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ICM is to release in 2016 two new variants from its Junkers Ju-88 kit. Already released: Ju-88A-5 kit http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234975682-148-junkers-ju-88a-5-by-icm-released/ - ref. 48233 - Junkers Ju-88A-4 - WWII German Bomber - released Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICM48233 - ref. 48234 - Junkers Ju-88A-14 - WWII German Bomber - released Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICM48234 V.P.

My 2nd build of the year and a bit rushed. Always had a fascination for this beast of an aircraft so that's another itch scratched. A good kit though I struggled with fitting the cockpit canopies and it shows! Also had to resort to surgery to fit the front and rear fuselage sections together, but the butchery is invisible in the finished model. Finished with Tamiya acrylics (flat aluminium). Not strictly in line with the kit details but seems right for this Soviet era aircraft.

After my dad built the parasol-winged Republican MS230, I persuaded him to do a parasol-winged adversary.... DSC_0004 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0005 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr whereas Italeri added a decal for the IB in their reboxing, the ICM IB has to be painted DSC_0006 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr

UPDATE: ICM catalogue 2025 is downloadable here: https://icm.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/catalogue-icm-2025_spreads_web.pdf Source: https://www.facebook.com/ICM.Models/posts/pfbid02WBFqf1FM9NZy55Z66XcTWEHXhZpbcUcRpVuTxvnsyepQtRSVBj3v4PNfTvt62eJAl And the first novelty is in the cover and it's a 1/48th Handley Page Hampden B.Mk.I Aircraft novelties 2025 1/35 - ref. 53058 - Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane - thread - ref. 53059 - Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane - with universal pod - thread 1/32 - ref. 32014 - Henschel Hs.123A-1 - thread - ref. 32015 - Henschel Hs.123A-1 (late) - Luftwaffe - thread - ref. 32016 - Henschel Hs.123A-1 - Legion Condor - thread - ref. 32019 - de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth - world air forces - thread 1/48 - ref. 48214 - Henschel Hs.129B-2 - thread - ref. 48215 - Henschel Hs.129B-1 - thread - ref. 48227 - Junkers Ju-88 - captured USAAF/RAF - thread - ref. 48268 - Heinkel He-111 - captured USAAF/RAF - thread - ref. 48273 - Dornier Do.217K-1 - thread - ref. 48274 - Dornier Do.217M-1 - thread - ref. 48306 - North American (Y)OV-10D Bronco NOGS (Night Observation Gunship System) - US Marines - thread - ref. 48315 - Bristol Beaufort Mk.1A - British torpedo bomber - thread - ref. 48323 - Martin B-26G Marauder - US & Armée de l'Air - thread - ref. 48324 - Martin B-26G Marauder - conquerors of Europe's Sky - thread - ref. 48325 - Martin B-26F Marauder - USAAF - thread - ref. 48326 - Martin B-26 Marauder Mk.III - RAF/SAAF - thread - ref. 48327 - Martin B-26 Marauder + airfield plates + crews - thread - ref. 48352 - Handley-Page HP.52 Hampden B.Mk.I - British bomber - thread - ref. 48353 - Handley-Page HP.52 Hampden TB.Mk.I - British torpedo bomber - thread - ref. 48361 - Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk - US Army - thread - ref. 48362 - Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk - Ukraine Defense Intelligence - thread - ref. 48363 - Sikorsky MH-60 Black Hawk - US Army - Operation Gothic Serpent - thread 1/72 - ref. 72144 - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 9-13 "Fulcrum-C" - Ukraine Air Force with JDAM-ER bombs - thread - ref. 72145 - GD/LM F-16AM Fighting Falcon - Ukraine AF V.P.

Typ 320 (W142) Cabriolet B (35543) 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 when deployed keeps the passengers safe from precipitation or cold. 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 a binnacle decal 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 at both ends, and they are joined by the rear cushions that have their backs glued into place before fitting. The body sides are next, inserting door cards with handles and winders 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, and indicators 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 folded canvas hood is made two main parts plus two side sections that are moulded with creases and folds for realism, adding the metal outer framework after it is glued to the back of the vehicle. 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 some stylish colour options, and of course you can choose any colour you like for these civilian cars. From the box you can build one of the following: Province of Brandenburg, Late 1930s Province of Hanover, Late 1930s State District Upper Bavaria, Late 1930s Berlin, Late 1930s 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 well-heeled civilian 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

My second entry to the GB will be the ICM North American Rockwell OV-10A Bronco. Quite a new kit and looks nice. Never build an ICM aircraft before, so should be fun. Sprue shots Then these two are identical. Loads of ordnance! Decals, masks and some detail for the cockpit. Only 2 weeks to go! Roll on the 15th! George

2cm FlaK38 with Crew (35718) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Starting life as a 20mm naval anti-aircraft gun that was developed into the FlaK 30, the FlaK 38 was a further development of the basic gun to improve the fire rate that had previously been less than inspiring. The improvement meant an increase from 120RPM to 220RPM, but also benefitted from a decrease in all-up weight, which eased its way into service with the army in late 1939, just in time for WWII. As well as the usual trailer mount and three-legged base, a lightened mounting was also created for the gun, using a tripod that reduced the weight still more, and made it air-transportable by paratroopers into active warzones. Following accelerated acceptance trials, the new design began service with the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940, where it became the standard light-weight Flak defence weapon for close-range operation, where it was highly effective. Crews also found that the weapon was devastating against personnel and lightly armoured ground targets, which it could attack due to its wide range of elevation. This led to it being mounted on the back of trucks, half-tracks and other armoured vehicles where it could perform both roles, which it continued to do until the end of the war. It was considered less effective by the RLM later in the war due to the increasingly well-armoured fighters it was ranged against however, and in addition to being fielded in Zwilling (twin) mounts, it was also used in a quad-mount for increased fire density, with the intention of replacing it with a 40mm gun if the war had lasted longer. The Kit This is a reboxing of a brand-new tooling from our friends at ICM, and although many other companies have their own FlaK 38s in 1:35, this is their offering, and it’s a fresh tooling that has been created using accurate dimensions and proportions in an effort to obtain a highly realistic rendition of this important German anti-aircraft gun. The kit arrives in a shallow top-opening box with a captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are three sprues of grey styrene, a small decal sheet and instruction booklet printed in colour on glossy paper, with painting and decaling profiles on the rear pages. Construction begins by trapping the gun barrel with moulded-in breech between the two halves of the cradle, sliding the assembly into the armoured mantlet if you are building the variant with a splinter shield, with two L-shaped supports holding the cradle to the mantlet. Two hollow circular pivots fit on the sides of the cradle, slotting a magazine into the breech on the left side through the hole, and these locate in a two-layer trunnion on each side, choosing which elevation piston to fit underneath to set the barrel for anti-aircraft or travel and anti-personnel operations. The trunnions locate in slots on a circular base that has tread-plate moulded into the sides, fitting elevation and rotation mechanisms to the right and at the rear of the trunnions. The sighting gear is mounted on an arm above the rear of the gun, and a pair of seats are built and installed, one on each side over the tread-plated areas. The option with the splinter shield has a horizontal support tube fitted on two brackets at the front under the barrel, mounting two sections of shielding on the bottom tube, adding upper brackets to steady the parts during firing and transport. Two small tabs are removed from the circular pivots if you are fitting the shield, and an additional shield is fitted on a bracket in front of the gunner’s position, which is raised above the main shield for sighting the gun. Three additional magazines are supplied to store in the ready-mag box on the left side of the gun for either variant. The base consists of two layers with a large circular cut-out in the centre, plus three feet, one on each outrigger, lowering the completed gun into position as the final part of the build. A pair of diagrams show the completed model in armoured and unarmoured finishes to assist you with making your choice and ensuring you build it using the correct parts. The Figures The figures are newly tooled specifically for this boxing, and are found on a single large sprue of grey styrene. 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. Three figures are standing, one pointing to the sky with binoculars in his hand, spotting a target for their attention. Another figure is resting a foot on part of the structure, looking skyward and following the direction the spotter is pointing. The third standing figure is using a wide-set binocular sight to get a range on the target, while the seated figure is operating the gun with his feet and hands on the controls, also looking skyward. The range-finder can be found on one of the other sprues as part A11, and it has a detailed painting guide amongst the figure drawings that act as both instructions and painting guide, having part numbers and colour codes that correspond with a table on the front of the instructions that give ICM’s colour codes for their range of acrylic paints. Markings There are two decal options for the Flak38, both wearing camouflage of various colours. From the box you can build one of the following: Italy, 1943 Western Ukraine, 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 An artillery piece, whether its target is on the ground or in the air, always has more presence when it is crewed, as it gives the model function as well as the oft-mentioned human scale. Detail is excellent, and should build into an impressive model with some care and attention. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Hey all, This is ICM's new-ish A-26 Invader. The A-26 has always kind of appealed to me as a mean looking aircraft that always has a presence, even on the ground. When ICM announced they were releasing one I immediately knew I must get one, but its not until earlier this year that I took the plunge. The kit is beautiful out of the box, and went together nearly as nicely as a Tamiya kit, requiring minimal filling, sanding or other adjustments. As a rather expensive kit however, it would've been nice to complement the kit with some PE, especially belts, but this isn't a deal-breaker for me at all, and I simply used a generic USAAF/USN seatbelt set from Eduard. The kit was painted using a mix of Tamiya Lacquers and Mr. Color acrylics, then weathered with oils, acrylics and a few pigments. The decals OOB were a bit fragile and required careful handling, but there were a number of interesting schemes available right out of the box. Overall, an enjoyable build of a surprisingly large aircraft that certainly has a presence on my display shelf. Thanks for looking, Sam Again, thanks for looking, Sam

Feldküche – Field Kitchen with Cooks (35618) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The idiom “an army marches on its stomach” was attributed to Napolean amongst others over the centuries, and its meaning is that without food, an army will be unable to advance after a relatively short period of time, a situation that Napoleon’s army found themselves in when they invaded Russia in 1812. Sustenance is crucial for the ongoing wellness of any person, and for a soldier that is expected to fight when they reach their destination, it is doubly important. With the industrialisation of warfare, the provision of food to keep soldiers fit, healthy and ready to fight was similarly modernised, creating “field kitchens” that were highly mobile, and could be set up quickly at any sensible location, often a field as the name suggests. Once halted, the wood-fired ovens were lit, and a meal was either cooked from scratch or pre-prepared repasts such as stews or soup could be warmed up for expediency and to keep the soldiers warm during winter campaigns. Germany’s WWII Feldküche was sometimes referred to as the Gulaschkanone, due to the way in which its chimney folded horizontally for transport, giving it the look of an artillery piece from some angles if you squinted. The Kit The main sprues of this kit were seen earlier in a boxing that came with a truck to transport the kitchen, so while ICM’s statement of being 100% new tooling might be slightly optimistic, the main sprues are only a couple of months old. It has now been re-released without a vehicle, but with a set of figures to cook up the food for the soldiers, and it arrives in a shallow top-opening box with a captive flap on the lower tray. Inside are four sprues, although in this boxing the two outriggers of one of the sprues have been nipped off in order to fit within the smaller box. A decal sheet and instruction booklet complete the package, printed in colour with profiles on the rear pages for the two decal options. Detail is good, and as usual ICM’s figures are excellent, with realistic poses and sensible parts breakdown. Construction begins with the body of the kitchen that has a large circular cooking area for mixing and keeping the Goulash warm, which is first evidenced by a circular depression in the floor, fitting the rear of the box to it, then adding the sides, and an internal divide, finishing off with the front of the body. The top has a raised edge to a circular cut-out, and this has a large pan with curved bottom edges glued underneath before it too is fitted to the top of the body, creating two raised areas by doing so, which have their own tops that have bases of other storage areas, adding the lids to each one and the central circular lid to keep the goulash warm. The chimney is made from two halves, with a rib around the lower end that shows where it folds, but it is moulded as one length for this boxing at least. It mates to the top of the kitchen on a raised rim, then work begins on the kitchen’s chassis, which is more akin to that of a horse-drawn carriage, which is appropriate, as it was sometimes pulled by horses when vehicles weren’t available. The axle is fitted to the leaf-springs moulded into the curved chassis rails, adding a cross-brace and triangular web toward the towing eye. The finished frame is then glued under the body of the kitchen, fitting three covers to vents under the fireboxes, one having a short ladder that could be folded down or out to add extra working space, or to hang cloths to dry next to the warm ovens. Two one-piece cart wheels are fitted to the ends of the axle, fixing a front rail under the kitchen, which has a V-shaped support to add strength. The final part is a support pole that is used to keep the kitchen level when unhitched, stopping the whole thing from pitching forward due to the weight of the A-frame, or back due to the weight of the goulash. There are several accessories to be made that can be used to create a scene around the kitchen, which includes a metal jug with conical top; two jerry cans with prototypical triple handles; two buckets with separate handles; two wooden crates made from six parts each; four large sacks, six smaller sacks of ingredients with tied tops, and four oval metal storage containers with separate lids. Figures The new sprue contains parts for four figures, consisting of a standing chef, a seated potato-peeler, a man chopping wood on a stump to fuel the fire, and a final figure bringing a Jerry can of water to use during cooking. 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. Various accessories are included on the sprue, from open bags of potatoes, logs of various sizes for the axeman to chop, a work table, cutting board and several sausages ready for chopping by the chef’s moulded-in knife. He also wears a chef’s hat and apron in case anyone wondered. Markings There are two colour options as you might already expect, either early war Panzer Grey, or later war Dark Yellow (Dunkelgelb). The decals include stencils for the kitchen, and the accessories, plus battalion markings, and on the grey option, a little nose art on the sides of the kitchen. From the box you can build one of the following: Pre-1943 Colour Scheme Post-1943 Colour Scheme 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 field kitchen without figures is simply a piece of equipment. Once you add figures, it becomes alive with humanity and a sense of purpose, which is furthered by the quality of figures, and the detail of the kitchen itself. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

In Q4 2023 Q1 2024 ICM is to release a 1/48th Martin B-26B Marauder kit - ref. 48320 Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICM48320 V.P.

Studebaker US6-U3 in German Service (35493) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Before WWII, Studebaker began development of a 2.5-ton truck for military and civilian use, that was capable of working equally well off-road and on, with a 6 x 6 drivetrain giving it good grip in all weathers. It was up against substantial competition however, and other designs were found to have better performance under the conditions prevalent in locations where the type was to be used, the Studebaker being better suited to cold weather operations. The first trucks arrived in the USSR in 1941 under the Lend/Lease agreement, where it was well-liked, resulting in Soviet Russia being the major overseas operator of the type, calling it the ‘Studer’ in their service, where they adapted it to various roles, including most famously as a Katyusha rocket launcher. It was powered by a 5.2L straight-six petrol engine that could output around 86hp and drove all six wheels, while the over-engineered engine boasted a low compression ratio that made it extremely reliable. It was its reliability and ruggedness that endeared it to its operators and drivers, and inspired Joseph Stalin to write a note after the war congratulating Studebaker on the design of the vehicle, and telling them of how useful it had been to their war effort. Many Studers were used post WWII in the Soviet Union, often with their military equipment removed. Even after retirement, the cab and general configuration was also used as the pattern for the GAZ-51 truck, although heavily modified due to technological progress in the meantime. The Kit The origin of this kit stems from 2007, when it was first released, but there have been many variants and additional parts added to the tooling in the interim, and it still gives the impression of being a thoroughly modern kit, with some impressive detail, and a tilt is included in this boxing. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with the usual captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are six sprues of various sizes and a slide-moulded tilt in grey styrene, a clear sprue in a separate bag, and a decal sheet between the pages of the colour printed instruction booklet that has profiles of the decal options on the rearmost pages. As already mentioned, detail is good, and the kit is a full chassis offering, with engine, cab, chassis and bodywork all provided, including a rather complex, single-part transmission system that is found under the ladder chassis. Construction begins unsurprisingly with the ladder chassis, spacing the two main rails apart with six cross-members of various designs, some of which are made from 2, 3 or four parts, plus more dotted around the chassis, and a pair of leaf springs at the front, which locate in recesses in the outer faces of the rails. The chassis is finished at the ends by a large bumper bar at the front, and a pair of sprung R-shaped forms on either side of the towing shackle. The engine is next, basing the work on a two-part block with separate cylinder head, end caps with fan-belt moulded into one end, air intake box and pathway, plus other ancillaries, and the fan itself. The gearbox is created from three parts and is mated with the rear of the engine, lowering the motor into the chassis and coupling up the radiator assembly, which has been made from inner and outer faces, plus header tank and feeder hose that links to the top of the engine, adding the exhaust system under the engine, leading back to a separate muffler that has the exhaust moulded-in, exiting the side of the chassis behind the cab. The monolithic power-transfer system is fleshed out with separate halves of the differential castings, plus half the casing of the transfer boxes between the front and rear wheels. A steering linkage is added to the front axle, and the completed assembly is then installed under the chassis, linking the first drive-shaft to the rear of the gearbox, and locating the three axles onto their mountings. At this stage the rear axles don’t yet have their springs, first needing the central mount between the twin axles, after which the inverted leaf springs, dampers, and tie-bars can be installed, plus more linkages added to the front axle both for steering and damping. Two sets of running boards are attached to the chassis by L-brackets on each side of where the cab will be, accompanied by a three-part fuel tank on the left side, and a two-part spare wheel on the right. The US6 rolled along on ten wheels, four sets of pairs that are made from five parts, and two singles at the front, each made from main carcass and inner sidewall, trapping a disc in the centre, in case you wish to leave the wheels mobile. The completed wheels are attached to the six axle ends with care, then the bodywork can begin. Work on the cab begins with the roof, windscreen frame and scuttle that are moulded as a single part, fitting the shallow-V shaped glazing from outside, and adding supports to the sides, with the dashboard inserted from beneath, applying three dial decals during the process. The firewall and kick board part has the lower sills and bottoms of the A-pillars glued to each side, mating them with the roof assembly once the glue has cured. The steering column has the wheel and separate boss applied to the top, joining it to the underside of the dash and kick board, then adding the three foot pedals around the base, mounting the four controls and gear lever on the floor, and the bench seat after building it from just three parts, including the base. The floor is slid in from behind, followed by the sides of the engine compartment, adding the battery into a recess in the left side after painting it and deciding whether to wire it into the engine. The front fenders are fitted to the sides, and the back is closed after inserting a lozenge-shaped window into the curved panel. Headlights with clear or hooded lenses are mounted on the wings along with side lights, with the grille applied to the front of the engine bay, the side extensions protecting the lights from frontal impacts. Crew doors keep the weather out, and have simple door cards moulded-in, to which the handles, winders and the window glass are installed, and these can be fitted open or closed as you wish. A pair of supports are fitted under the front of the wings, fixing the bonnet over the engine compartment, and adding outer door handles before mating the cab with the chassis, gluing the bottom of the steering column as you do so. This boxing has an optional open load bed with ribbed floor, raised sides, and fold-up benches for carrying personnel, which can be stowed upright with the supports hanging vertically, filling a rather draughty space that would chill the kidneys of anyone sitting on the seats. Flipping the load bed over, two longitudinal support rails and a rear light bar are fitted, followed by the four mudflaps with U-shaped supports that hold them to the correct angle. The bed can then be glued to the chassis, aligning the tabs with the corresponding slots that are found on the top of the chassis rails. Six curved tilt supports are included in this boxing, and they can be stacked in the front of the load bed, or fitted in place by cutting the lower portions from the parts before gluing them in. This boxing includes a covered load area, which is made from just three parts, but has plenty of exterior detail moulded-in to give it a realistic drape and creases. This is fitted over the bed without the formers, which can be consigned to the spares box. The final step involves adding windscreen wipers, wing mirrors and towing hooks to the cab, all in pairs. Markings There are three decal options on the included sheet, with four profiles each and a cab-top scrap diagram for each one, plus a diagram for the tilt for one option. From the box you can build one of the following: Wehrmacht Trophy Truck, Eastern Front, 1943 Wehrmacht Trophy Truck, 11th Panzer Division, probably 1944 Wehrmacht Trophy Truck, Winter 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 Whilst this kit isn’t as dramatic as a weapon of war, it was an important component of warfare that represented its beating heart – logistics. This boxing is an interesting option that depicts a trio of captured examples, two of which are painted in a non-standard manner by their new owners to hide them from the Allied fighters that roamed the continent after D-Day. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Model A Standard Phaeton Soft Top 1930s (24050) 1:24 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Phaeton was originally a name for an open-topped, cut-down horse-drawn carriage, which translated into motoring parlance for soft-top, or open-topped vehicles that didn’t possess side windows that could be rolled down, and if they had a roof, it was one that was installed for inclement weather, or removed for sunny days. The name fell out of use in favour of Cabriolet and Convertible, but before it faded into history it became a broad term that could refer to any four-wheeled vehicle with two rows of seats and an open top, although triple-Phaetons and double-Phaetons were also a thing, just to muddy the waters further. After the runaway success of the Model T Ford, it was eventually replaced eighteen years later by the more modern Model A, reaching showrooms at the end of 1927. It was produced until 1932, by which time almost 5 million units had been sold. The chassis ran a 3.3L inline four-cylinder petrol engine that could propel it to a maximum speed of around 65mph, which might seem a little slow to today’s motorists (unless they’re on modern British motorways), but with only drum brakes slowing each wheel, it was probably for the best. There were several body styles available, the Phaeton being one of the most unrecognisable names to us today, other than the fact that the name was recently used by Volkswagen for an enlarged luxury coupé variant of their Passat for a while, and that most definitely had a roof. Ford’s Model A Phaeton was available in two- or four-door format, and the gearbox gave a single option of a three-speed unsynchronised (crash) gearbox, plus one reverse gear. Due to the difference in controls that were offered by most competitors by this time, the quirky layout of the driver’s controls were standardised to clutch, brake and accelerator pedals left to right on the floor, and a shifter in the centre for gear selection. It was replaced by the Model B after ‘32, and just to carry on confusing people, the Model 18. The Kit This is a new tooling of this type, with more variants to come, this being the first. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with a captive lid on the bottom tray, and inside are seven sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a bag of five flexible black tyres with short lengths of runner still attached, and a small decal sheet that is slipped inside the colour instruction booklet that is printed with a glossy cover and matt paper insides, with profiles on the rearmost pages. Detail is up to ICM’s current high standards, portraying the full chassis, engine, interior and bodyshell in glorious detail, plus a removable soft-top that can be fitted or removed at will once complete. Construction begins with the main chassis rails that are set apart by five cross-members of various shapes and widths, adding bell-housings near each end, L-shaped front bumper supports, and a steering column with box at the bottom end attached to the left chassis rail, as this is a left-hand drive model. The engine block is made from two halves and a sump, making the transmission and clutch housing from four parts, emplacing the cylinder head, and ancillaries such as the generator, fan & belt, and the exhaust manifold, bringing the sub-assemblies together before it is inserted into the front of the chassis along with a long drive-shaft to the rear axle, which has the differential moulded-in to slot between the two axle stubs moulded into the chassis. The front axle with short laterally oriented leaf-springs is fixed to the front cross-rail, and a two-part exhaust is slung under the chassis, mating with the down-pipe of the manifold. Rear drum-brakes have small parts fitted to their rear before they are glued to the ends of the axle, adding small pivots and more L-shaped supports along the outer length of the chassis rails, plus a brake actuator rod that fits on a pivot. The front drum-brakes are made from the same number of parts, adding links to the axle, and more control rods running down the outer faces of the chassis rails, plus an extension to the chassis, and two diagonal supports under the rear on either side of the drive-shaft. Two more control rods attach to the brake drums and pivots, linking the hubs together, and adding a V-shaped damper between the two ends. By this time wire-wheels were available, and this kit has five made from two styrene parts that are joined together, trapping a flexible black tyre in position, sliding four of them onto the ends of the axles, and leaving the last for the spare later in the build. The bodyshell is made by fitting the combined arches and running boards to a tapering floor, and strengthening the assembly by adding another layer on the underside, sandwiching the sides between the two layers. This is carefully mated with the chassis, making a small three-part fairing for the front of the car under the radiator, taking care to arrange the two triangular parts with the slots on the outside. The firewall is augmented by adding a diagonal kick-board, steering column, lever and foot pedals, plus a stylish dashboard with lower fairing that slots into place horizontally, applying decals to the central instrument binnacle after choosing a colour to paint the assembly, depending on which decal option you have chosen. Panels are made up from dual layers, fitting to the sides of the firewall and supporting the dash, with a scuttle to the top, a filler cap for the fuel tank, and dash pots on the engine side, fitting it to the growing assembly at the front of the floor. The body’s side panels are fitted with three interior cards per side, adding handles and a rear panel that is best placed on the floor pan during curing of the glue to ensure it sets straight, mounting a three-part radiator and housing to the front, with engine cowlings linking it to the rest of the bodywork, and a pair of catches on each side, plus the top-cowling moulded as a single part. The front and rear bench seat cushions are layered from three parts each, and are located on L-shaped raised marks, fitting a rear shroud to the front seat to support the back, which is a single part, and has a pair of tapered arms added to the sides of the shroud, painted to match the seat cushions. The same style of rear cushion is fitted to the back seat, supported by the rear of the bodyshell, without additional arms, mounting the steering wheel and control stalks on the column, and the gear shifter on the transmission tunnel. A two-part rear-view mirror is fixed in the centre of the windscreen, adding a wiper motor shell to the top frame, which operates the single wiper that is moulded into the windscreen part. The remaining wheel is mounted on a back-plate with a diagonal tube that links it to the back of the car, adding short bumper stubs, light clusters and a number plate holder to the sides, and side-lights on the rear corners of the bodywork. The front of the car is finished off by a full-width bumper, a pair of headlights with clear lenses, horn and number-plate on a curved rod that is placed between the forward arches, adding a pair of clear wind deflectors to the sides of the windscreen, completing the model by building the removable roof from top and rear segments with a small window in the latter, making a frame from five parts that hold it to shape when it is in position between the windscreen and the rear of the car. Markings There are three colour options depicted on the decal sheet, which will also affect the choice of interior colours during the build, so choosing early will be a benefit. From the box you can build one of the following: Ohio, 1930 Michigan, 1931 New York, 1932 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. As is common now with ICM kits, there is a portion of one page of the instruction booklet devoted to the masking of the windscreen, using the printed shapes on the right of the page and the diagram to create your own masks if you wish. There are two masks, one for each side of the screen to ease painting of the frames. The deflectors don’t have masks, as they are attached to the screen by two small metal clips. Conclusion As 1:24 is the de facto standard for modern vehicle kits, there should be a wide market for this quite regal variant of a relatively short-lived design, when compared to the Model A. Detail is excellent, and its size should make the build a pleasurable experience. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

ICM is to release 1/32nd Bell AH-1G Cobra kits - ref. 32060 - Bell AH-1G Cobra (early production), US Attack Helicopter - released Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICM32060 - 1/32 - ref. 32061 - Bell AH-1G Cobra (late production), US Attack Helicopter - released Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICM32061 - ref. 32062 - Bell AH-1G Cobra with Vietnam War US Helicopter Pilots - released Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICM32062 Special Hobby boxing - ref. SH32082 - Bell AH-1G Cobra "Early Tails over Nam" V P.

’The English Patient’ (32053) Movie Aircraft Tiger Moth & Stearman 1:32 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The movie ‘The English Patient’ was the screen adaptation of a novel by Michael Ondaatje and was directed by Anthony Minghella with a quality cast, many of whom went on to become stars in their own right. It starred Ralph Fiennes as a hideously burned pilot near the end of WWII with Juliette Binoche playing a nurse caring for him until he succumbed to his injuries, after which she would catch up with her unit. Of course, nothing is straightforward, and various other characters appear, muddying the waters and adding intrigue to the piece. I’ve never watched it, so if I’m off beam anywhere you’ll just have to chalk it up to me disliking romance movies, even though they’re set in WWII. Two aircraft make an appearance in the movie, namely the Tiger Moth and the Stearman, which are the subject of this reboxing of two of ICM’s recent large-scale kits. Whether the Stearman would have been in British service at the time is a moot point, as it was used in the film and that’s all that matters. 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, and a shared decal sheet for both aircraft. 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 up, 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 on. 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. 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. This would then split in 1934 due to US Antitrust legislation with Boing which had been a part of it 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. 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 a PT-18 with a Jacobs R-755 engine. The USN had the NS, and NS2 with a variety of engines. Canadian PT-27 aircraft were USAAF PT-17s supplied under Lease Lend. In total over 10,000 airframes were built, many were sold off post war, and a lot of these still survive today. 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 afore mentioned shared decal sheet, and a shared 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 (ironically) added to the port sidewall, which has ribbed detail moulded-in, then the two halves are closed up 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 up the fuselage. Another shorter insert fits under the front of the fuselage with another added to the port side, with the firewall closing up 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 added to the moulded-in legs. Your model can now stand on its own three wheels for the first time. The flying surfaces are started 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 is one option per aircraft as you would expect, as follows: DH.82A Tiger Moth G-AFFC Stearman Model 75 G-AFEA The decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, and consist of dials, registration codes, and a few other small decals, with good register, sharpness and dense blacks. Conclusion Another good value boxed set from ICM that should appeal to more than just film buffs, but anyone interested in interwar biplane trainers too. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA WWII British Torpedo bomber (48315) 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’, embarking on 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. The Mk.IA had an improved turret fitted at the rear of the crew compartment spine, that was notable because it was more square in profile, and torpedo bombers were fitted with early ASV radars, the antennae for which were mounted on the leading edges of the wings. 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 were thrilled when the new tooling arrived from ICM, and now it has been with us for some time, with a few boxings already on the shelves. This new issue includes a sprue of torpedo parts and trolley to sweeten the deal, and it arrives in a reasonable-sized top-opening box with their usual captive lid on the lower tray. Inside are nine 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 bag 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 to complete the package. 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 semi-recessed. The starboard fuselage half has an insert fitted into 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, with another section 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 recesses in the starboard 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 fairing is fixed, then the assembly is glued into its slot, joining the bottom of the spar with the starboard fuselage. The cockpit is a two-tier assembly that is started by joining the two halves of the side console together, adding a raised floor panel, the instrument panel with five 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 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 bulkhead ends, and is glued into the very rear, which already has ribbing moulded into the sides. The tail-wheel and strut are moulded as a single part than 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 two 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 more glued into the nose, and a platform at the rear of the floor, all of which might be better added before you paint the cockpit. The main canopy is glued over the cockpit cut-out, 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 optionally removed from the leading edge, then the clear glazing is inserted once the glue has set up, drilling two holes further outboard. A clear wingtip is fitted, and a one-piece aileron is added and able to be offset if you feel the urge. You must also 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, 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 bay doors. The upper section of the main gear forms a twin triangular framework that is linked by several 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 roof, 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 different 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 new mid-upper turret is mounted in the back of the cockpit “hump”, and is built upon a separate section of the fuselage with a circular base that receives the guns’ mount and gunner’s bicycle-style seat below the lip, gluing most of the turret into position along with a fairing lip around the front, then deciding whether to mount the clear glazing in the top of the nose, or the alternative that mounts another two Lewis guns in the nose. 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 tubular 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 can be fitted over the opening. 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 either flush with the roof or in a typical clear D/F loop fairing. The radar antennae are reminiscent of TV aerials, formed from a main antenna with several dipoles perpendicular, one under each wing, mounted on two brackets that fit into holes drilled in the wings earlier, and another offset under the nose on a single post. These are most definitely best left off until the very end so that they survive without damage. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, all wearing substantially different schemes, two of them from torpedo training units in the UK, the other an operational unit overseas. From the box you can build one of the following: DX135, No.5 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit, Long Kash, 1943 LR906, No.2 Torpedo Training Unit, Castle Kennedy, September 1943 DW816, 22 Sqn., Ceylon (Sri Lanka), April 1944 The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. As is common now with ICM kits, there is a page of the instruction booklet devoted to the masking of the canopy, using the printed shapes on the right of the page and the diagrams on the left to create your own masks if you wish. It goes up to 64 thanks to the extensive glazing. Conclusion A well-detailed model with Torpedo and trolley to add some interest to or around the kit. A disparate choice of decal schemes adds extra appeal. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Universal Military Pod & M8A1 US Landing Mat (53201) 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 be used to lift 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 in the traditional sense, 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. One of the tasks allotted to the Tarhe was carrying a large purpose-built pod that resembled a cargo container on wheels, which could be slung under the belly of the airframe, and could carry a substantial cadre of troops from A to B, act as a temporary air-transportable hospital ward, or as a mobile command centre. Depending on the task it was allocated, it could be fitted out with seats, litters or admin facilities and could house up to 87 fully equipped paratroopers sat on simple fabric seats, who could air-drop if necessary, through the doors on each side of the pod. Small windows were also sited on the sides, and these were slightly convex to allow easier vision around the aircraft, whilst still being streamlined. The Kit The floor is the starting point of this assembly, adding six rows of tubular legs to recesses in the detailed deck, fixing seat pans horizontally, and back cushions that rest at an angle on vertical posts, the port two rows facing starboard, the other against the starboard facing them. The walls are detailed on both sides, having panel lines and rivets on the outer face and ribbing on the inner face, where you will find a few ejector-pin marks that you may want to fill if you think they will be seen. They are further prepared by installing windows from the inside, plus two vertical tubes, a control panel on one side by the doors, which are fitted later. The floor is laminated with an extra layer that tapers upward at both ends, then the side walls are glued into position, followed by the two-layer back wall, which is covered in surface detail but has no windows or other features. The front wall has a window and a bracket, but the roof is prepared first, fixing seventeen inserts into recesses in the ribbed part, some of which are lights, finishing the main structure by installing the last two faces. The details added to the exterior of the pod are copious, starting with the retractable wheels that give you a choice of two styles, depicting raised or lowered gear by using parts of different lengths. The basic shape of these struts is an inverted T, with the vertical strut extending to give the wheels clearance below the pod so that it can be moved around more easily. The wheels are each made from two halves, sliding onto the stub axles at the bottom of each strut, adding the doors to their cut-outs after mounting the handles at waist-height, then fitting various grab-handles and protective cages to the landing gear, and for ground-handling. Tie-downs are added, with four brackets that accept clips for carriage under the helicopter, plus a pair of dampers that reduce oscillation of the pod when airborne to reduce the likelihood of nausea for the passengers. M8A1 Landing Mat During WWII, temporary airfields were quickly created near the battlefront on flat ground by the linking together of stamped steel planking that had their weight reduced by punching out holes in the centres where it wouldn’t weaken the structure. These were known as Perforated Steel Planking (PSP), and were used commonly in all theatres of war, reducing mud and slurry build-ups, and providing a flat and tough surface for aircraft to land, take-off and taxy along, whilst other vehicles were able to avoid creating ruts in the surface. The holes however led to an element of dust and debris being kicked up, which is known in aviation as Foreign Object Debris or FOD, so the design was changed to reduce the possibility of rocks and soil penetrating the planking. By the time of the Vietnam War, the M8A1 design had been formalised and was used to great effect. It was lightened using corrugations to provide more strength from less material, and was capable of supporting the larger, heavier jet aircraft and helicopters that were becoming prevalent. Lighter and more effective methods were developed later using aluminium, and latterly a honeycomb structure within that is incredibly strong, whilst reducing the amount of material needed. The set is in a separate resealable bag that contains four sprues of parts. The ends of the planks are joined by four pegs that link them together, and the longer edges have a set of simulated joints that are backed up for practicality by a series of small pegs and recesses hidden away on the lower edge, with the base flat and almost featureless to facilitate a strong bond with the substrate you are using as a baseboard. Each of the four sprues have no runners around the edges, containing eight full planks and another four half planks that allow an overlapping layout, totalling 48 planks and 16 half planks. The instructions tell you to paint the planks Gun Metal, number 1027 in ICM’s acrylic paint range. There is of course plenty of opportunity to weather them with rust and chipped/worn paint, so check your references to establish your options. Markings There are three decal options for the pod on the new sheet, depicting them at various points in its career, wearing different colour schemes. From the box you can build one of the following: 295th Aviation Company, 1972 Army National Guard, 1982 113th Aviation Regiment, 1989 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 Whether you picked up a boxing of the CH-54 Tarhe without a pod, or want another pod to use in your project, it’s good to see it available separately, and with the addition of the M8A1 planking in the same boxing, it’s a sensible choice for a diorama. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

US Aerial Target Drones (48399) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd People think drones are a new thing for the military, but remote controlled aircraft began service in simple forms during WWII. The Firebee was developed by Ryan for the newly reformed USAF in 1948 as a jet powered gunnery target, the first flight taking place in 1951. The USAF Designation was Q-2A, and when the US Navy bought them, they re-designated them KDA-1. The original Firebees were air launched from a modified A-26 Intruder, or ground launched using a Rocket Assisted Take-Off (RATO) pack, a system that was later also employed by the US Army. Q-2Bs were fitted with a modified engine for higher altitudes to widen the type’s range of operation and increase their usefulness. They were further developed over time with the KDA-4 being the main USN version, however differences were mainly internal, so once the stencils are removed, it’s difficult to tell apart without unscrewing panels. The Royal Canadian Air Force purchased 30 KDA-4s that they launched from an Avro Lancaster Mk.10DC, giving modellers another option for the use of these models. In the late 50s the USAF Awarded Ryan a contract for a new second generation Firebee that would become the BQM-34A or Q-2C, which employed a larger airframe with longer wings. One of the main recognition features was the fact the original nose intake was replaced by a chin intake for the new Continental J69-T-29A turbojet, beneath a pointed nose. In addition to the USAF and USN, the US Army had a ground launched variant with RATO pack that was designated the MQM-34D, this version having a longer wing than the USAF & USN variants, sometimes air-launched from a modified Hercules, designated DC-130 for Drone Control. While production originally ended in 1982, the line was re-opened in 1989 to produce additional units to satisfy the needs of the US military, and these BQM-34S variants featured improved avionics and a new J85-GE-100 engine. The Kit Comprising one each of the Q-2A and Q-2C kits, which ICM have previously released separately, the kit arrives in a top-opening box with the usual captive flap on the lower tray, and a painting of both airframes on the front. Inside are two individual resealable bags containing a total of four sprues in grey styrene, a pair of separate decal sheets, and two instruction booklets from the original kits. Detail is good as far as it goes on a drone, and it includes a trailer for each airframe, which will make display without an aircraft to hang it from a breeze. KDA-1 (Q-2A) Firebee with Trailer This earlier variant of the Firebee is the smaller of the two, with an intake in the nose and a central bullet that lends itself to nose art. Construction begins with the Continental J69-T-19B intake, which is made from two halves plus a depiction of the rear face of the engine, and a front mounting bulkhead that has the forward compressor fan moulded-in, and a keyed hole for the central bullet, which is also made from two halves before inserting it in the hole. The two fuselage halves have a tapering insert on each side to portray the intake’s inner lip, fitting the motor assembly into the starboard half, then trapping it in place with the other half and dealing with the seams in your preferred manner. Each swept wing is made from upper and lower halves, with a long tab that fits into a slot in the fuselage sides, while the elevators are single thickness and fit in the same way. An insert closes the gap in the upper fuselage, adding a pair of two-part wingtip fairings, the tail fin, and two V-shaped end-plates on the elevators to finish the airframe. The trailer is based on a large rectangular frame with a triangular A-frame moulded-in that has a towing arm at the front. Three castor wheels are fixed to the rear corners and under the tip of the A-frame, turning the assembly over, mounting an inverted V on the rear, and an inverted U at the front, which has a pin that descends and retains the front of the fuselage, while a pin at the top of the V supports the rear. Markings There are three decal options for this part of the kit, all of them a bit bright. From the box you can build one of the following: Q-2A Firebee USAF, Circa 1951 Ryan KDA-1 Firebee Naval Ordnance Test Station China Lake, California, Circa 1960 US Navy XQ-2 Prototype, Circa 1950 BQM-34A (Q-2C) Firebee with Trailer This later mark also comes on two sprues, whilst the trailer is larger and sturdier. Construction begins with the engine again, this time a Continental J69-T-29A, fitting front and rear faces between the two trunk halves, then fitting it on a long tab in between the fuselage halves, cutting off the small moulded-in strakes under the tail for one decal option. Like its stablemate, there is an insert along the spine, but the intake lip is a single part that should be carefully aligned with the fuselage to reduce clean-up later. The wings are wider but thinner for the Q-2C, and as such they are each single parts that match the elevators, the latter having small triangular end-plates added to the tips, along with the tail fin that slots into the rear of the spine insert. The trailer has a U-shaped under-frame, first mating two U-shaped ribs with three rods, then fitting those to the main chassis rails, and adding a cross-brace to the rear. A pair of axles are each made from two parts and glued into recesses in the underside, and they have two-part wheels fitted to the ends, making the towing arm from a two-part beam that has a shallow A-frame linking it to the front axle. The completed Firebee simply drops into the curved frames, locating on a pin at the rear under the tail. Markings There are four decal options for this part of the kit, all of them brightly coloured to make them stand out. From the box you can build one of the following: US Navy BMQ-34 Naval Base Ventura County US Navy BMQ-34 36 Mission markings USAF BQM-34 Wallace Air Station US Navy BQM-34 circa 2000s 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 compact reboxing that will give you a brace of noticeably different Firebees to build, and as there are no cockpits or gear bays to slow you down, it should make for a quick, fun build. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Here in his own right, the Pilot figure from my Kotare Mk I (early) 1/32 Spitfire. Mostly from ICM 32105, with his arms from Aerobonus 32059. The seatbelt is from HGW 132639 and audio leads, 02 hose etc. from scratch. Painted with Vallejo Air.

Flak Bait B-26B 322nd Bombardment Group (48321) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Instigated on the eve of WWII in Europe, the Marauder was a medium bomber developed over two years by the Glenn L Martin company, entering service in early 1942. Due to its high wing and relatively small planform, loading was high, which resulted in a faster than usual landing speed, which could cause problems for an inexperienced crew during final approach, and similarly if a single-engined approach was necessary. Its stall speed would bite the pilots aggressively if they varied even slightly from the documented landing procedures, resulting in excessive losses due to accidents, which earned it the nickname ‘Widowmaker’ amongst crews. To counter this, changes to the aircraft’s aerodynamics and wing length were undertaken, together with additional crew training, a combination that proved successful, and led to the type’s loss rate being amongst the lowest of the Allies bomber fleet. After initial orders, more followed, and improvements led to the B-26A, and soon after the B-26B, which by Block 10 benefited from longer wings and the other improvements that gave its pilots a longer life-expectancy. The type saw extensive service in Europe, flying with the US Army Air Force and with the RAF, where it was known as the Marauder Mk.1 for B-26A airframes, and Mk.1a for the B models. It also saw service in the Pacific, with a total of over 5,000 airframes built, 500 of which were flown by the RAF, with all airframes withdrawn from service by 1947, after which the A-26 Invader was given the B-26 designation, creating confusion amongst many aviation buffs and modellers over the years. Powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine in nacelles under the wings, the rotund fuselage could carry up to 4,000lbs of bombs in a bay between the wings with a range of 1,500 miles at a substantially higher cruising speed than a B-17, giving it a better chance against fighters and flak, which contributed to its low attrition rate. An early adaptation saw the main armament increased from .303 machine guns to .50cals in all four turrets that could take a bigger bite out of any enemy fighters that ventured too close. Flak Bait was a B-26B-25MA Marauder that holds the record for the greatest number of bombing sorties of any aircraft during WWII at 202, often coming home shot-up, and sometimes on fire, but she still managed to make it back. The name was a comedic riff on the first pilot James J. Farrell’s name for his dog “Flea Bait”, and she truly lived up to that name, with over a thousand holes poked in her by shrapnel or rounds during her illustrious career, with two instances of landing back at base with only one functional engine, one of which was still on fire during approach. She took part in many major campaigns after her debut in 1943, ending the war intact, and flying for the last time in Spring 1946, after which she was dismantled and crated to be flown back to the US. Her nose went on display at the National Air and Space Museum Washington, DC in the 70s, while the rest of her stayed in storage until 2014 when she began being restored, a process that continues at time of writing. The Kit This is an airframe-specific boxing of a new tooling from ICM, of an aircraft that has been neglected for many years in 1:48 scale, so there was much joy when the kit was announced, and many of us, myself included, waited as patiently as we could for its release. I fell victim to its pull as soon as the first boxing landed, although I’ve yet to finish mine due to various drains on my modelling time, but check out my build thread here if you’re minded. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with an attractive painting of a brace of Marauders braving flak over Europe, and under the lid is the usual captive flap on the lower tray, and under that are eight large sprues in grey styrene, plus one of crystal-clear parts, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour with painting and decaling profiles on the rear pages. Detail is up to ICM’s modern high standards, with most of the fuselage full of detail that includes the cockpit, bomb bay and fuselage compartments around the turrets and waist gun positions. Construction begins with the fuselage halves for a change, preparing the interior by drilling out some flashed-over holes for gun packs used on two decal options, and adding the outer bomb racks plus other small details, along with the windows and hinges for the bomb bay if you plan to pose them open. There are also two decals to be applied to parts of the nose compartment, one on each side. The nose bay is built upon its roof, adding side walls and details to the interior, then the cockpit floor is layered on top, fitting the pilot’s four-part seat and separate rudder pedals, making the centre console from another five parts, and attaching the instrument panel to the rear, both it and the console receiving decals to depict the dials. The cranked control column has a bow-tie yoke, applying them to the floor in front of the pilot’s seat, and a bottle behind it, plus a single-part co-pilot seat, two-part yoke, and a stiff neck from straining to view the instrument panel. In the front of the floor is the bomb aimer’s seat, with a three-part sight for him to look through when the time for dropping bombs arrives. The bomb bay front and rear bulkheads have spars moulded-in and show off the circular cross-section of the fuselage, detailing both with small parts, and joining them together via the roof, which is ribbed for strength. Six bombs are built from two main parts with a separate spinner trapped inside the fin structure, gluing three to each of the central bomb ladders, then mounting those onto a pair of rails that fit into the bottom centre of the two bulkheads during the installation of the bay roof. The completed assembly is inserted into the port fuselage half, hiding the short empty sections of the fuselage by inserting another bulkhead behind the bomb bay and in front, the latter having the cockpit floor slotted into it before installation. Before the fuselage halves can be closed, there is a lot of armament to be built, starting with the rear gun turret, which has two guns glued to a central support, sliding the barrels through the two slots in the rear cover, and adding a tapering bracket to the top. The fuselage waist defensive armament is stowed away inside until needed, mounting the two guns facing aft on a section of flooring via two supports, which is depicted with two options, although I can’t see any differences between the two, but it’s late. The waist guns are glued into the rear fuselage on a flat area, inserting the rear turret in the aft, and fitting an armoured bulkhead forward, which the gunner sits behind on a circular seat that is also included. The top turret has the front section with ammo cans built first, inserting it and the gunner’s seat into the turret ring from below along with the control levers. The twin .50cals are inserted from above with the sighting gear between them, slotting the completed interior into a surround, then sliding the glazing over the barrels and securing it with a non-fogging glue before it is slipped into the cut-out on the upper fuselage. Another ovoid bulkhead with a hatchway is inserted between the rear gunner and waist gunners, suspending a box overhead in the waist compartment, then sectioning off the nose from the cockpit with a horseshoe-shaped bulkhead. If you skipped ahead and prepared the starboard fuselage half to speed through painting and weathering, it’s all good, otherwise the starboard fuselage is drilled out and dotted with detail parts, windows, braces and bomb racks, plus bomb bay hinges if you are leaving the doors open, then closing the two halves after putting 50g of nose weight in the space between the cockpit and bomb bay to keep the nose wheel on the ground when the model is complete. The tail fin is a separate assembly on this kit, starting by gluing the two halves of the fin together, then building the stabilisers as a single unit made from a full-span lower and two upper parts plus two smaller inserts. The two assemblies are brought together at the rear, covering the rear of the fuselage, and adding a curved insert behind the cockpit, covering the nose weight, whilst giving you a last chance to add some if you forgot earlier. The rudder and two elevators are each made from two halves, and can be glued into position deflected if you wish, to add some individuality to your model. The bomb bay has four actuators fitted to each of the fore and aft bulkheads, installing the four doors folded into pairs, or covering the bay with a pair of doors if you intend to close it. Two of the decal options carried cheek-mounted gun packs, which mount on the holes drilled earlier, after building each one from fairing, barrel, and nose cap for each of the four, with the instructions advising to install them after applying decals in that area. The main canopy and tail gun glazing are attached, adding two clear roof panels to the canopy, and making the nose glazing with a rectangular box on one side, and a gun in the centre before it too is glued in place. Two detail inserts are applied between the spars that project from the wing root, with the detail facing inward, so remember to paint those at the same time as the rest of the interior for your own convenience. The wings are each separate, and slide over the spars that are moulded into the bomb bay bulkheads. Before closing the wing halves, the gear bay structure is made, consisting of three parts forming an H-frame, adding two more ribs in the forward compartment, and closing off the rear of the bay with a final stringer, painting everything as you go. A bay insert is also included for the ailerons, and this is fixed to the lower wing as the upper is brought in and the two halves are mated. The two-section flaps are each made from upper and lower halves, as is the aileron, and all three are fitted in the trailing edge of the wing, attaching actuator fairings, detail parts inside the nacelle roof, a landing light in the leading edge, and a tip light over the moulded-in recess, which has a likeness of a bulb moulded into the area. A pitot probe is cut from near the wingtip, then the same process is carried out on the opposite wing in mirror-image, setting the completed wings to one side while the engines and their nacelles are built. Each Double-Wasp engine is made from a layer of six parts, depicting both banks of pistons and push-rods, adding the bell-housing and magnetos to the front, trapping a prop axle between them without glue, and inserting the intake ‘spider’ at the rear, with nine exhaust stubs mounted behind the engine. The completed engine is then locked between two circular carriers, and two exhaust collector parts are attached at the rear next to the cooling gills that are moulded into the rear carrier. The cowling is a complex shape that has a substantial portion moulded as a single part, inserting a curved plate inside to create a broad intake trunk in the base, then fitting two more inserts into the top sections of the cowling that fit into position, creating the familiar intake ‘ears’ at the top. The engine slides into the cowling from the rear until the cooling gills butt up against a cut-out, then attention shifts to the nacelle, which is made from two halves after adding covered exhausts and hinge-points to the gear bay sides on a single carrier per side, then gluing the two halves together with three bulkheads holding everything to shape. Once the glue has cured and seams have been dealt with, the engine and cowling are glued to the front and fitted under the wing. Again, the same process is carried out in mirror image for the opposite nacelle, after which the wings can be slid into position and glued in place. The Marauder was another tricycle gear equipped bomber, and the nose leg is made from the main strut with scissor-links added on both sides, fitted into the bay with a retraction jack behind it. A crew access ladder is provided, and is fixed into the roof at the rear of the bay, locating the two bay doors on the sides after fitting hinges along the upper edges, with a small retractor jack installed at the mid-point to complete the area. The main gear legs are fitted with twin supports at the top and door openers mid-way down, inserting them into the nacelles along with a V-shaped strut, and a pair of bay doors on each nacelle. The main wheel tyres are made from two halves, with two more parts for the hubs, as is the nose gear wheel, but with flat hub caps, all three installing on stub axles so that the model can sit on all three wheels, or the rear two if you forgot the nose weight. I can’t laugh, as I recently did that, but got away with it. An aerial and a faired-in D/F loop are fixed under the belly, removing one under the nose, and another aerial is mounted behind the cockpit, with just the two four-blade props with separate spinners to complete the build. Markings There are four decal options on the large sheet, representing Flak Bait at various points of her career, the mission indicators growing in number as time goes by. From the box you can build one of the following: 322nd Bombardment Group, England, Mid-1943 322nd Bombardment Group, England, Summer 1944 322nd Bombardment Group, combat missions in Europe, Spring 1945 322nd Bombardment Group, Bavaria, Summer 1945 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. As is common now with ICM kits, there is a page of the instruction booklet devoted to the masking of the canopy, using the printed shapes on the bottom of the page and the diagrams above to create your own masks if you wish. It consists of only thirty-two elements, some of which are used on the side windows, landing lights and around the cowlings at the front of the engine nacelles. Conclusion This particular Marauder saw over 700 hours of combat action, so amongst the four options there’s plenty of opportunities to depict a well-weathered example, and as it’s a famous airframe that’s still in existence, there should be plenty of reference photos online. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

After the recce-bomber MiG-25R/RB family (link & link) and interceptor MiG-25PD (link), ICM is to release in Q4 2019 a 1/48th SEAD Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25BM "Foxbat-F" kit - ref. 48905 Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICM48905 V.P.

They 're rumours saying after its 1/48th MiG-25RBT "Foxbat-E", ICM is working on a MiG-25PD "Foxbat-A" kit in the same scale. Wishful thinking of more. Time will tell. Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234994939-icm-148-mig-25rbt/&do=findComment&comment=2573774 V.P.

Hello Britmodellers, Revell released several He 70s, so here is their ICM rebox with the decals from their Matchbox reissue. A little extra detail was added to the rear cockpit as well as a replacement machine gun from the spares box, plus a new pitot tube from brass tube. Thanks for watching! Luka

MH-60L Black Hawk US Special Forces Helicopter (48360) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Designed by Sikorsky as a modern replacement to the ageing UH-1 Huey, which was officially name Iroquois, the name Black Hawk was selected to continue the tradition of naming rotary-winged aircraft after native American tribes or their leaders. Development began in the late 1960s, with all proposals to utilise the same GE turboshaft engine that would eventually be designated T700. Key criteria included reduction of operating costs, crew and passenger survivability, and reliability that in turn fed back into the reduction in ongoing expense and safety. Redundancy of systems was also stipulated, as was ballistic protection for the crew and airframe, plus crash protection for the humans, and quieter flight than previous models to reduce the reaction time of the enemy as the aircraft approached. A quartet of prototypes were sent for trials alongside the Boeing-Vertol competitor in 1976, the Black Hawk winning the day and entering production later that year. Initial variants were developed after the original variant reached service, including an Electronic Warfare EH-60, and the Special Forces specific MH-60A, all of which increased the weight of the airframe, leading to an upgrade to the H-60L that harmonised the various common upgrades to enhance commonality for crew and maintainers alike, using T700-GE-701C engines with more power, and an improved gearbox that had been capable of running dry from the outset as part of its survivability improvement over its predecessor. The first Special Ops Black Hawk was the MH-60A that was later replaced by the MH-60L in the 80s as the standardisation of basic equipment fit, which was intended as an interim solution until the more advanced MH-60K could be fielded in the late 80s. The L was equipped with a pair of winglets that can be fitted with a pair of M230 30mm Chain-Guns, unguided rocket packs, or Hellfire missiles that allow the crew to ruin anyone’s day. Other winglet options include air-to-air missiles, M134D miniguns and GAU-19 12.7mm minigun pods, while the door gunners have M134D miniguns at their disposal, which we’ve all seen blasting targets with a stream of glowing tracer rounds moving sinuously as the gunner adjusts his aim to remain on target. Other systems were carried over from the MH-60A, such as the FLIR turret that gave the crew night vision to more accurately target their enemy. The MH-60M added a host of additional features that included in-flight refuelling, enhanced digital flight controls and glass cockpit, terrain-following radar, and yet more powerful engines to cope with the increased weight. The remaining fleet of legacy variants were upgraded to M standard to homogenise the fleet, which was completed by 2015. The MH-60 Black hawk Stealth Helicopter variant consisted of at least two specially modified airframes that were famously used in the assault on Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan during 2011, one of which was damaged in a hard landing and had to be destroyed with a scuttling charge, but a section of the tail remained due to the aircraft straddling a wall, letting the cat out of the bag in a spectacular manner on the world’s news programmes after the event. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling of this Special Ops helicopter in 1:48, bucking the current trend of tooling rotary-wing aircraft in 1:35 for whatever reasons that this reviewer’s tiny mind can’t seem to come to terms with. As 1:48 is my preferred scale, this kit makes me very happy, as it will look right at home next to my fixed-wing collection, whilst also keeping the use of shelf-space to a sensible level. That’s the personal stuff out of the way, now on to the model itself. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with ICM’s usual captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are seven sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet, and instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy white paper, with colour profiles of the decal options on the back pages. Detail is excellent, starting with the exterior, which has finely engraved panel lines, recessed and raised rivets, plus other raised and recessed features that are typical of the type, whilst the raised rivets alone should put those that were disappointed by the lack of these on other manufacturers’ kits in recent years at ease. The cockpit is similarly well-appointed, while the aft compartment has a full set of optional tubular framed fabric seats, with sections of wall added around the doorways to give the model a more realistic look. Construction begins with two cyclic sticks with large gaiters, which mount in the raised forward section of the floor, with each crew member having a pair of pedals in the foot well, a three-part centre console with joystick, instrument panel and decal with coaming over the top forming a T-shape, which is inserted in the space between the two crew stations, boxing the front in with a shallow bulkhead. The crew seats are made as identical assemblies from four parts, with two collective sticks built from three parts each, all of which is installed in the cockpit along with a stowage rack attached to the back of each seat. Two substantial ammo cans are built from two parts and fitted to the floor near the front of the main cabin, followed by making the two interior skins for around the doors, which are each made from four parts and can be painted one of two colours, with a decal applied afterwards, fixing those to the floor on a pair of slots in the edge. The ceiling panel has the pilots’ overhead console moulded-in, which has four decals applied after painting, plus two tubular rails and a folded item that appears to be a stretcher in the passenger cabin. An optional thirteen individual seat backs are made with separate cushions, fitting three to a row of linked bases, and adding tubular backs, making two more single seats and a row of four more seats in the same manners, then mounting them all in holes pre-drilled in the ceiling part, adding diagonal braces to the underside of the bases. The ceiling is then mated with the floor assembly, lining up the pins on the seat supports with holes in the deck, and making up another row of four seats that are inserted into the rear of the ceiling, adding diagonal supports to the floor. The port fuselage half is prepared by adding nose glazing, a two-part exhaust slotted through a hole in the side, and a bulkhead that is fitted behind the passenger cabin, drilling out four flashed-over holes in the side of the boom. The interior assembly is inserted in front of the bulkhead, fitting a three-part rotor-head base into a raised ring moulded into the ceiling, applying nose glazing to the starboard side, and slipping the tail-rotor axle in without using glue. The tail-rotor has an insert in the rear to complete the full depth to the root, and a control crown is fixed to the front, fitting the assembly to the axle before closing the fuselage. It may be wise to leave the tail-rotor off until after painting however, as many modellers including myself would be likely to damage this relatively delicate part during handling. Before closing the fuselage halves, the tail wheel strut has the opposite yoke added, trapping the two-part wheel in place, itself trapped in position during closure of the fuselage halves. It’s important to align the halves carefully before the glue sets, to reduce the appearance of the seams and minimise the work needed once the glue is set, in order to protect the raised rivets that are dotted around the tail boom. The underside of the fuselage is a separate insert that is prepared by drilling out several flashed-over holes, then adding a frame around the lower winch-point, and an insert under the nose that receives the two-part FLIR turret. Before gluing the underside in place, a shackle is glued to the underside of the floor, again taking care with alignment to reduce remedial work on the seams later. The tail has a two-part stabiliser cemented across the base of the fin, adding an insert above, which is also a two-part assembly, mounting a small clear light that is painted a translucent red at the top of the tail fin. The nose has an insert with three sensor fairings fitted, installing it in the space at the front of the fuselage, and adding a forward section of the roof over the cockpit, with narrow strips running back down the sides of the fuselage. The flight crew doors have separate windows and an insert fitted before they are glued in place along with the windscreen, which closes in the cockpit. The exhausts for the twin GE power plants are built from three parts, with a two-part fairing around them, and a bulkhead to the front, the port bulkhead having an auxiliary exhaust mounted on it. Two intake bulkheads with fan detail moulded in are installed at the front of the engine compartment along with two fairings, mounting the exhausts behind them, and building the engine cowlings from two more parts, which are added between the bulkheads, covering the top with a curving roof that has plenty of external detail moulded-in. A pair of two-part exhaust cowlings are made, together with a large curved fairing over the front, which has several additional parts and wire cutters fitted beforehand, adding the three assemblies to the engine compartment to complete main assembly of that area. Each side of the fuselage has a pair of narrow windows fitted that have their surround moulded-in, making up a pair of sliding doors that each have a pair of square windows with rounded corners inserted, attaching them to the side of the fuselage in open or closed position as you prefer. Various sub-assemblies are now built to complete the busy exterior of the Black Hawk, starting with the main gear legs, which have two-part tyres fitted to the lower end, and a small part to the top of the starboard leg to facilitate fixing of the retractable refuelling probe in the next step. The combined starboard base of the probe/gear leg fairing is made from three parts plus a clear light, joining it to a two-part outer tube, and fixing it to the underside of the nose on the starboard side with an X-shaped bracing strut, into which the leading strut of the gear leg also fits. The port fairing is again made from four parts, but only accommodates the gear leg, fitting fairings over the rear struts on both sides to complete the main gear. A forest of antennae, lights and other fixtures are applied to the underside of the fuselage and along the tail boom, building two-part chaff and flare dispenser housings for the boom, which are mounted next to flat blade antennae, the port side having two housings while the starboard side has one. Two door-mounted miniguns are made from five parts each and are perched on a triangular support before they are attached to the open sides of the fuselage, one per side. You have a choice of depicting the refuelling boom retracted by using a short tip, or extended by fitting a longer part, adding a pair of wipers to the windscreen, plus small detail parts and pitot probes, mounting a five-part winch fairing over the door and two-part faceted Infrared sensor on the roof behind the rotor head, plus more antennae running aft along the tail boom to the fin. The main rotor is well-detailed, starting with the rotor head that is made from upper and lower halves, plus the shaft and a carrier for the blade control ring that is fitted next along with four push-rods that link it to the base of each rotor. A cruciform part is mounted on a circular spacer, with a cap on top, finally adding the four blades to the assembly to complete it, after which the axle can be dropped into position in the roof of the engine compartment. If space is at a premium, or you are likely to take your finished model to a show, you can leave the rotor loose to facilitate moving it around. Markings There are three decal options provided on the sheet, all of them wearing a black or black with dark grey camouflage scheme for stealth purposes during night operations, although due to the size of the profiles in print, it’s quite hard to discern the details, and the decal numbers are also quite small. From the box you can build one of the following: 90-26290, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Tennessee, 2007 93-26489, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Exercise PANAMAX 2011 91-26360, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), 2012 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. As is common now with ICM kits, there is a page of the instruction booklet devoted to the masking of the canopy and glazing, using the printed shapes on the page and the diagrams above to create your own masks if you wish. If you have the same age-related poor eyesight as I have, you should perhaps have a look at ICM’s site, where you’ll find a link to a PDF of the instructions, or go straight here to save yourself a search. Conclusion This is the first new tooling of this type using data that was gathered in this millennium, that also uses the advanced technology now available to kit designers. It is well-detailed inside and out, and as an avid gunship modeller, this first release is appealing to me, and probably many other modellers in this scale too. In the unlikely event that you prefer another less-aggressive variant however, there’s bound to be more boxings along in due course, so keep watching for our reviews. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

This is my favourite build from last year. ICM have really pulled this one out of the bag. The detail and engineering is off the chart! Helped a little with some photo etch from Eduard. Paints for this one are from ICM's own range released for this kit. The aircaft is from No22 Squadron RAF https://m.facebook.com/Mancavemodelsathome/

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: 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: Military Equipment Armed Forces of Ukraine (3039) This set contains the following colours: 1027 Gun Metal 1008 Deep Brown 1072 US Dark Green 1041 Buff 1002 Black 1073 4BO Green The rear of the box shows the following: Armed Forces of Ukraine (3041) This set contains the following colours: 1028 Off White 1072 US Dark Green 1058 Tan Earth 1062 British Khaki 1054 Chocolate 1031 Warm Grey The rear of the box shows the following: WWI & WWII Weapon & Equipment (3043) This set contains the following colours: 1025 Natural Steel 1027 Gun Metal 1035 Grey Green 1031 Warm Grey 1053 Leather Brown 1002 Black The rear of the box shows the following: WWI German Infantry (3044) This set contains the following colours: 1008 Deep Brown 1037 Dark Grey 1070 German Field Grey 1034 Dark Sea Grey 1038 German Grey 1072 US Dark Green The rear of the box shows the following: WWI French Infantry (3045) This set contains the following colours: 1075 Grey Blue 1076 Deep Sky Blue 1046 Blood Red 1055 Deck Tan 1008 Deep Brown 1002 Black The rear of the box shows the following: Luftwaffe Pilots (3046) This set contains the following colours: 1077 Dark Blue 1002 Black 1003 Deep Yellow 1054 Chocolate 1028 Off White 1024 Silver The rear of the box shows the following: WWII US Aviation (3047) This set contains the following colours: 1071 Camouflage Green, 1001 White, 1068 Olive Green, 1002 Black, 1023 Aluminium, 2002 Satin Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: Wehrmacht Afrika Korps (3049) This set contains the following colours: 1059 Green Ochre, 1041 Buff, 1038 German Grey, 1058 Tan Earth, 1060 Middle Stone, 1061 Green Brown The rear of the box shows the following: WWII British Royal Navy Aviation (3050) This set contains the following colours: 1074 Pale Blue, 1069 Extra Dark Grey, 1033 Sky Grey, 1022 Burnt Tin, 1028 Off White, 2002 Satin Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: WWI US Vehicles (3051) This set contains the following colours: 1071 Camouflage Green, 1056 Light Earth, 1002 Black, 1060 Middle Stone, 1037 Dark Grey, 1051 Dark Rust The rear of the box shows the following: WWII Military Vehicles of Britain (3052) This set contains the following colours: 1069 Extra Dark Green, 1060 Middle Stone, 1061 Green Brown, 1028 Off White, 1071 Camouflage Green, 2002 Satin Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: WWII German U-Boats (3053) This set contains the following colours: 1033 Sky Grey, 1034 Dark Sea Grey, 1037 Dark Grey, 1018 Brass, 1026 Oily Steel, 1011 Clear Red The rear of the box shows the following: US Cars 1930-40s (3048) This set contains the following colours: 1077 Dark Blue, 1009 Deep Green, 1007 Deep Red, 1031 Warm Grey, 1064 Lime Green, 1065 Interior Yellow Green The rear of the box shows the following: WWII British Infantry (3054) This set contains the following colours: 1069 Extra Dark Green, 1027 Gun Metal, 1062 British Khaki, 1059 Green Ochre, 1008 Deep Brown The rear of the box shows the following: Civil Aviation (3055) This set contains the following colours: 1001 White, 1077 Dark Blue, 1007 Deep Red, 1024 Silver, 1045 Medium Orange, 1034 Dark Sea Grey The rear of the box shows the following: WWII Japanese Pilots (3056) This set contains the following colours: 1050 Saddle Brown, 1026 Oily Steel, 1061 Green Brown, 1052 Hull Red, 1041 Buff, 1072 US Dark Green The rear of the box shows the following: Firefighters (3057) This set contains the following colours: 1059 Green Ochre, 1002 Black, 1038 German Grey, 1011 Clear Red, 1054 Chocolate, 2007 Green Primer The rear of the box shows the following: Humvee US Military Cars (3059) This set contains the following colours: 2005 Black Primer, 1056 Light Earth, 1052 Hull Red, 1072 US Dark Green, 1073 4B0 Green, 1038 German Grey The rear of the box shows the following: WWII Royal Navy (3060) This set contains the following colours: 1049 Medium Rust, 1034 Dark Sea Grey, 2004 Grey Primer, 1074 Pale Blue, 1037 Dark Grey, 1042 Pale Sand The rear of the box shows the following: Animals (3061) This set contains the following colours: 1039 Rubber Black, 2009 White Primer, 1043 Light Flesh, 1008 Deep Brown, 1006 Deep Orange, 1053 Leather Brown The rear of the box shows the following: American Cars of the Early 20th Century (3058) This set contains the following colours: 1010 Deep Blue, 2005 Black Primer, 1069 Extra Dark Green, 1068 Olive Green, 1066 Grass Green, 2003 Gloss Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: WWII US Armoured Vehicles (3062) This set contains the following colours: 1027 Gun Metal, 1041 Buff, 1071 Camouflage Green, 1072 US Dark Green, 2005 Black Primer, 1001 White The rear of the box shows the following: WWII Imperial Japanese Navy (3064) This set contains the following colours: 1049 Medium Rust, 1036 Neutral Grey, 1047 Matt Red, 1038 German Grey, 2004 Grey Primer, 2003 Gloss Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: German Civilian Cars of the 1930s (3065) This set contains the following colours: 1046 Blood Red, 1040 Beige, 1002 Black, 1024 Silver, 1010 Deep Blue, 2003 Gloss Varnish The rear of the box shows the following: Medieval Warriors (3066) This set contains the following colours: 1025 Natural Steel, 1026 Oily Steel, 1058 Tan Earth, 1053 Leather Brown, 1017 Gold, 1019 Rusty Brass The rear of the box shows the following: Ancient Warriors (3068) This set contains the following colours: 1024 Silver, 1020 Bronze, 1047 Matt Red, 1019 Rusty Brass, 1026 Oily Steel, 1053 Leather Brown The rear of the box shows the following: WWI German Aviation (3069) This set contains the following colours: 1001 White, 1002 Black, 1046 Blood Red, 1056 Light Earth, 1072 US Dark Green, 1076 Deep Sky Blue The rear of the box shows the following: Napoleonic Wars (3072) This set contains the following colours: 1006 Deep Orange, 1007 Deep Red, 1009 Deep Green, 1017 Gold, 1028 Offwhite, 1077 Dark Blue The rear of the box shows the following: Leopard Tanks (3073) This set contains the following colours: 1070 German Field grey, 1039 Rubber Black, 1026 Oily Steel, 1028 Offwhite, 2005 Black Primer, 1052 Hull Red The rear of the box shows the following: ’Flak Bait’ B-26B (3074) This set contains the following colours: 1002 Black, 1036 Neutral Grey, 1068 Olive Green, 1071 Camouflage Green, 1072 US Dark Green, 2004 Grey Primer The rear of the box shows the following: Black Hawk US Helicopter Acrylic Paint Set (3067) This set contains the following colours: 1002 Black, 1033 Sky Grey, 1038 German Grey, 1056 Light Earth, 1072 US Dark Green, 2003 Gloss 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