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  1. ’Prost!’ Between Battles on Bergepanther (35343) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Panther was Germany's answer to the surprise appearance of the Russian T-34 after they finally reacted to the invasion that was Operation Barbarosa. Although the project had been in gestation for some time before, they took some design cues from the T-34 in the shape of the sloped armour, resulting in the Panther that was intended to fill the gap between the Panzer.IV and the (then) new Panzer VI Tiger. It was eventually supposed to replace both the Pz.IV and the earlier Pz.III that were really showing their age, but in reality it often fought alongside the Panzer IV due to lack of production numbers. It was planned as a lighter, more manoeuvrable tank than the Tiger, and was fitted with a high velocity gun from the outset, which gave it enormous penetrating power that was only equalled by the British 17-pounder fitted to the Sherman by the British that turned it into the highly effective Sherman Firefly. The sloped frontal armour gave it an increased effective armour thickness, but this was not quite so true of the side armour, which was weaker and more steeply sloped, becoming the preferred target area of allied tanks, especially in urban combat where this became a telling issue. Like most German tanks of WWII, it was complex and expensive to produce, so suffered in terms of volume, which led to it being rushed into service with quite a laundry-list of problems still to resolve. Later production solved most of these initial gremlins, but loses in the interim were high with many being abandoned after breaking down during combat. Curiously, the Ausf.D was the first to enter production, with the Ausf.A following later in 1943, replacing attrition of the less reliable Ausf.Ds until they themselves were superseded by the Ausf.G, which became the final major variant with increased ammo storage, simplified design to ease production, and further improvements to reliability, although this was never fully cured with a high rate of attrition due to mechanical issues, some of which resulted in catastrophic fires. This is where the Bergepanther came in, recovering vehicles that had either fallen foul of Allied fire but were still salvageable, or had broken down in a manner that was conducive to an attempt at recovery, which could also be done under fire thanks to the armour that the Bergepanther inherited from its more combative sibling. The Kit This box contains an early Bergepanther and a set of figures to add a human dimension to the kit. It arrives in a compact top-opening box with ICM’s usual captive top flap on the lower tray, and inside are two bags that contain a total of six sprues and two hull halves in grey styrene, four sprues of track links in black styrene, and a small sheet of decals. The instructions for the tank are printed in black and white, with an additional colour sheet covering the figures on glossy paper. We’ll cover the figure sets at the end under a separate heading. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is completed by adding the T-shaped rear bulkhead and the armoured surrounds around the final drive housings at the front of the hull. The many stub axles are inserted into the hull with a peg holding them at the correct angle, and these are accompanied by several additional suspension parts, bumpers, the housings themselves and of course the interleaved main wheels, plus the four-part idler wheels and two-part drive sprockets. The rear bulkhead is detailed with twin exhausts that hold the detailed jack across the armoured bases of the exhaust stacks. The upper hull has the inside of the glacis plate detailed with driver’s hatch and vision blocks, plus two hatches on pegs that insert into the lift-out front section of the forward deck. The rear deck also has a large inspection hatch in the centre that is decked out with mushroom vents and grab-handles, then has the various rectangular and circular vents from the engine compartment added either side, plus a couple more circular vents and lifting lugs. The stowage for the sides of the hull is made up on frames, one for each side, plus a tube for the barrel-cleaning rods and two racks of spare track links at the rear, again one each side. The front mudguards have width indicators added that are fairly unusual for the Panther, then it’s time to make up the tracks. The track links are made up from individual parts that are joined together to create the complete run, although you aren’t given a guide figure of how many to use, but from memory I suspect around 90 would be appropriate. They clip together, but need some glue to retain their integrity, so wrapping them around the road wheels while the glue is still flexible, then hold them in place with tape, foam wads and other tools to obtain the correct sag on the return run. The good news is that there are only two sprue gates to deal with per link, but they are on a concave surface, so if you have a circular sanding stick, file or burr for your motor tool, they won’t hold you back for long. There are however two small circular ejector-pin marks in the outriggers of each link’s outer face. Sanding those could be done with a small, flat-tipped burr, or you could make your own and glue some wet’n’dry to it, as I have done in the past. The alternative is to slap some weathering and mud on the tracks to hide any issues you didn’t fix. The new sprue includes the wooden two-part hatch that fits over the turret ring, a self-defence machine gun on a short mount on the front right corner and an upstand on the other side to move the gun to if the need arose. Additionally, there is a crane with two supports that fix on brackets at the rear, and hangs over to that side with a twin-sheave block and a pair of hooks to attach the loads on. At the rear is a large two-plate towing bracket with drop-in pin for heavy-duty towing duty. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, one in plain dunkelgelb (dark yellow), the other with stripes of diagonal green camouflage sprayed over the yellow, both wearing just a trio of crosses. Sadly, the profiles on the instructions are black and white, but are clear enough to allow you to carry out painting, although you’ll need to guesstimate the camouflage stripes on the right side of the second option, as only one side profile is provided. From the sheet you can build one of the following: S.Pz. Jäger Abt. 653, Kursk, Summer 1943 Panzer Regiment Herman Göring, East Prussia, Autumn 1944 The decal sheet is tiny, and contains just three Balkenkreuz crosses in black and white, which are well-printed with good register, sharpness and colour density. Figures The single sprue contains parts for four figures, three of whom are sitting, plus an Alsatian or German Shepherd dog. One crew member is nursing a drink with one arm draped around the dog, another is cutting a slice from a loaf of bread, while the last sitting gentleman is holding some food on his lap. The fourth figure is stood raising a bottle (most likely empty) and has his mouth wide open making a toast, glass in his other hand, also probably empty. They are all wearing bloused combat trousers over sturdy boots, and either shirts or a jersey, most with their sleeves rolled up ready for some good honest oily work. Their headgear varies from bare headed to three different styles of cap or beret, while the dog is made from two separate halves, and isn’t wearing a hat. Conclusion A good kit of the workhorse that kept the Panthers running as they were pushed back by the Allies, and the addition of figures gives a human scale to the tank, lending itself to a diorama in the Bocage in France, providing you paint it appropriately for the area, rather than using the decal options. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  2. WWII RAF Pilots Acrylic Paint Set (3033) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your RAF aircrew such as the RAF Bomber & Torpedo Crew we reviewed here from ICM themselves, or indeed any RAF aircrew from WWII, and you will find the following colours in the box: 1077 Dark Blue 1075 Grey Blue 1003 Deep Yellow 1054 Chocolate 1060 Middle Stone 2001 Matt Varnish The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, and depicts the figures that can be found in the set linked to above. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Matt Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The matt patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Matt Varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnish. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the need to dilute it for use, and the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Currently on back-order, however. Review sample courtesy of
  3. Confirmed as new tool with ref.48261. Release expected for Q3 2017 https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICM48261 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not mentioned in the 2016 catalogue (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234995418-icm-catalog-2016-programme/), dixit scalemodels.ru ICM is to release in 2017 a new tool 1/48th Heinkel He.111H-3 kit - ref.48261 Source: http://scalemodels.ru/news/10678-anons-ICM-1-48-He-111H3.html A new family of 1/48th He.111 in view? Would make sense after the 1/48th Do.17/Do.215 & Ju-88 ICM kits but wait and see. Scalemodel.ru info also show a box art... Dubious as it's the Revell 1/32nd He.111H-6 one! V.P.
  4. RAF Bomber & Torpedo Pilots 1939-45 (48090) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd During WWII the RAF were tasked with maritime interdiction and harassment missions to disrupt and sink German shipping, and to protect the Allied shipping whenever possible. The crews often flew older aircraft such as the Beaufort that could carry torpedoes, flying straight and low at their targets in a valiant attempt to launch their torpedoes with a chance of hitting the target, evading incoming fire from the target, additional craft in the vicinity, and other enemy aircraft when in coastal waters. These brave men and boys took immense risks to carry out their missions, and many didn’t make it home, fighting for the existence of their way of life. This set has been sculpted to coincide with the recent launch of ICM’s own Beaufort, and arrives in a medium-sized, top-opening box with ICM’s trademark captive flap on the lower tray. There is a single sprue in grey styrene and an instruction sheet within, containing parts for five figures, consisting of three aircrew and two mechanics. As usual with ICM figures, the sculpting is first-rate, and parts breakdown as well as seamlines are sensibly placed to ease clean-up and construction. The aircrew are all wearing WWII period RAF blue uniforms with leather flying jackets and two are wearing Mae West life jackets over the top. The captain is wearing a flat-topped cap and carrying what looks like a log-book in his right hand, while his left hand rests in his jacket pocket. The other two crew are walking with their hands to their sides, carrying a parachute pack or leather flight helmet in one hand, and the parachute carrier is also still wearing his harness. The ’erks are wearing dark blue overalls, one in long boots is standing with his hands about to rest on what is shown to be a torpedo on the box art, while the other gentleman in short boots is kneeling down, ministering to a trolley wheel on the box. Both their overalls have the word “TORP” written on the panel on their blacks, with a white square below left, denoting their specialisation, presumably so they can be tasked with jobs appropriate to their skillsets from a distance. As usual with ICM figure sets, the instructions include drawings in full colour that have the part numbers and colour codes called out in black text and red boxed text respectively, the latter cross-referring to the paint table on the opposite side of the sheet, which gives colour codes for ICM’s paint system as well as colour names in Ukrainian and English printed over a swatch of the colour itself. There is also an ICM paint set for RAF Pilots numbered #3033 that is available from Hannants here if you’re in the market. I’ll try to remember to cross-link the reviews when we’ve done the paint set. Conclusion Another quality figure set from ICM that is also pocket-friendly in this era of high inflation. Five figures with excellent sculpting that will mesh well with the recent crop of torpedo bombers that have been released in this scale. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  5. Radar Hunter (72143) Mig-29 Ukrainian Fighter with HARM 1:72 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd This is going to be a difficult review to steer a centreline on, so you’ll have to forgive me if I drift to one particular side a little, although I’ll try not to. Please don’t be tempted to engage in any jingoism of your own. On 24th February 2022 an aggressor invaded Ukraine with malevolent intent, a variety of fallacious explanations as to why they were there, and intentions of taking over the whole country to make it their own. Ukraine, its government, and people have fought back valiantly against this attack, and Ukrainian aviators have been shooting down plenty of the aggressor’s aircraft, flying an upgraded Mig-29-13 in a grey digital camouflage scheme. Rumours began circulating that the Migs were using American-made AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) to take out Russian radar installations, although there was much conjecture and claims that it couldn’t possibly be the case. Those rumours turned out to be true, as the ingenious Ukrainian engineers and their US counterparts had indeed managed to integrate them, and were using them as advertised, proved by videos that surfaced on the internet. A great example of necessity being the mother of invention. This helped to prevent the enemy from achieving anything resembling air superiority over most of Ukrainian territory, giving the brave Ukrainian fighters one less thing to worry about amongst many perils. We at Britmodeller would like to wish all of Ukraine’s armed forces our continued best with their struggle, and hope that it is resolved to their satisfaction. The Kit This is a reboxing of ICM’s 2008 tooling of this classic Cold War Soviet-era jet, but with new decals appropriate for the subject matter, most of which are a carry-over from their recent Ghost of Kyiv boxing that we reviewed in June of 2022. The kit arrives in a stylishly appointed top-opening box with captive inner lid, and inside are five sprues of medium grey styrene, a small clear sprue, three sheets of decals and the instruction booklet, which shares the same design as the box lid, and has spot-colour throughout, including full colour profiles on the back page. Detail is on par for the era of its original release, with engraved panel lines, raised and recessed detail where appropriate, cockpit and gear bay detail, and a complement of weapons and fuel tanks, some of which remain unused. Construction begins with the cockpit, which has an ejector pin mark in the middle of the floor that should be covered by the ejection seat, but needs cutting flush to ensure everything fits properly. A control column and instrument panel with raised and recessed detail moulded-in completes the cockpit, although the Zvezda K-36 seat could do with a little additional work, including adding the tubular housings for the ejection stabilisation beams that sit at each side of the headbox. The cockpit inserts into the upper fuselage from below, after which it can be closed ready for the other components. There aren’t many stages to the instruction booklet, and we see the wings, elevators and stabilisers added at the same time as the two-part canopy. Two inset diagrams show the twin engine nacelles being made up with integral FOD guards before they too are joined to the underside of the fuselage, with the exhausts also made up from inner and outer parts in another inset diagram. The HARM missiles are on a pair of identical sprues, and they build up in an unusual manner that consists of two halves, plus a pair of inserts that include extra detail on separate quadrants of the missile body. Once complete, they attach to a Heath-Robinson short, deep pylon, ready to be installed on the inner wing pylons closest to the engine nacelles. The included standard weapons also have their own diagrams, and you can make up four R-73 Archer air-to-air missiles, two to be found on each of the sprues. Each missile has its own pylon, and the unused larger R-27s have separate fins perpendicular to the seamline, although they’re not shown used in this boxing, as are the R-27s and R-60s on the main weapons sprue. The HARMs and R-73 missiles are shown inserted into the holes in the wing undersides at the same time as the main and nose gear, which have separate wheels and retraction jacks, plus gear bay doors and a clear landing light in each main gear well. The nose gear bay has three doors, and at the tip of the nose a pitot probe, with a smaller probe just aft of the nose cone. Markings There is just one decal option spread over the two sheets, with all the digital camouflage on the larger sheet, while Ukrainian national markings and codes are on the other. All the Ghost markings are present, with choices of codes in various colours to customise the identity of the aircraft, plus a stylised skull for the nose on a black circular backing, and two sizes of Ukrainian shield in blue and yellow. The third decal sheet includes decals to stencil the HARMs, with two drawings showing both sides for completeness. The underside is painted sky grey and the topside off-white, glossing them ready for the digital camo decals, of which there are eighteen in three shades of grey. An instrument decal is also included to improve the detail in the cockpit, plus several stencils for the airframe, all of which should settle down well with the help of some decal setting solution. They are printed by ICM’s usual partner, and registration, colour density and sharpness is good. Ghost of Kyiv Paint Set (3027) ICM have this year released their own brand of acrylic paints to the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. Inside the box are the following bottles: 1028 Offwhite 1033 Sky Grey 1034 Dark Sea Grey 1037 Dark Grey 1038 German Grey 2002 Satin Varnish The paint is undiluted, so will need thinning by between 40-60% with water or acrylic thinner for use with an airbrush, and they naturally have a semi-gloss finish that can be adjusted later by the use of varnishes, and are waterproof when dry like most acrylics. During my initial testing I used Ultimate Thinners, my go-to thinners for any acrylic paint, which helps keep the number of large bottles in my spray booth to a minimum. The paint comes out of the bottle quite thick and viscous, so it’s possible you’ll have to dilute it even for brush painting use, although I used it neat during testing, so a small bottle will go a long way in either case. It sprays well when diluted, and like a lot of acrylics a light coat is best initially, followed quickly after by heavier coats until you have the coverage you require. It dries quite quickly, and is touch-dry in 5-10 minutes in 20-23°c temperatures. I have used them to create several spray-out cards and spoons for other sets in the range, and they both spray and brush very well, with little issue other than my inexpert application by paint brush. Conclusion It’s great to see the Ukrainian forces getting new boxings in good time following their use in action, and don’t forget to pick up some paint while you’re out shopping for your kit. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Radar Hunter (72143) Ghost of Kyiv Paint Set (3027) Review sample courtesy of
  6. Civilians Acrylic Paint Set (3030) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your civilians from ICM themselves or anything that needs some less drab colours as a base, and you will find the following such colours in the box: 1005 Deep Purple 1008 Deep Brown 1009 Deep Green 1030 Ivory 1047 Matt Red 1077 Dark Blue The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned in the bottom right, and also depicts some of the aforementioned civilians, their luggage and their offspring with paint suggestions arrowed. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Satin Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The satin patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Oily Steel and Satin Varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnish, but what happened to the Oily Steel is a mystery to me at this stage, possibly a bad mix, or some other oddity peculiar to my bottle or batch. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  7. Yes I know I am starting another but this should be quick. Well I attended the Scottish National model show at the weekend another great show and picked up some bargains while there I got myself three of these kits WW2 Multi-purpose boats Tiny things. So in the lull of that quiet time on the Saturday afternoon I built one for a bit of fun I timed myself building it 28 minutes and 40 seconds nice little easy kit. But when I got it back home I noticed some differences with the box art to what you actually build a little soft on some details so I raided the spares box of PE and plastic rod and have ended up with this so far Stay safe beefy
  8. AR-2 (KamAZ 43105) Hose Fire Truck (35003) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Based upon the KamAZ-4310 that started development in the 70s, the KamAZ-43105 chassis was equipped with a winch and extended flatbed that allowed an increased seven tons payload, making it suitable for a wider variety of tasks. The AR-2 Fire Truck was built during the 80s, and was created to carry firefighting gear in its all-metal load compartment, which is split to carry equipment in the forward section, while hoses are held in the rear ready for deployment. It carries a crew of three, who operate in unison to control the laying and operation of hose lines up to an impressive 1.5 miles or 2.5 kilometres, depending on the need, and the power of the pump engines it is supporting. It has been in service since, and some are still to be found in fire stations today, painted bright red and white so that they stand out against the traffic and other backgrounds. The Kit This is a new boxing of a 2016 kit of the original truck with flatbed, adding new parts to create the boxed-in load area with high windows on the diagonal side panels. It arrives in a top-opening box with ICM’s usual captive top flap on the lower tray, and inside are seven sprues in grey styrene, three clear sprues, seven black flexible tyres, a decal sheet and instruction booklet with a glossy cover and in colour throughout, including profiles on the rear pages. Detail is excellent throughout, and includes a concise replica of the KamAZ 740 engine that provides motive power. Construction begins with the chassis, making up the front cross-member and the winch assembly behind it, which is then fitted to the front of the twin chassis rails along with several other cross-members and a large towing shackle with guides at the rear. At the front a deep support rail is placed flat across the front rails, and the suspension is started. A transfer box is assembled and suspended on a rail between two cross-member at the midpoint, and is then linked to the winch at the rear by a long drive shaft, adding the rear leaf springs while the chassis is inverted. The front bumper has a pair of reflectors installed behind it before it is slotted onto the front of the chassis, then the engine is started (not literally). It is a large block and very well detailed with dozens of parts that include airbox and trunking; pulleys and cooling fan; sump; cylinder blocks and transmission at the rear, with the finished unit dropped into the front of the chassis along with a large rectangular radiator with ducting and link hose. The exhaust is built up from several parts, making the two down-pipes from the manifold and converging at the muffler at the mid-point of the chassis, and exiting via a side pipe to the right side. To extract power from the engine, a drive-shaft with two transfer boxes is made up with added parts, linking the two rear axles together, adding mounting points and stabilising rods before they are lowered onto the opposite ends of the leaf springs installed earlier. Additional suspension links join the two axles to the centre on either side, then a choice of two styles of front axle is made, using different parts that fit to the same drive-shaft and are mounted on the front pair of leaf-springs with a steering rod linking both hubs and a sump-guard in front. The chassis rails are detailed with L-shaped brackets in preparation for the many additions later, and small shocks are fitted to the front suspension at 90° to each other to reduce tramping of the wheels over rough ground. The first is a box in a mount on the left side of the chassis, which has a fuel tank behind it with another on the opposite side, and a bundle of three cylinders that is replicated on the opposite side too, as are the front mudguards, which slide into holes in the sides of the chassis rails. Four wheels are built up using the same hub parts, but on different sides of the tyres to ensure the tread chevrons all point in the same direction at completion. Another two are made up for the front wheels in the same manner, then all six are inserted on the stub-ends of the axles front and rear, and the chevrons should all point forward. The load bed is mounted on a set of stand-off rails with diagonal supports under the floor, with a pair of dropped boxes at the rear, the sloped front ends of which act as the rear arches. The rear bulkhead has the doors for the boxes inserted along with two main doors with clear light clusters above each of the boxes, the completed assembly glued onto the rear of the bed, with another bulkhead to the front, and the vertical sides with additional doors, then the roof with diagonal sections that have windows inserted from within, completing the box. The afore mentioned stowage boxes under the rear are finished off with extended fronts creating mud flaps, adding another pair further forward along with a series of stepped wedges that are glued under the floor further forward still. The rear doors are completed by adding the latches and handles, and installing a circular door to the hatch in the front of the roof. A rectangular box is built up over a series of stages and glued to the rear bulkhead under the doors, with several handles fitted to the smaller doors on the sides of the box, brightening things up with a pair of flashing lights on brackets at the front of the box, and a pair of rails that run front to rear on the flat roof. On the front bulkhead a box is fixed lengthways over a set of moulded-in cable runs, a tubular ladder and grab handles plus some auxiliary parts are added, then the box is mated to the chassis, which is without a cab at this stage. The cab floor has the three foot pedals glued to the diagonal foot board, and an optional gear lever is inserted into a hole between the seat rails, adding those after building each of them up from several parts with some crisp upholstery details moulded-in, and adjustment risers holding the assemblies together. Once complete the three are attached to their rails, taking care to fit them in the correct position, as the centre seat has a shorter riser due to the height of the floor. The cab sides are glued in place, then supported by the rear bulkhead with twin windows and fairing at the bottom, then with the assembly inverted, the wheel arches are fitted underneath as a single linked part. The front of the cab is detailed with lenses for the lights and decorative “buffers” to the corners, then has the windscreen inserted from within, and the dash with coaming, grab handles and instrument decal fixed below it. The completed sub-assembly is then mated to the rest of the cab, the steering wheel, stalk and column slid into place on the left side, and the roof closing it up, adding a small hatch and three small marker lights in the centre. The cab doors can be posed open or closed, and each one is built from the outer skin, door card, handles and window winder, plus the glazing, and a wing mirror on an extended bracket. If you are posing them closed, the hinges at the leading edges of the doors are removed with a sharp knife and made good before inserting them into the aperture. A deep-wading exhaust is run up the rear of the cab with a mushroom topper, and windscreen wipers are fitted into holes under the windscreen, with a searchlight on the top corner of each side of the screen. From examining the instructions, it appears that the cab can be fitted in position for driving, or tilted forward for maintenance of the engine, but the scrap diagrams in the instructions show it being a choice of open or closed cab doors. Crossed wires between departments perhaps? The drawings show two different sets of supports for the cab, one set collapsed for the cab down option, the other set extended for cab forward, and with each one showing a gear stick inserted into the top of the engine. I could of course be totally wrong. It happens. Markings There are three options on the decal sheet, but all three are painted red with white strips and cab doors, plus go-faster twin stripes on the back doors. From the box you can build one of the following: Mykolaiv, early 1990s Odesa, 2012 Kharkiv, 2015 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 Who doesn’t like a fire engine? This is a well-detailed model of this type, including an excellent cab and engine that will really draw the eye, especially if you pose the cab forward for maintenance. If you want to depict the load area open and in use however, you should ready yourself for some additional research and a bit of scratch-building. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  9. Hi all - first time poster, long time lurker. Here's a ICM Soviet Air Force MiG-25RB in 1:72 scale I finished last week. Brush painted with Vallejo acrylics, everything OOB - apart from the seat which is an Eduard aftermarket part for a MiG-21 - from looking at references it looked identical to the 25's. I'm a slow builder at the best of times but this build took far, far longer than it should have done (an embarrassing number of months, especially as I only work on one project at a time). I had a lot of alignment issues with the fuselage, which seemed far too complicated a design to me. Lots of sanding and fettling required - hopefully not too obvious in the finished product. Was also slowed down by the crazy amount of tiny stencils. But overall I'm happy with the end product, of an extremely cool plane.
  10. Hello! I present here my recently finished ICM 1/72 Ki-21-Ib in the markings of 58th air group operated in China. There is not much to choose from when it comes to the camouflage scheme of this bomber in China front, especially early in the war. Actually, there were examples that operated without any markings at all. In my opinion, this plain colour scheme helps highlight the beautiful, clean design of this bomber. Ki21 is without a doubt a long-awaited Japanese bomber in any scale, and ICM surely filled that need with this high quality kit. One area I believe ICM made an error is the undercarriage. Although it is intricately designed, you should watch out for the right undercarriage. The parts and attachment points on both the left and right undercarriage are the same. However, the attachment point on the wings seems to call for the undercarriage to be mirrored (even the drawing for step 52 seems to suggest that the parts are mirrored, not an exact copy). The fix is not difficult if you plan it during assembly. Other than this minor point, it is a pleasure to build this model. Cheers! Nanond The interior is also well-detailed. The markings are all painted on. Only the stencil decals are used.
  11. BM-21 ‘Grad’ (72707) 1:72 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The URAL-4320 on which this vehicle is based originally entered into Soviet service in the late 70s, and as it is still in production, they and their derivatives are almost ubiquitous in Eastern Europe. It is in use with the Ukrainian Armed Forces today, where its off-road capabilities are essential, bouncing over rutted and turned-over terrain where tanks and shell holes have ruined the surface over the course of the last year. The invader has also donated some additional trucks that have been left behind, which is helpful. The vehicles are painted in a striking digital camouflage over their basic green colour to help hide them in built-up areas. Keep up the good work! The BM-21 Grad Multi-Launch Rocket System (MLRS) began development in the 1960s, reaching production in the middle of the decade, initially mounted on a different vehicle chassis, the system consisting of forty 122mm independently released rockets in a rectangular pack of launch tubes mounted on the rear of the vehicle, with elevation and rotation allowing it to home in on its target after parking up in a suitable location. The nickname grad means hail or hailstorm in English, which is entirely appropriate, as it is capable of launching various types of munitions up to around 30 miles at a rate of two rockets per second up to the maximum full complement of forty rockets. It can fire high-explosive, fragmentation, incendiary, cluster and even smoke or flares, which are loaded manually by the crew in between salvos, preferably with a move in between launch and reload to avoid the enemy homing in on their location. It has been involved in many conflicts since it entered service with predominantly former Soviet aligned or friendly states, and most recently in the Ukraine, where its flexibility and destructive power is well-used, launching either from the cab or by using a long wired remote if the situation calls for it. The Kit This is a reboxing of a kit that has its heritage in the late 1990s, although the first boxing of this variant was released in 2005 with new parts. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with captive lid to the lower tray, and inside are three sprues and cab part in grey styrene, another larger sprue in black, a small clear sprue, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet on glossy paper with colour profiles on the rear. Due to the age of the kit there are bound to be some minor issues with flash, but compared to previous editions it seems to have been reduced substantially for this boxing, and a quick scrape with the edge of a blade will see it disappear in moments. The cab part is slide-moulded, and a modicum of flash is just visible around the edges where the mould sections meet, probably as a result of the age of the mould. Construction begins with the chassis, which is predominantly moulded in black, as per the finished colour of the underside, which is helpful to the beginner and expert alike. The three axles, drive-shafts, cross-members, exhaust and a representation of the underside of the drive-train are all added to the ladder chassis, and the axles are tipped with six two-part wheels plus separate hub inserts. The cab interior is relatively simple, and is made from a sled-like floor to which the twin-seats and gear shifter are fitted, while the dash is given a steering wheel on the left side, and a grab rail on the right for the co-driver to stabilise himself when traversing rough terrain. These sub-assemblies are inserted into the cab from below after the numerous windows are fitted from within, adding radiator and inner arches inside the engine bay, and two crew steps are fixed under the side doors, plus lights and door mirrors to complete the cab, which is then put to the side while the load bed and rocket package are made. The rocket tubes are made from four layers with the tube-shapes moulded-in, locked together by four pins and recesses between the layers, and a rear section depicting the back end of the tubes. The palette on which the package sits is made from three parts including an elevation rack, with the turntable made from a further two layers that have additional parts fixed in place, which is then lowered onto the rear deck with the mudguards moulded into the sides. The deck is applied to the back of the chassis with actuator rams, and the front stowage area added in front after detailing with a variety of stowage boxes and detail parts. The spare tyre is made up from different parts, and is inserted into its frame between the cab and load area along with several other details and pioneer tools, then the cab is detailed with additional mirrors, search lamps, and a front bumper bar with a pair of towing hooks. A perforated panel fits between the two portions of the aft deck to finish the build. Markings There are two options included on the decal sheet, but with four number plates, that’s really four with two camouflage colour options. The base colour remains the same, adding either subdued digital camouflage decals, or the brighter yellow and brown option, which you may recognise if you have one of the other recent boxings, as it’s the same sheet. It’s entirely up to you and/or your references which combination you go for. From the box you can build one of the following: Armed Forces of Ukraine Armed Forces of Ukraine, Camouflage Version from 2021 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s not a brand new kit, so a little work tidying up the parts will pay dividends, but it’s an example of a Ukrainian workhorse that’s capable of supporting its soldiers with a barrage of around 720 missiles from a battalion to decimate their target with only three minutes of set-up during this terrible war. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  12. KFK Kriegsfischkutter (S.018) 1:350 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd During WWII the German Kriegsmarine realised the potential of a low-technology small patrol boat to aid in their operations, and made an order for just over 1,000 examples, fitted out with equipment and armament to suit the task to which they were suited. The hull was of wooden construction that was cheap to make using existing facilities that used up little in the way of strategic materials other than for the frames, with propulsion provided by a diesel engine. It was intended that after the war, they could be converted back to civilian use as a trawler, but the majority used after the war were from post-war production and had never seen action. Production began in 1942, and was undertaken within Germany, but also at other occupied locations, including the Ukraine, for operation on the Black Sea. Many of the type were used as small guard boats or for security patrols, fitted with two circular gun platforms, one on the fore deck, the other set high behind the wheelhouse, offering a better view of larger vessels for the gunner. The war ended before the full contract was completed, with over 600 built in total, some as patrol boats, training vessels, mine sweeping, and for basic anti-submarine warfare. Measuring only 24m long with a displacement of 110 tonnes, the 220hp diesel motor could only propel it to around 9 knots, so it was hardly a fast patrol boat, barely able to keep up with a standard trawler, but it still saw service in every sea where the Nazis fought during WWII. The Kit This is a brand-new tool from ICM, and it’s plain to see where the motivation for it came from, as some vessels were built in ICM’s home country of Ukraine. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with captive top flap on the lower tray, and inside is a single sprue of grey styrene and the instruction booklet in colour, with painting profiles on the rear pages. Detail is good for the diminutive size of the model in this scale, and as well as having the option of full-hull or waterline models, you also get a simple stand to pose your completed model on if you opt for full-hull. Construction is straight forward and begins with creating the keel up to water level from two halves, then the rest of the hull is made from two more halves plus a deck panel that has planking and some of the deck furniture moulded into the top. Gluing the keel to the upper hull is optional, and a flat blanking plate is also supplied for the waterline modeller to give it some structural rigidity. The wheel house has the stepped rear made up from three parts, plus the vertical front, which also includes the railings for the small (barely) flying bridges to the sides of the enclosed bridge. The two deck gun emplacement bases are situated on the fore deck and behind the wheel house, adding the screw in front of the moulded-in rudder if you have glued the lower hull to your model, and a life ring that straps to the railings on the bridge. The wheel house has a heavy weather-resistant roof added, and a life raft is attached to the front on two pegs, while the single mast is made up out of three parts and inserted into its socket at the rear of the aft gun emplacement. The emplacements each have two-part circular railings that extend to most of the perimeter, which are butt-joints, so make sure you give them adequate time for the glue to cure before carefully putting them into position. The guns are moulded into their conical bases in the idle position, pointing at the sky, and they fit into the centre recess on each emplacement, with the model finished off by adding the anchor in the bow, and another life ring to the other flying bridge. If you wanted to go the extra mile and some more detail to your model, there are vertical posts moulded into the hull sides for the handrails, and you could easily (easy for me to say!) add the horizontals to give it some more realism. The display base is a single part with the shape of the keel moulded into its top, and a concave conical profile that would only take a gloss coat of brass to do a creditable impression of a more expensive metallic base. Markings There are no decals in the box as they aren’t required, but there are two suggested schemes in the back of the instruction booklet, as follows: Multi-purpose boat KFK Kriegsfischkutter, 1944 Multi-purpose boat KFK Kriegsfischkutter with camouflage paint applied, 1944 Paint colours are called out with letters in red boxes that correspond to a table on the front of the booklet that gives you Ukrainian and English names, plus ICM, Revell and Tamiya paint codes that should permit most modellers to choose colours from their preferred range. Conclusion It’s a tiny little model measuring barely 7cm or 3” from stem to stern, but there’s quite a bit of detail included, and it’s another unusual subject that some folks (self-included) might not have heard of. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  13. Ju.88A-4 w/German Personnel & Torpedo Trailers (48229) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Ju-88 was designed as a schnellbomber in the mid-30s, and at the time it was faster than current fighter designs, so it was projected that it could infiltrate, bomb and exfiltrate without being intercepted. That was the theory anyway. By the time WWII began in the west, fighters had caught up with the previously untouchable speed of the 88, and it needed escorting to protect it from its Merlin equipped opponents. It turned out to be a jack of all trades however, and was as competent as a night fighter, dive bomber or doing reconnaissance as it was bombing Britain. They even installed a big gun in the nose and sent it against tanks and bombers, with variable success. The A series was powered by a pair of Jumo 211 engines with annular radiators in cylindrical cowlings producing over 1,000hp each, and was improved gradually up until the A-17, with the A-4 a general improvement from previous versions, including a longer wingspan, more powerful engines, and more potent self-defence weapons. It also benefited from stronger landing gear to cope with the weapons that could be loaded onto the stations under the inner wing panels. The Kit This is a new variation on the original tooling of an A-series airframe that was release recently by ICM, with new parts added to make it version specific to the A-4, and adding a separate torpedo, trailer and a set of crew figures to place around the finished model. The box is the usual top-opening with an inner lid style, and inside you will find twelve sprues in grey styrene, one in clear, decal sheet and a glossy covered instruction booklet with spot colour inside, and the decal options in full colour on the back cover, plus two additional sheets for the figures and the trolley. If you have been lucky enough to see the other boxings, you'll know that detail is right up there in terms of quality and crispness, with ICM really improving over the last few years, which has been great news for modellers, as they aren't frightened of tackling what to us may seem niche subject matters. Construction begins with the fuselage, installing the sidewall detail inserts in the capacious cockpit area, along with some dial decals to bring out the detail. Rear bulkhead, side consoles with decals and a crew seat are all added to the cockpit sides rather than the floor for a change, with an insert in the fuselage for the circular antenna and tail wheel added into the starboard side. The instrument panel is supplied with a decal, and fits into the front of the cockpit opening during fuselage closure. The missing floor is added to the lower fuselage panel that includes the lower inner wings and gives the structure some strength. It also receives the rudder pedals, control column, and the two remaining crew seats back-to-back before being joined to the fuselage from below. The tail plane has articulated flying surfaces that can be installed without glue during closure of the fins, and the wings are supplied as top and bottom, with the flaps and ailerons separate from the box, and neat curved fairings so they look good when fitted deflected. The flaps include the rear section of the soon-to-be-fitted nacelles, which are added as separate parts to avoid sink-marks, and these and the ailerons run full-span, terminating just as the wingtip begins. This variant was fitted with the under-fuselage gondola, and each side has separate glazing panels inserted from inside, and a seam running vertically through its length, fitting the lower glazing after joining the two halves. It is added to the hole in the underside of the fuselage, with the front and rear glazing plus zwilling mounted machine guns later in the build. The landing gear is made up on a pair of upstands that are added to the underwing in preparation for the installation of the nacelle cowlings. The engines must be built up first though, made from of a high part count with plenty of detail, and a rear firewall that securely fits inside the cowling. Even though this is an in-line engine with a V-shaped piston layout, the addition of the annular radiators gives it the look of a radial, with their representation added to the front of the cowling, obscuring much of the engine detail. The cooling gills around the cowling are separate, and the exhausts have separate stacks, which aren't hollow but are large enough to make reaming them out with a drill a possibility, with optional semi-cylindrical flame hiders that fit over them. The completed nacelles fit to the underwing over the top of the main gear installation, securing in place with four pegs, two on each side of each nacelle. The props are made from spinner, backplate and a single piece containing all three blades, sliding onto the axle projecting from the engine front, which will require some glue if you want to keep them on. At this point the instructions recommend adding the canopy glazing, which consists of a faceted nose cone, and the main greenhouse for the cockpit aperture, with a forward firing machine gun pushed through a hole in the windscreen. The rear portion is made from two additional parts due to its double "blown" shape to accommodate the two rearward gun positions, so that the gunner's head isn't constantly pressed against the canopy, spoiling his situational awareness. The guns are fitted through the two circular ports on the rear, although no ammo feed is supplied. Under the wings the two torpedo crutches on aerodynamic mounts are glued, with the torpedoes made up from halves with separate props and fins, along with the fairings that fit between the pylons and fuselage sides. While the airframe is flipped over, the two-part wheels and twin main gear bay doors are added, both having good detail and the former a radial tread. Addition of the canopy mounted antenna completes the build, but this is likely to be done long after main painting for safety's sake. Torpedo & Trailer (48404) This set is contained on a single sprue of grey styrene that contains parts for a complete torpedo, plus a trailer to transport it around the airfield. The trailer is made first, with six cross-members installed on a cruciform chassis and fleshed out with a set of tubular frames and sections of tread-plate on either side of where the torpedo will sit. A pair of wheels glue to the short ends of the crucifix, then the torpedo is built from two halves with a double row of blades on the screw and a pair of perpendicular fins at the rear. The break-off tail is made from two T-shaped end panels, with four vanes stretched between them. The wooden tail slots over the torpedo’s fins, and the finished weapon is lowered into the cradle running along the trailer’s direction of travel. There are two colour options for the torpedo, which varies only in the colour of the empennage around the screw at the rear. German Luftwaffe Ground Personnel (48084) This extensive set is supplied on one sprue that contains seven figures, plus a dog. There are three officer-types, one carrying a briefcase, another a walking cane, while the third, a pilot-type is holding one hand out in askance of an unknown question, with the other hand on his hip. The maintenance crew includes a gentleman standing over the others with hands on hips, while two spanner-twirlers discuss a repair, one with screwdriver in hand. The last figure is sitting on an imaginary wheel, finishing off his lunch by offering the last part of it to a dog, while he holds his plate/bowl in his opposite hand. The dog is working for his/her living, raising a paw to solicit the tasty morsel from the mechanic. It’s of an indeterminate “mutt” breed with pricked ears and a brush tail that would probably be working overtime if the figures were animated. A greyscale set of drawings of the figures on the rear of the instruction sheet covers both the parts and colour call-outs, both referring to the parts diagram and colour table on the opposite side. The colours are given in Model Master and AKAN shades as well as the names in English and Ukrainian, as the kit was originally released before ICM’s own paint system was available. Markings The kit includes four markings options from the relevant theatre, and the first page of the painting section details the application of the numerous stencils that are supplied with the kit. There are no Swastikas on the sheet, but the Balkenkreuz are included, and if you’re struggling for historical accuracy and they’re permitted in your territory, you can always buy them separately. From the box you can build one of the following: 8./KG26, Grosseto, Italy, late 1942 1./KG77, Italy, September 1943 7./KG77, Orange-Karitat, Southern France, April 1944 3./KG26, Bardufoss, Norway, February 1945 The colours are picked out using letters that correspond to a table on the front page, which gives the names and paint codes in Revell and Tamiya ranges, so should be easy to convert to your paint system of choice. The decals have good register, colour density and sharpness, with additional instrument dials included on a clear carrier film to help with cockpit painting. The stencils are all legible, and they inspire confidence, with a thin carrier film cut close to the printing, with a few exceptions where lettering has film that could have been dispensed with to reduce the menace of silvering. Applying them to a gloss surface is the most reliable way to reduce silvering however. Conclusion ICM's expanding modern range of Ju.88s, Do.17s and other types are a good example of how far they have come in recent years, adding value to their brand, and improving their reputation with each release. The kit is well-detailed and comprehensive in what it includes, and with a nice quartet of decal options that say "build me", coupled with the figures and the extra torpedo on a trolley, it’s great value. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  14. Journalists in War (35751) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd It’s an important part of war that the truth gets out to the wider world, at least within the constraints of operational security. We’re all painfully aware of what’s been going on in the Ukraine over this last year, and the press have been in the thick of it, providing the world at large with a more honest representation of the facts that the invader. They often wear body armour and a MICH style covered helmet when they’re close to the front, with blue fabric and the words PRESS emblazoned in white in the hope that it will prevent the invader from firing on them. Sadly, that’s not always the case, so you must appreciate the bravery of these people their cameramen and technicians that put themselves in harm’s way to give us chapter and verse on the proceedings. The Kit This is a new tool figure set from ICM, and arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of the subject matter on the lid, and a captive flap on the lower tray. Inside are two sprues of parts in a resealable bag, and the instruction sheet that has a parts diagram and colour chart on one side, and a combined painting and construction guide on the other, using colour drawings and many lines to point out part numbers in black and colours in red boxed letters that can be translated to ICM, Revell and Tamiya paint codes from the table overleaf. There are four figures on the main sprue, three journalists, and one brave Ukrainian soldier being interviewed. All the figures are standing, the interviewer holding out a microphone with large wind-gag to the soldier that is wearing his full battle rig, including tac-vest, backpack and kneepads, and carrying an AK74 derivative with an optional Underslung Grenade Launcher (UGL) across his chest, and a wide-brimmed floppy hat on his head. The cameraman has a large two-part camera on his shoulder, wearing shorts, vest and a blue peaked cap, plus a bag slung over his shoulder. The remaining crew member is taking still photos with a DSLR, and has a camera bag slung over her shoulder, the strap for which is moulded into her torso, the bag being a separate part. Sculpting is first rate as we’ve come to expect from ICM, and the figures are all broken down sensibly, with separate arms, legs, torso and heads, which have flat tops to their heads where the need for hats or helmets arises. Markings There are no decals included, although a few PRESS logos would have been appreciated, but the colours are all pointed out on the build drawings, with plenty of options for alternate colours that will give your models a bit of personality, plus a swatch of the modern digital camouflage that is the camouflage of choice of the Ukrainian forces, and for which you can now buy a sheet of decals to help you to get a more realistic finish to the camo without painstaking hours marking out all the colours in individual blocks. I found my sheet by Breeze Decals, a collaboration with Dora Wings on eBay, so you now have your starting point. ICM have also just released a new acrylic paint set with six civilian colours, which is numbered #3030, and we’ll be reviewing that soon, so keep your eyes open. Conclusion An excellent addition to any Ukrainian (or many other places with different camouflage used) diorama that you may be planning, with crisp details that should look great after sympathetic painting and weathering. It also helps that it’s competitively priced, even at full retail. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  15. ICM has announced a new diorama set with a re-release from its old (2008) 1/72nd MiG-29 "9-13" Fulcrum-C". - ref. DS7203 - Soviet military airfield 1980s - Mikoyan MiG-29 "9-13", APA-50M (ZiL-131), ATZ-5 and Soviet PAG-14 Airfield Plates - Diorama Set - NEW - release Q4 2022 Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICMDS7203 V.P.
  16. Ships of the Kriegsmarine Acrylic Paint Set (3029) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and have been creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your Kriegsmarine kits, some from ICM themselves such as the KFK Kriegsfischkutter (1:144 and 1:350), and you will find the following colours in the box: 1007 Deep Red 1018 Brass 1037 Dark Grey 1056 Light Earth 1027 Gun Metal 1011 Clear Red The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, as well as from the side. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the gloss and satin varnishes, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Oily Steel and Varnishes. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnish, but what happened to the Oily Steel on my brush is a mystery to me at this stage, possibly a bad mix, or some other oddity peculiar to my bottle, brush or batch. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Currently on back-order, however. Review sample courtesy of
  17. Unimog S404 Krankenwagen (35138) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Unimog was the brand-name used by Mercedes for their truck, tractor and commercial vehicle range that began post WWII as an agricultural brand, initially built by another company for them whilst using their engines. The range broadened in the late 40s and early 50s to include trucks, of which the 404 series was one, entering production in 1955. It is a small (1.5 tonne) 4x4 truck that was driven by a 2.2 litre M180 straight-6 Mercedes engine and has impressive off-road performance due to a change that had been required by a customer, the French Army, who wanted the spare tyre to be stored clear of the load compartment. The designers altered the shape of the rear chassis rails to allow the wheel to sit under the floor, the downward sweep giving the chassis extra flexibility that smoothed the ride on rough surfaces, assisted by coil springs, rather than traditional leaf springs. The four-wheel drive system could be disengaged on smoother ground, leaving just the rear wheels engaged, thereby saving fuel and wear on the front drive-shafts, and generally improving performance all round. The 404 series was the most numerous of the Unimog line, and was available as a short or long-wheelbase chassis, with the shorter option phased out at the beginning of the 70s, while the longer wheelbase continued on for another decade before it too was retired. The nascent West German Bundeswehr were a major customer, buying substantial quantities of the 404S as a workhorse for their forces, taking on many roles in their service. A total of over 62,000 of the 404S were made over its lengthy production run, with many of them still on and off the roads to this day due to their rugged engineering. The name Krankenwagen means Ambulance if you didn’t spot the big red crosses on the box, and these often had a turbo-heater fixed to it for the comfort of its patients, as well as a variety of windows and ventilation outlets that varied with time and use. The Kit This is a rebox with additional sprues of a new tooling from Ukrainian company ICM of this Bundeswehr pillar of their transport and emergency arms. It arrives in a top-opening box with a captive lid on the lower tray, and inside are seven sprues of grey styrene, two clear sprues, five flexible black tyres, a decal sheet and a glossy printed instruction booklet with colour profiles on the rear pages. Detail is excellent throughout, and includes a full chassis and engine, plus the bodywork and new load area first seen on the recent Koffer boxing, all crisply moulded as we’ve come to expect from ICM. The grille of the vehicle is especially well-done, as are the coil springs on each corner, and the wheels are very neat with multi-part hubs. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which is joined together with a series of cylindrical cross-members, plus front and rear beams, the latter braced by diagonal stiffeners to strengthen the area around the towing eye at the rear. The suspension is next, adding an insert to the opposite side of each spring to avoid sink-marks, but care must be taken to align them neatly to minimise clean-up afterwards. Triangular supports for the fuel tanks are added on each side, then attention turns to the six-cylinder Mercedes motor. Beginning with the two-part cylinder block and gearbox, the basic structure is augmented by ancillaries, fan, pulleys and drive-shaft for the front wheels, after which the engine is mated to the chassis and has the long exhaust system installed, adding a muffler insert around the half-way point, and siting another drive-shaft adjacent. Two stamped fuel tanks are each made from two parts, with the forward one having a filler tube and cap glued to the side, sitting on the out-riggers that were fitted to the chassis earlier. The front axle is made up from five parts to capture the complex shape of the assembly, to be installed between the suspension mounts and mated to the forward drive-shaft, plus the stub axles for the front wheels. A stowage box is made for the opposite side of the chassis from the fuel tanks, then the rear axle is built with similar detail and part count, fitting between the suspension and having larger circular stub-axles that have the drum brakes moulded-in. The front wheels have separate drum brakes, and both front and rear axles are braced with damping struts, while the front axle has a steering arm linking the two wheels together, with more parts connecting that to the steering column. With the chassis inverted, the front bumper and its sump guard are fixed to the front, and a curved convoy recognition shield on the rear cross-member, plus another pair of diagonal bracing struts for the rear axles. Each wheel is made up from a two-part hub that goes together much like a real steel hub, but without the heat of welding, around the flexible black tyres. The front and rear hubs are of different design, so take care inserting them in the correct location. Lastly, the chassis is completed by adding the radiator and its frame at the front of the vehicle. The cab is the first section of the bodywork to be made, starting with the floor, adding foot pedals, shaped metalwork around the gearbox cut-out, sidewalls and the internal wheel wells below floor level. Several additional parts are glued beneath the floor to assist with mounting later, then the lower cab is built up on the floor, including the front with recessed headlight reflectors; bonnet surround, dashboard with decal, plus various trim panels. The floor is then lowered onto the chassis with four arrows showing where it should meet with the floor, taking care with the radiator. Once in place, the bonnet and more interior trim is installed along with a bunch of stalks and levers between the seat positions. The seats are made from the basic frame to which the two cushions are fixed, much like the real thing, then they’re mounted inside the cab, followed closely by the two crew doors, which have handles on both sides, pockets on the interior, and can be posed open or closed. More grab-handles, controls and other small parts are fixed around the dash, and the windscreen with two glazing panels are put in place, with a highly detailed steering wheel that has the individual finger ‘bumps’ on the underside, and for your ease, it’s probably better to put the wheel in before the windscreen is fixed in place. The cab is finished off by adding the cabrio top, which starts with an L-shaped top and rear, to which a small rectangular window and two side sections are added, dropped over the cab when the glue is dry and the seams have been dealt with along with the side windows that consist of the frame with two glazing panels in each one. Later, the recessed headlight reflectors should be painted with the brightest metallic you can find before they are covered by the clear lenses and their protective cages, joined slightly outboard by combined side-light/indicator lenses, a choice of two styles of door mirrors, and a pair of windscreen wipers to keep the screen clear. The load bed begins with a flat rectangular floor, several supports and two lateral beams that takes the weight of the bed once complete. The sides of the load area are covered with raised and recessed detail, and comprise four parts, one for each side, with windows and optional grilles added from the inside. The roof has two options, one has moulded-in hatches, which are covered by a tubular framework, the other is much simplified. A set of poles are glued to the side in a rack, handles are added to the recessed areas of the doors, with a frame fixed to the front of the load box to carry the turbo-heater that is built next as a clasped case and a tubular assembly, cutting off an ancillary tube on the side, and adding a flashing light with its own cage at the front of the roof. Underneath is a rack for a nicely detailed jerry can, several stowage boxes and optional racks or steps, and the spare wheel on a dropped C-shaped mount, built in the same manner as the road wheels, plus steps that can be folded or deployed for access as you like it. A choice of two number plate holders is hung under the rear, also holding the rear lights for that side, with another less substantial part on the opposite side. Markings You might guess that most of the decal options are green, but there is one in NATO camouflage that is so typical of how I remember the Unimog in West German service. From the box you can build one of these four: Unknown Unit of the Bundeswehr, 1960s 5th Company, 3rd Medical Battalion, Hamburg, 1970s 2nd Company, 10th Medical Battalion, Esslingen, early 1980s 4th Company, 12th Medical Battalion, 12th Panzer Division, 1986 <ul style="list-style-type:upper-alpha"> The decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, and consist of dials, number plates, stencils and a few other small decals, with good register, sharpness and solid colours. If you don't think you have the correct paint shades in stock for this kit, there is a new Acrylic Paint Set from ICM specifically designed for this range of models, our review of which you can see here. Conclusion The Unimogs were ubiquitous in Cold War West German army service, so there ought to be a good market for a modern tooling of the type, with many more variants still to come in due course. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  18. URAL-4320 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (72708) 1:72 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The URAL-4320 originally entered into Soviet service in the late 70s, and as it is still in production they and their derivatives are almost ubiquitous in Eastern Europe. It is in use with the Ukrainian Armed Forces today, where its off-road capabilities are essential, bouncing over rutted and turned-over terrain where tanks and shell holes have ruined the surface over the course of the last year. The invader has also donated some additional trucks that have been left behind, which is helpful. The vehicles are painted in a striking digital camouflage over their basic green colour to help hide them in built-up areas. Keep up the good work! The Kit This is a reboxing of a kit that has its heritage in the late 1990s, although there have been numerous additional parts over the years. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with captive lid to the lower tray, and inside are three sprues and cab part in grey styrene, a larger sprue in black, a small clear sprue, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet on glossy paper with colour profiles on the rear. Due to the age of the kit there are some minor issues with flash here and there, but it isn’t severe, and a quick scrape with the edge of a blade will see it disappear in moments. The cab part is slide-moulded, and a little flash is visible around the edges where the mould sections meet, probably as a result of the age of the mould. A little more care will be needed here to ensure you don’t accidentally remove any of the detail that should be there. Construction begins with the chassis, which is predominantly moulded in black, as per the finished colour of the underside, which is helpful. The three axles, drive-shafts, cross-members, exhaust and a representation of the underside of the drive-train are all added to the ladder chassis, and the axles are tipped with six two-part wheels with separate hub inserts. The cab interior is relatively simple, and is made from a sled-like floor to which the twin-seat part and gear stick are fitted, while the dash is given a steering wheel on the left side, and a grab rail on the right for the co-driver to stabilise himself when traversing rough terrain. These sub-assemblies are inserted into the cab from below after the numerous windows are fitted from within, adding radiator and inner arches within the engine bay, and two crew steps are fixed under the side doors, plus lights and door mirrors to complete the cab, which is then put to the side while the load bed is made. The bed floor is a single part, with two rails under the centre section, and mudflaps on each side of the double rear axles, followed by two rear light clusters at the very back. When it is installed on the chassis, the raised sides are fitted around the edge, with another three-part wheel slotted into a cylindrical half-frame between the cab and load bed, plus a five-part fuel tank under the left front of the bed, completing the model by adding the substantial front bumper iron to the end of the chassis rail. Markings There are two options included on the decal sheet, but with four number plates, that’s really four with two camouflage colour options. The base colour remains the same, adding either subdued digital camouflage decals, or the brighter yellow and brown option. It’s entirely up to you and/or your references which combination you go for. From the box you can build one of the following: Armed Forces of Ukraine Armed Forces of Ukraine, camouflage version from 2021 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s not a new kit, so a little work tidying up the parts will pay dividends, but it’s an example of a Ukrainian workhorse that’s carrying crucial goods for the soldiers and civilians during this terrible war. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  19. US Aviation 1980-90 Acrylic Paint Set (3028) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your 1980-1990 era OV-10A/D Bronco in temperate or desert schemes from ICM themselves, or indeed almost anything in US Air Force or Marines service (within reason) during that period, and you will find the following colours in the box: 1055 Deck Tan 1056 Light Earth 1039 Rubber Black 1072 US Dark Green 1032 Blue Grey 1011 Clear Red The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, and depicts a pair of Broncos in those very schemes. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the Satin Varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The satin patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Oily Steel and Satin Varnish. The colours also brushed out very well with the flat brushes I used, as did the varnish. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  20. KFK Kriegsfischkutter (S.102) 1:144 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd During WWII the German Kriegsmarine realised the potential of a low-technology small patrol boat to aid in their operations, and made an order for just over 1,000 examples, fitted out with equipment and armament to match the task to which they were suited. The hull was of wooden construction that was inexpensive to manufacture using existing facilities that consumed little in the way of strategic materials other than for the structural frames, with propulsion provided by an easily maintained diesel engine. It was intended that after the war, they could be converted back to civilian use as trawlers, but the majority used after the war were from post-war production and had not taken part in the war. Production commenced in 1942, and was undertaken within Germany, but also at other occupied locations, including the Ukraine, for operation on the Black Sea. Many of the type were used as small guard boats or for security patrols, fitted with two circular gun platforms, one on the fore deck, the other set high behind the wheelhouse, offering a better view of larger vessels for the gunner. The war ended before the full contract was completed, with over 600 built in total, some as patrol boats, training vessels, mine sweepers, and for basic coastal anti-submarine warfare. Measuring only 24m long with a displacement of 110 tonnes, the 220hp diesel motor could only propel it to around 9 knots, so it was hardly a fast patrol boat, barely able to keep up with a standard trawler, but it still saw service in every sea where the Nazis fought during WWII. The Kit This is another new tool of the KFK from ICM, no doubt based on the same research undertaken for the smaller 1:350 kit that we reviewed recently, but taking advantage of the larger scale to squeeze in more detail as well as increasing the part count. It arrives in a larger top-opening box with captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are four sprues in grey styrene, a small clear sprue, no decals, and the glossy A4 instruction booklet printed in full colour, with profiles to the rear. Detail is excellent, and the improvement with the jump in scale really shows. Construction begins at the deep-end, fitting the two halves and the deck together to complete the hull, taking care to leave all the vertical railings intact, especially if you’re a clumsy modeller like me. Three pairs of cruciform double bollards are dropped into depressions in the deck around the sides, with a pair of small cowl vents in the bow, then a pair of angled hatches are made up and installed in their locations amidships and near the bow along with more cowl vents either side of the wheelhouse location, which is next to be made. This edition has clear glazing in the wheelhouse windows that are inserted before the main faces of the structure are glued together, although if you think anything will be seen through them, you’ll have to make up the interior details as you go along. A pair of cramped flying bridges are added to the sides, plus steps and ladders for access, adding a life raft to the open area of the front wall, and fitting a raised perimeter to the top of the roof, dotting winches, life rings and other accessories around the superstructure, plus at the stern and bow. The rear gun platform is fitted over the back of the wheelhouse with two sturdy stanchions supporting it aft, then another is made up on a five-legged stand, with an access ladder and solid surround at the front. The stern is studded with six depth charges on cradles, adding a pair of davits over the rear, and a pair of bandstand railings around the two gun emplacements, which have single-barrelled deck guns with twin shoulder-mounts and adjustment wheels added before they are inserted into the centre sockets. The model is finished off by adding the screw and rudder, a trio of paravane buoys for mine sweeping, the short mast, four roller-guides over the stern, anchor, single davit and mooring bollards at the bow, and yet more narrow deck vents. The modeller must provide the thread or wire to create the safety railing between the posts, and that’s the vessel done. It comes with a styrene stand that has two supports with a groove across the top to receive the keel, and two rectangular recesses in the sloped sides to accept the relief-moulded name plates that are also included in the kit. Markings There are two schemes shown in the instructions neither of which have any markings or stencils. From the box you can build it with or without camouflage overpainting, as follows: Conclusion In 1:144 it’s still not a large ship, at a shade over 16cm or 6 ¼ inches in old money from stem to stern, but there’s a good amount of detail included, a decent stand that will look good under paint, and it’s an interesting subject. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  21. Sikorsky CH-54A Tarhe US Heavy Helicopter (35054) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd With the advent of the helicopter, their ability to rise vertically into the air led them to lifting heavy loads, and by the end of the Korean War, there were already Heavy Lift choppers in service, most using piston-engines as their motive force, which was a limitation both in terms of power and reliability – a very important factor when you aren’t flying, but are instead beating the air into submission with your rotors. The peculiarly ungainly-looking CH-60 Mojave was reaching the end of its service life, and Igor Sikorsky had already identified the need for a very heavy lift helicopter with the S-60 that was powered by WWII era radial engines. The design was the basis for the Tarhe, but updated and given the more powerful and reliable turbo-shaft engines that were just coming into production. The engines for the nascent CH-54 were created in conjunction with Pratt & Whitney, adapting one of their new JT12 jet engines to their requirements. In an effort to keep the weight of the airframe down, the designers gave the Tarhe a cut-down skeletal fuselage, with only the crew compartment boxed in. This compartment also contained a rearward-facing cab that gave the crane operators an excellent view of proceedings, as well as limited control over the height and attitude of the airframe, due to the fact that the CH-54 had an early form of fly-by-wire that allowed the duplicating of controls in the secondary location, but with the effectiveness of the controls lessened to reduce the likelihood of accidents due to sudden movements caused by the crane-operator. The advanced control system also gave it such luxuries as altitude control, reducing the workload of the pilots during extended hovers. The US Army recognised the potential of the type after a short testing phase, who took over 100 airframes on charge that would see extensive use in Vietnam. A civilian version was created too, called the S-64 Skycrane, while in army service it was often referred to as just ‘The Crane’. Because of its size, The Crane was capable of carrying enormous loads that were hitherto impossible to lift vertically, if at all. It was able to carry a Sheridan Tank, an M101 Howitzer, or up to 90 fully kitted out soldiers in a passenger pod that could be slung under the skeletal bodywork. There’s some fantastic diorama fodder right there. The type was eventually withdrawn from service in the late 80s, as the airframes were ageing and Chinook was taking over in military service, finally leaving National Guard service in the early 90s. Due to their usefulness however, many of them were bought by civilian operators, especially Erickson Air-Crane of Oregon, who also took over type approval to ensure their ongoing airworthiness. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from ICM, and while I initially rubbed my chin sceptically over the chosen scale, it makes an awful lot of sense when you consider what it can carry. It’s the first of its kind in this scale, and in fact we’ve not been very well served in any scale as far as the Tarhe goes, other than a really old kit in 1:72 from another manufacturer. It arrives in a long top-opening box with a wrap-around painting of the type in action, and inside are a deceptive two lower trays with the usual captive lids, all of which is held in by tape. Take care when opening the box, as it could surprise you when the second box drops out. Once the boxes are open, the sprues have been spread evenly across the two trays to reduce the likelihood of damage to some of the lovely detail that’s within. There are fourteen sprues in grey styrene, one of clear parts, a relatively small decal sheet, and a moderately thick instruction booklet printed on glossy paper with colour profiles in the rear. It’s difficult to get a feel for the scale of the finished model from the sprues, but the length is stated on the box of 774mm or 30.4” long, and 225mm or 8.9” tall. The width isn’t given, but each rotor is 28cm or 11” long, so allowing for the extra width of the centre boss it should be a little more than twice that wide. Detail is excellent, as we’ve come to expect from ICM in recent years, with finely engraved panel lines, raised rivets where appropriate, and crystal clear canopy parts, which will be very visible on the finished model. Without a shadow of a doubt someone will manage to create a diorama that uses the cables to support the finished model above its load to give the impression of flight, and if they also manage to make the blades rotate, they may just achieve modelling godhood. Construction begins with the stepped cockpit floor, which is kitted out with rudder pedals for both pilots, adding the instrument panel and supporting centre console with decals to the centre, then fixing collective and cyclic sticks in position, followed by the seats that are each made from rear frame, seat pad and back cushion, locating in holes in their adjustment rails moulded into the floor. Another seat is made up from a solid base and two cushions, gluing in position on the lower section of the floor, facing aft and forming the first part of the crane operator’s cab. A partial bulkhead separates the front seats from the rear, adding another to the side of the seat that has a small console with joystick sprouting from the centre. Another L-shaped column is added on the inner side, and a short frame with an instrument panel and decal attached to it at the side of the cut-out, which is fleshed out with a pair of curved bulkheads. At the front of the cockpit, the nose cone is mounted in front of the instrument panel, then the sides and underside of the cockpit structure closes in much of the area. Turning the assembly around, the rear is closed in with a panel that wraps under the edge, and under the crane-operator seat, a foot rest with twin supports is slotted into the edge. The back of the cockpit has a lot of glazing, starting with five radiused panes in the starboard corner, one more on the port by the crane-op’s seat, and a large wrap-around section enclosing the operator’s cab. Much of the fuselage of this behemoth is skeletal, and is built up as a separate assembly, including internal bracing to ensure your Tarhe doesn’t become a Droopee. The process starts with the underside of the fuselage structure, which is made from three overlapping lengths that have location grooves for the bracing that comes later. Firstly, the winch is made from two halves that form a drum, capped off with two nicely detailed parts that turn it into a bobbin, which is supported between two angled trunnions that are each laminated from three parts, and braced at one end by rods and by the bobbin at the rounded end. It is glued between two vertical braces that have two more braces slotted in across the front and rear of the winch bay, fixing two exterior panels to the end of the cross-braces, plus another that is slotted in nearer the front. Take care here, as there are two slots, and the aft-most is the correct choice. At the same time, a cross-brace that supports the main landing gear sponsons is added from underneath, and this slots into all four thicknesses, as does another short brace behind and one more in the front, making the assembly stronger, and once it is glued to the underside of the fuselage it should be very strong. On the tapering tail section two more bulkheads are shown being added, but in the next step a longitudinal brace is shown already fitted, which I suspect is part D11, but test fit to reassure yourself when you build yours. The two tail sides with moulded-in fin hides the tail internals, joining together at the tip of the fin, and secured by adding the rear surface, and cutting a raised area off the underside. The topside of the fuselage is then boxed in with three panels, the largest having a hole in the centre for the rotor head later. The full length of the beast can be seen for the first time now, when you mate the cockpit to the front of the fuselage, gluing the side extensions to the bare section to create one assembly. An overhead console is decaled and detailed with levers, and is fixed to the rear bulkhead of the cockpit alongside another, after which the cockpit roof is laid over the area, followed by the windscreen and side doors that give your Tarhe a face. Two small two-part “ears” are made up and inserted in recesses near the rear of the cockpit, as are a couple of other small humps and bumps, the uses for which will become clear later. On the port fuselage side, a thick trunk of cables is fixed to the side and overlaid by a pair of C-shaped assemblies that are each built from three parts. The CH-54 had long legs that allowed it to pull its loads close to the spine to reduce sway, and these are next to be made, starting with a pair of two-part wheels, and the sponsons that support them, each one made from four surfaces, plus the struts, which have a two-part sleeve around the upper area, separate scissor-links and two tie-down hooks, fitting to the end of the sponson by the flattened rear of the outer sleeve. The nose wheel is also two-part, and fits on a short oleo with a one-part scissor-link under the nose. The winch head is also two parts and is added to the winch mechanism while the main gear sponsons are slipped over the supports and the nose wheel is put in place. The tail rotor head is a complex assembly that should remain mobile after construction, made up from eleven parts and fitted on the back of the tail fin along with a small bracing rod at the front. There are also several external trunks added individually on the starboard side and down the leg sponsons, some of which are overlaid by a protective panel near the front, and yet more small lengths are dotted around all over the place, making for a complex, detailed surface that should look more realistic than moulded-in alternatives. The drive-shaft for the tail rotor is also external, and runs up the back of the fin through some additional brackets, and terminating at the bottom with a four-part universal joint. More scabbed-on panels are fitted to the back of the fuselage, and a pair of optional aerodynamic fairings are supplied for the sides of the main gear sponsons. This isn’t even close to the final layer of detail yet, but we take a break from detailing to build the main rotor head next. The rotor-head starts with a bell-housing that has two input shafts from the twin turbo-shaft engines, the main portion of which is two parts, plus two-part end caps that is then placed on a circular base, and has the shaft cover and ring fitted to the top, adding a number of actuators and rods to the side, plus a housing with pulleys and equipment that mounts on the back of the head. The basic assembly is then mated with the opening in the top of the fuselage, after which there are a host of small wires/actuators/hoses that link the two assemblies together. A scabbed-on box is fixed to the fuselage behind the rotor off to one side to accommodate the drive-shaft for the tail rotor later, and a bulwark slots into a groove just in front of the rotor-head, followed by the drive-shaft, which slots through a support and dives through the tail to emerge behind the fin at the universal joint. A two-layer cover is placed over the drive-shaft around half way back, possibly to protect it from blade strikes, but it’s not the only piece of equipment that is sited on the fuselage top, which includes what appears to be a radiator assembly and some kind of exhaust, both installed behind the rotor-head, an area that is getting busy already. More parts are added further enmeshing the various assemblies, then it’s time to build the two engines. The Pratt & Whitney engines are identical in make-up until they reach the exhaust stage, which is handed. The front section is made from thirty-five parts before the handed exhausts are made, each one a mirror-image of the other, and built from eight more parts. The motors are mounted on the top deck with an M-brace between them, adding a few more small parts around them, then building up two intake filter boxes from sixteen parts each, handed to each side, with a scrap diagram showing how they should look from the front. They mount in front of the engine intakes on the ears we made earlier, and have two Z-braces front and rear between them. There are four auxiliary winches for load stabilising placed around the front and rear sides of the fuselage, with a four-part assembly making each one, and locating on a pair of brackets moulded into the fuselage sides. More detail is applied to the cockpit in the shape of four clear lenses underneath, a towel-rail and blade antenna, two more externally routed wires around the rear, and crew step plus three ladder rungs on each side, with two more around the rear. Grab-handles, door handles and windscreen wipers are next, followed by yet more grab handles on both sides leading up to the cockpit roof. More aerials are fixed at the root of the tail boom, and at the very rear, a three-part bumper is fitted under the fin, then an asymmetrical stabiliser is mounted on the opposite side of the fin to the tail rotor. Most traditional choppers have two rotors, and despite its size the Tarhe conforms to that layout, and the tail-rotor is first to be made, starting with the two-part rotor base that accepts the four individual blades, and a two-part actuator crown in the centre. It fits to the axle and should be able to rotate if you’ve been sparing with the glue. That’s the easy, simple part over with, now you must do it again on a much larger scale and with six blades. Work starts with the axle, the lower end of which slips through a centre boss and is covered by the six-point star assembly, which has another smaller star fixed to the centre, six D-shaped inserts added to the tips, and T-shaped spacers added vertically to separate the top rotor “star” from the bottom. The top portion is made up identically to the lower apart from the spacers, then it is closed over the rotor holders after gluing them in place on the lower. Each blade holder then has its four-part actuator mechanism installed over the top, and the whole assembly is topped by a three-part spinner cap. The final act is to insert each of the six blades into the holders, then drop the completed rotor into the rotor-head. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet included in the box, and unsurprisingly, they’re both green. Many of the decals are for the blades, but there are also national and airframe markings, plus the instrument panel decals and some stencils. From the box you can build one of the following: 67-18420, 273rd Assault Support Helicopter Company, Vietnam, 1968 67-18426, 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam, 1969 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This will make a superbly detailed model, and its size will draw some admiring or envious glances if you take it to a show. Detail is excellent, construction is sensible, and it is a new tool of this monstrous machine. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  22. WWII German Staff Personnel (24020) 1:24 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd This figure set in the unusual scale of 1:24 contains three figures that will be useful when building a large-scale vehicle that could be depicted as a staff car either conscripted into service by the invading Nazis, or one they actually paid for in their home country. The kit arrives in a shallow top-opening box with their usual captive top flap on the lower tray, containing one large sprue in grey styrene, plus a combined instruction and painting guide that has a sprue diagram and painting chart on one side, and colour drawings of the three figures on the other. Each drawing on the instructions is skewered by dozens of arrows that point out both part numbers and paint letter codes in red boxes that correspond to the chart on the opposite side. The three figures are dressed appropriately to their rank, starting with the infantry private, who is probably the driver of the two higher ranked officer. The gentleman with the gold brocade and swagger stick appears to be a Lieutenant-General, with double red stripes down the sides of his trousers, while the other officer appears to be a Colonel, busy with his briefcase that is resting on one raised knee. Apart from the private, both officers are covered with medals and other frippery associated with their rank, making the private look quite drab by comparison. The figures are broken down sensibly in a similar manner to the smaller 1:35 scale figures, but with the torso made from front and rear halves to prevent sink-marks that would otherwise occur with thick styrene parts, avoiding marring the detail. The briefcase is also made from two halves, and the peaked officer caps are layered to obtain the necessary detail on the peak and overhanging top, as well as the insignia around the band and peak. The heads are all flat-topped to accommodate the hats, and two of the figures have separate hands to achieve accurate shape and detail, one being due to the cane in the General’s hand, which has a length of sprue running parallel to it in order to protect it from damage, and both officers have pistol holsters to attach to their belts, one with an integral mag pouch, the other without. Conclusion The sculpting is first rate, with realistic poses and drape of clothing, while the parts are broken down along convenient seams to reduce clean-up after construction. The colour call-outs are given in ICM, Revell and Tamiya paint codes, plus the colour names in English and Ukrainian as well as a colour swatch behind the text. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  23. Good evening, everyone. I would like to contribute another 1/48 ICM origin Ju 88A-4, this time in the Sicily colours (with the multiple ship kill marks on the fin).. Looking forward to this - I have a couple of variants of this kit in the stash, in my little contribution to supporting Ukraine in this difficult time. I also have purchased several other ICM/Modelsvit kits this year, for a similar reason. Icarus
  24. US Helicopters Acrylic Paint Set (3026) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your recently released choppers, such as the new CH-54 Tarhe or the Cobra, both from ICM themselves, and you will find the following colours in the box: 1071 Camouflage Green 1072 US Dark Green 1001 White 1007 Deep Red 1027 Gun Metal 1011 Clear Red The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, depicting both the big green Tarhe/Skycrane and the red/white Army Cobra scheme. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the metallics and varnishes. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnish, but what happened to the Oily Steel is a mystery to me at this stage, possibly a bad mix, or some other oddity peculiar to my bottle or batch. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  25. Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (16104) 1:16 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd We all know the story by now of the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the war that has raged for just over a year at time of writing. We won’t go further with the discussion of that, but suffice to say, it has resulted in the mobilisation of a lot of brave Ukrainians to defend their country from this incursion, and those efforts are ongoing during the bitter cold of the winter that is more than a bit colder than those we have here in the UK. Stay safe, all of you! This figure as part of ICM’s range of 1:16 larger figures represents a soldier engaged in that conflict, however his stance is that of a man that is away from the front at least temporarily, posing for the sculptor in a relaxed manner, whilst still carrying his war-fighting kit about his person. The kit arrives in a shallow top-opening box, with the usual captive flap on the lower tray. Inside are two sprues of grey styrene, two in black, an instruction sheet and a glossy colour copy of the box art if you would like to display it in your modelling room or somewhere in your home as a symbol of support. The instructions consist of a sprue diagram, a paint conversion chart with ICM, Revell and Tamiya codes alongside the colour names and swatches, then on the reverse is a detailed trio of drawings of the soldier from three angles, complete with part numbers and paint suggestions for the part. A swatch of digital camouflage that is commonly used by Ukrainian troops is also given, although a chicken like me would be looking for some camouflage decals in 1:16, as I have done already for my 1:35 Ukrainian figures. The majority of the parts for the figure are on the larger sprue, including the packs and pouches that a modern soldier carries on his or her tactical vest with its MOLLE loops making everything modular. The figure is broken down in a similar manner to a 1:35 example, although the torso is split into front and rear halves to prevent sink marks ruining the crisply moulded detail, especially the patch on his chest that appears to be of a raccoon. The soldier is wearing a covered modern helmet that is moulded in two halves, and has a pair of goggles in a protective bag strapped to the front, with most of the strap moulded into the helmet halves. The chin-strap is separate and formed from three fine parts that gives you the option to depict it closed or open for a more candid look. The fingers of both the soldier’s hands are also separate, as his hands are draped over and around his AK-74 variant, which has a 40mm Underslung Grenade Launcher (UGL) beneath the weapon’s barrel. He is also carrying a slide-out portable missile launcher across his back, while his AK is fed by the ammunition within the pouches around his waist, which are joined by other pouches and bags, with two types of comms on his chest, and various other small accessories, including a handset for his radio, grenades, bayonet, knife, magazines for his AK, medical shears, and buckles. There is also a choice of an AK without a UGL, and next door on the sprue are the plastic portion of the knee-pads that fit over the moulded-in cushions and straps, plus separate boot soles with finely engraved tread patterns evident. The base is moulded in black styrene, and has a choice of four different surfaces for the top and a flat base for the bottom. The choices comprise a flat asphalt surface plus three styles of cobble or paving stones. Conclusion In line with the stylised flag on the box lid, a brave Ukrainian soldier sculpted in great detail in a natural pose and with realistic cloth drape, that coupled with sympathetic painting should give an impressive result. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
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