matt Varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnish. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the need to dilute it for use, and the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Currently on back-order, however. Review sample courtesy of