Search the Community

US WASP (1943-1945) ICM 1:32 (32108) The WASPs or Women's Air Force Service Pilots was a civilian Women organisation which were US Federal Service Employees. As well as training other pilots they would ferry aircraft around, and test aircraft. Their aim was to free up male pilots for combat roles. The WASPs were disbanded on late 1944 is slightly dubious circumstances. It is estimated that WASP members delivered half of all aircraft production in the US Thirty-eight members lost their lives in accidents, eleven died during training, and twenty-seven were killed on active duty missions, as they were not classed a military they had none of the rights or privileges, and were in the end pretty badly treated. Members only gained veteran status in the late 1970s with the award of a WWI Victory medal in the early 1980s. Figures This is ICMs figure set. There are three figures, two pilots and one ground personnel it look like. All are what would be considered dressed for the period. In general the mould in crisp and clean with plenty of detail. . Like ICM's recent figures these are well sculpted and should build up well. Conclusion This is another great set from ICM and looks like they will add to any setting the modeller wishes to use them in. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Gloster Gladiator Mk.I/II In Foreign Service #2 (D3205) 1:32 ICM via Hannants There is now new tool Gladiator I &II kits from ICM. This kits come with decals for the RAF & Commonwealth Air Forces , however the Gladiator was exported to quite a few countries. The set arrives in a re-sealable foil bag stapled to a header card, with the decals covered by a sheet of translucent paper to keep moisture from damaging the carrier film. There are four options on the sheet, the national insignia for Latvia & Finland being broken down for obvious reasons. From the sheet you can decal one of the following; Mark I Aircraft, Latvian Air Force 1938 (Olive Green over Aluminium) Mark I Aircraft, No.1 Sqn Irish Air Corps, 1940 (Darek Green/Dark Earth over Aluminium) Mark II Aircraft, 2/LeLv 16, Finnish Air Force 1942 (Black/Green over Blue) Mark II Aircraft, 1/LeLv 16, Finnish Air Force 1942 (Black/Green over Blue) Additional scrap diagrams show the particular areas On the back page the wings are covered with decal placement. Conclusion A really nice set of decals that expand your options for this new kit. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Battle of Berlin (April 1945) (DS3506) 1:35 ICM The battle for Berlin was a bloody one between the advancing Russian Armies and the defending Germans fighting street by street, and sometime room by room. The main tanks for the advancing Russian was the T-34 while the Germans just made do with what ever they had left, these could include the odd King Tiger. While on a one to one basis the T-34 was out classed, the Russian had many more of them then the Germans had King Tigers, and the T-34 was a far more reliable Tank, Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B King Tiger With Henschel Turret There has been a proliferation of Tigers and King Tigers of late, and this is ICM's take on this behemoth of WWII. This was a new tooling back in 2016. The successor to the much vaunted Tiger heavy tank instilled more terror in the Allied forces due to initial encounters lending an almost invincible air to the design. It was soon found that although it packed a formidable punch, and could absorb a lot of punishment, it was in fact a flawed design from an engineering point of view. Stressing the transmission even further than the Tiger I, they suffered terrible attrition due to breakdowns, leading to many examples being captured or scuttled by their crew if these breakdowns occurred under fire. When it worked, it was very difficult to kill, and could seriously outrange almost everything on the battlefield, but as with the Tiger I before it, the Allies worked out a strategy to take them out by cooperative attacks between multiple Allied tanks. As well as the reliability issues that were never fully addressed due to the state of the war, the complexity of the design was such that they were never available in sufficient quantities to make a difference, and even when they were, Hitler's obsession with micro-managing every aspect of the war led to some poor placement of resources. Many King Tigers were captured by the Allies and taken back for analysis, with a few remaining intact long enough to find their way into museums, such as the one at Bovington. The Jagdtiger was a development of the King Tiger, using the chassis to mount an even more powerful gun in a casemate, but again very few of these saw action too late in the war. Now for the hull. There isn't a traditional "tub" for the hull, and you start by building up the sponsons, final drive housing and the torsion bars for the suspension. The hull floor is a sled to which the lowest parts are added before being partially covered by the torsion bars that extend across the hull floor. The addition of the sponsons finishes off the lower tub The King Tiger was designed with overlapping pairs of road wheels, learning from the mistakes of the Tiger I which had interleaved wheels to spread the vehicle's weight, which could result in taking off up to 14 wheels if an inner one needed repair or maintenance. The all-up weight increased substantially between the two vehicles, so there are a LOT of pairs of wheels on a Königstiger, with nine axles each side, plus the idler and drive sprockets, all of which are assembled from two parts each and fitted to their respective swing-arms. These are capped off with hubs, and later in the build the tracks are wrapped around them. The upper hull is supplied as a traditional main part with a hole in the rear for the engine bay, turret aperture and the lift-out front section that encompasses the hull crew hatches. The radiator vents are moulded-in, giving no opportunity to display a radiator bay without surgery to the hull, which is a minor negative IMHO. Periscopes are slotted into the front of the hull, hatches are added to the front insert, mushroom vents to the engine insert, and the Kugelblende armoured blister surrounding the bow machinegun is backed with a box to receive the gun stub in preparation for installation, with a small forest of lifting lugs littering the engine deck and lift-out hatches. Armoured covers are fitted to the periscopes and the vents on the engine deck, which leaves it ready for adding to the lower hull in advance of adding all the various smaller parts such as track and pioneer tools, mudguards, armoured exhausts, towing cables,& shackles. The turret secures with a bayonet fitting, and an aerial is glued into a socket on the engine deck, completing the build phase. Markings There are four decal options included in the box, with enough variation in finish from white distemper through Dunkelgelb to two Ambush schemes, that will please most folks without resorting to aftermarket decals. From the box you can build one of the following (which strangely enough none are from Berlin?) Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B, Tank black 300 Feldhernhalle Winter distemper over Dunklegelb , Hungary 1945 Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B, Dunklegelb overall ,Pz.Abt. 503 Danzig March 1945 Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B, Tank blue 332 Pz.Abt. 501 3 tone camo Ardennes Dec 1944 Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B, Tank Red 008 Pz.Abt. 501, 3 tone camo Ardennes Dec 1944 This is an AFV, so the decal sheet is modest in size, with only a few markings on the sheet. The registration is perfect the sample, as is the colour density and sharpness, T-34 Here ICM have re-boxed their 2015 new tool T-34. It arrives in their usual box with the extra flap over the lower tray. Inside are six sprues and two hull halves in green styrene, tracks and towing cables in flexible black styrene, decal sheet and the instruction booklet, which is printed in colour and has profiles at the rear for painting and markings. From the description above, you'll note that these are rubber-band tracks, which suits some and not others, and if you're a fan of metal or individual link styrene tracks, you've probably got your favourite brands already. The detail is nice with a little room for improving the detail with some etched grilles etc., but for most of us the detail is pretty good out of the box, and even though this is an exterior only kit, you get an almost complete breech if you want to pose the turret hatches open, plus a driver's position. For a change the build begins with the upper hull, detailing it with bow machine gun installation with a movable ball, the armoured vents and filling in the other cut-outs on the engine deck, plus the driver's large hatch at the front, which is best left closed unless you're planning on scratching a full interior to back up the seats! The rear bulkhead, armoured exhaust spats and the pipes themselves are all added at the back, and it is then put to the side while the lower hull is prepared with some holes that need drilling, the suspension boxes gluing in behind the hull sides, and the fender extensions added at the rear. After saying there's no interior, there is a pair of control levers and two comfy seats to fit inside the lower hull, but unless you're crowding the area with some beefy figures, there's still a big gap behind them that might be seen. The axles with their swing-arms are all fitted to the hull after the two halves are joined, with two attachment points, the final-drive housing is built up at the rear, and the idler axle slots into the front in preparation for the road wheels, which are supplied individually to make into pairs before they are glued onto the axles. The same happens to the idler and drive sprockets on both sides, then some light detail is applied to the hull in the shape of towing shackles, tie-down bars, and the tracks are joined, then installed. The tracks are in two parts each, which link together seamlessly, but don't react to liquid cement at all, so use super glue (CA), although the instructions are mute on the subject. Aligning the joins at the centre of the track run should hide any visible seams, especially if you're going to paint and weather them with some mud and grit. There is a simple round plug with a built in hatch to replace turret. The hull is then finished off with additional fuel tanks and tarp rolls, plus two tow cables. Markings Again with the T-34 there are no Berlin specific markings. You get 4 options, the colour is any you want as long as it Russian green 1. Tank 242 7th Guards Tank Corps, Germany 1945 2. Tank 201 7th Guards Mechanised Corps, Germany Spring 1945 3. Tank 315 4th Guards Tank Army, Germany Spring 1945 4 Tank 5, unknown Unit, Germany 1945 Conclusion It is good to see ICM bringing us a double boxing like this. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

B-26B/C Invader Decals Korean War (D4802) 1:48 ICM via Hannants The brand new tool Invaders in 1:48 from those fine folks at ICM are really great kits. This set of additional decals has been produced for those aircraft which saw service on the Korean War. Invaders were some of the first aircraft to be involved flying at the time from their vases in Japan, and the last aircraft to conduct combat operations with the last mission just 24 minutes before the ceasefire was signed. In they accounted for an impressive 38,500 vehicles, 406 locomotives, 3,700 railway trucks, and seven enemy aircraft on the ground destroyed. The set arrives in a re-sealable foil bag stapled to a header card, with the decals covered by a sheet of translucent paper to keep moisture from damaging the carrier film. There are options for four all black airframes on the sheet, with only one set of national markings, so if you're setting up an Invader production line you'll need some appropriate stars & bars to complete your mission, but those shouldn't be hard to find (hint: there's one set in the box of the kit!). The decals are printed under ICM's banner, and are in good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a commendably thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The few stencils included are crisply printed and legible under magnification, which is always a sign of good printing and attention to detail. From the sheet you can decal one of the following (or more subject to the caveat above): B-26B-61-DL, "The 4th Chadwick, Lt Col R Fortney, CO of 13th BC/3rd BG, Korea spring 1953 (Red nose, wingtips, tailtip, and engine fronts) B-26B-30-DT, (with B-26-15 nose) "Martha Ann" 3rd BG, Korea mid 1952 (Yellow wingtips and tail tip) B-26B-55-DTL, (Rabbit nose art) 95th BS, 17th BW, korea 1952 (Blues wing and tail tip) B-26C-45-DT, (The only Glass nosed aircraft on the sheet) 8th BS, 3rd BG, Korea July 1953 (Yellow wing tips, tail tip & engine fronts) Additional scrap diagrams show the nose area with the engines out of the way to enable correct decaling of the red prop-warning lines and other decals in that area. On the back page the wings are covered with decal placement for the stars and wing walkway boxes. Conclusion A really nice set of decals that expand your options for the new kit (when it arrives we'll be sure to review it), or for the old Revell/Monogram kit if you have one knocking about. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

A-26C-15 Invader (48283) 1:48 ICM via Hannants The A-26 was built by Douglas back in WWII as their successor to the A-20 Havoc. Two types were designed, The C with a glass bomber nose and the B with a full metal nose filled with either 6 or 8 .50cal machine guns, which coupled with the three in each wing gave it quite a punch, deserving of the Strafer title. It also had a pair of turrets on the fuselage mid-upper and dorsal positions, which were both operated by a single gunner using a complex remote mechanism that flipped between the upper and lower turrets depending on where the gunner was looking through his binocular sights. This trained the guns accordingly and also calculated the correct offset for parallax and lead, but was very complex and caused some delays to it entering service, and even more issues with maintenance in the field. Then in 1948 it was re-designated as the B-26 by the US Air Force to confuse us, and later on back to the A-26 just to complete that process of confuion. It was developed a little after the Marauder and despite using the same engines it was designed totally separately from its tubular colleague. It was initially less than popular in the Pacific theatre where its poor cockpit visibility due to the canopy and engine position rendered it unloved by the first users. It was more popular in the European theatre and was accepted as replacement for the Havoc fairly quickly. After the war it served in Korea, early Vietnam engagements and other conflicts, ending its days in US service with the Air National Guard in the early 70s. It continued in civilian service as a fire bomber and in other roles, such as actor in the film Always with Richard Dreyfuss playing its brave but ill-fated pilot. The Kit This is a brand new tooling from ICM, initially released as the Solid nosed aircraft, this is now the glass nosed aircraft with the inclusion of new parts for that nose (though all the parts for the solid nose are still in the box) It arrives in the familiar top opening box with a captive inner lid on the lower tray, and inside are nine sprues in grey styrene, two in clear, a decal sheet and the instruction booklet. A quick look over the sprues reveals that panel lines are very crisp, narrow and restrained, the surface is matt and very neat-looking, with plenty of engraved and raised details on the parts, plus subtly indented flying surfaces mimicking their fabric covering. You might also notice that there are parts for an open or closed canopy, the open one having the flat top surface, while the closed canopy has the slightly blown roof that was used after 1944 to improve visibility. That might give you some latitude in case you can't wait to build a WWII aircraft. Construction begins with the cockpit, creating the pilot's seat, instrument panel (with instrument decals) with built-in door to the nose, centre console with throttle quadrant before adding those and the single control column to the floor. The aft compartment is built up around the front wing spar with a set of radio gear hanging from a pair of risers, then a pair of bombs on their racks, the reason for which will become clear in a moment. The port fuselage half is detailed with some side console and panel parts and then has the bomb racks, nose gear bay sides, forward spar with radio gear, rear spar in the centre of the bomb bay, sloped aft bulkhead and another frame behind that, followed by the cockpit floor, so you'll have to do some detail painting as you go. After this the starboard fuselage side is prepped, and here's where a little cautionary note about sink-marks on the exterior of my sample needs making. The right side of the cockpit and bomb bay with its detailed ribbing has caused the shallowest of sink-marks on the exterior, which would be best dealt with using a little filler before you get busy building. You could have dismissed it as oil-canning of the skin if it were consistent and on both sides, but as it isn't you'll need to decide whether you're going to fix it. Happily the majority of it is in areas that are open enough to allow easy sanding back of filler, so it shouldn't slow you down very much. A 0.8mm hole is drilled in the section behind the canopy and the two remaining bomb racks are added inside along with an internal detail panel, nose gear bay side, and a hatch that does a credible impression of a toilet lid. With that and a quantity of detail painting you can then slide the starboard fuselage over the two spars. The instructions then have you building up the tail feathers, with the elevators having separate single-part flying surfaces, plus a two piece rudder to attach to the moulded-in tail fin. The glass-nose is appropriate for this model, but as it's a modular part that in real-world situations could be swapped for the gun-nose in a short time. This is built up and added on as a complete unit along with its glazing. The wings are next, and the lower parts have a smattering of flashed-over holes ready to drill out for bombs, gun-pods or drop tanks, plus three cartridge ejection chutes to be cut out for the wing mounted .50cals. The faces of the in-line radiator baths are added to the lower wings and then it's already time to bring the halves together. You'll notice that there are fairings and a hump in the upper wing where the engine nacelles will be, and these are separate assemblies to be built up later. First, the separate two-section flaps (oddly with no deployed option), and the ailerons are prepared and added to the trailing edge of the wings, the latter being of one piece each and slotting into wing via two tabs. The tip lights and underwing landing lights are added from clear parts, and a small insert is glued into the wing that includes three more barrel stubs each and will again need drilling out. At this stage the instructions have you sliding the wings onto the spars and gluing them in place. Whether you'd rather wait until you've added the engine nacelles though is entirely up to you though. There are of course two engine nacelles and these build up pretty much identically apart from their outer skins, which are handed to fit their respective fairings as you'd expect. They are split vertically, and each half has internal structure moulded-in, with bulkheads added fore and aft of the gear bays, coupled with bay lip inserts that bulk out the edges and also hold captive their bay door. This may require some clever masking and a little care during handling, but it shouldn't hold you back too much, as the hinge-points are relatively robust. The two halves are joined together, the prominent intake on the top of the nacelle is made up from two parts, then is added to the nacelle front which is in turn glued to the rest of the nacelle, with the completed assemblies attached to the wings from the underside, as yet without their engine cowlings or props. The engines are added later in the build, and the Twin Wasps are depicted in their entirety with both banks of pistons, push-rods, ancillaries and reduction housing at the front, plus the collector ring and exhausts at the rear, the latter made up from eight parts each. So that they are fitted correctly and mesh properly with the nacelles, they are attached using a jig that is discarded later, so remember not to glue it in! Again the engines are identical and interchangeable with each other, and they fit to the nacelles with a teardrop-shaped tab, after which the engine cowling is slotted over them. The cooling flaps are last to be added in four sets around the rear of the cowling. The top of the fuselage is still open at this point, as it has an insert with the top turret to fit in place, with another for the dorsal turret fitted later on. The remote turrets are both made up together with the ability for the twin .50cals to be left movable if you wish. The top turret has its mechanism and ring made up first, with the two halves brought together on either side of the insert before being glued into the fuselage closing up that area. Then the gunner's compartment with simple seat and periscope is made up and installed under the glazing that sits behind the top turret. Flipping the model over, the lower turret is added to the insert and glued in place too. Another clear light is added to the very rear of the fuselage, and attention turns to the landing gear, which is of the tricycle variety as became the fashion in late war. Each of the three tyres are made from two halves with separate hubs applied from either side, then hung on their respective legs, which have retraction jacks and scissor links added along the way. Happily these can be fitted late in the build, so the open bays can be masked quicker than if they were present. Speaking of bays, you can depict the bomb bay open or close by using either a one piece door for closed, or two separate doors with internal detail for open. This is nice to see, as it's always a little tricky to join two doors and get them aligned with the fuselage so there's minimal join-lines. The main airframe is ostensibly complete save for some antennae and the props, and if you've been sparing with the glue when assembling the engines, the latter should still spin once complete. Your final choice is bombs, tanks or gun-packs hung under the wings. The bombs are made up from two halves each with a spinner insert in the rear and their attachment points moulded into the port side, the gun-packs have a handed three part pod that fits around the central gun-tray, and the drop tanks are simple two-part assemblies with their attachment points moulded into the port side again. They are all mounted on pegs, and fit into their holes that you remembered to drill in the wings before you closed them up, didn't you? Markings In this boxing there are three options included on the decal sheet, two in bare metal, the other in black. From the box you can build one of the following: A-26C-16DT, 553rd Bomb Sqn, 386th Bomb Group, Beaumont-sur-Oise, France, March 1945 A-26C-20DT, 86th Bomb Sqn, 47 Bomb Group, Grosseto, Italy Early 1945 (Overall semi-gloss black) A-26C-30DT, 646th Bobm Sqn, 410th Bomb Group, Beaumont-sur-Oise, France, June 1945 The decals are printed anonymously, although they look like DecoGraph's output to my eye. They have good registration, colour density and sharpness, and include a number of stencils that are legible with the right eyeware. Conclusion This model should make a fair few people happy. Detail is excellent and made so much nicer by the matt surface, and there's a fair proportion of the interior included for what is bound to be a popular kit. Smear a little filler into those light sink-marks before you get started, and no-one will know they're there. Keep 'em coming ICM! Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

ICM is to release in Q1 2020 a 1/48th Heinkel He-111Z-1 “Zwilling", WWII German Glider Tug kit - ref. 48260 Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ICM48260 V.P.

Standard B Liberty Truck with WWI US Drivers (35653) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Ltd. The Liberty truck was a collaboration between the major US manufacturers and the Quartermasters Corps to reduce the need to carry spare parts for every weird and wacky truck that might find its way into service. The aim was to cut down on the breadth of inventory they needed to keep in stock to maintain the vehicles, and to reduce the training needed for their mechanics who only needed to be familiar with one main design. Production began in mid 1917 as American was becoming more involved in the Great War and with very few alterations over 9,000 were made before the ending of hostilities. The vehicle's engine was also a collaboration and pushed out a staggering 52hp linked to a 4-speed box that drove all wheels, propelling the truck to a break-neck 15mph on a good road, drinking a gallon every seven miles at best, which with a 22 gallon tank gave it a fairly short range. The Kit This isn't a brand new tooling, but was released in 2018 so it's barely out of the "new" range. This reboxing contains an additional set of US WWI drivers with their distinctive "mountie" hats from the era. It is a high quality kit with a lot of detail that provides a full interior, erected tilt and bare frame options and engine. The kit arrives in a standard ICM box with four sprues for the truck and two more for the soldiers, plus a clear sprue and decal sheet between the pages of the instruction booklet. Two additional sheets of instructions are included for the soldiers and their accessory sprue. Construction begins with the chassis with leaf suspension fore and aft, then spacer rails to join them together, radiator, axles and steering gear. The rear axle is a substantial chunk and has large drum brakes with a drive-shaft leading to a central transfer box in the middle of the chassis. Front mud guards, bumper bar with rebound springs are added, then it's time to add the wheels with two singles at the front, and two pairs at the rear all with spoked hubs and moulded-in solid rubber tyres around the rim. There is a choice of hub caps on the front wheels, then the engine is made up from 11 parts and dropped in place on the chassis behind the radiator along with a two-part manifold and short exhaust pipe that you'll have to take a small drill to if you want it hollow. The connection to the radiator from the block sprouts from the top of the engine, and at this early stage the gear shifter is installed on the top of the box, ready for the crew cab later. The cab is formed on an stepped floor part that has tread-plate moulded in, to which the sides, full-width bench seat and the firewall with dashboard and fuel tank are attached. Two foldable crew steps are stowed under the floor, and the steering column inserts almost vertically into a hole in the floor, then the assembly is added behind the engine allowing the cowling to be fitted together with a perforated grille that sits forward of the cowling by a few scale inches. The hand brake attaches to the side of the transmission hump, and then it's time for the load bed. The floor is stiffened by five lateral ribs and the front wall is added and braced by the side panels, which also have 4 stiffeners, then two stowage boxes are glued in place under the floor at the front. The tailgate is made up from two thicknesses and is added at whatever variation of open or closed you fancy, then the whole bed is fitted to the chassis on tabs and depressions to get the correct location. Back in the cab the steering wheel, searchlight with clear lens and horn are all fitted, the last two on the top of the dash, and two headlamps again with clear lenses are attached to the outside front of the cab. The area is then decorated with a multitude of grab handles, closures and two towing hooks at the front of the chassis rail. A starter handle is inserted into the front, and the cab's tilt is made up from three styrene parts with two clear portholes and it too is fitted to the cab. The cover for the cargo bed can be modelled either hidden away with just the framework visible, or with the canvas draped over for a bit of variety. The framework option is quite delicate, so care will be needed when taking the frames off the sprues to avoid breakage. There are five of them and they fit at intervals to the sides with a substantial overlap for strength. The covered parts comprise front section, two sides with the exposed parts of the frames sticking down, a rolled-up rear cover, and separate roof section. All have realistic drape and creases moulded in, and your only task is to hide the seams before you apply paint, whilst avoiding breaking off the ends of the frames that hang down. The Figures There are two figures on the sprue, and the one doing the driving is a private with putties and utility belt with braces, while the co-driver is his commander with knee-high leather boots and Captain's rank insignia on his shoulder boards. They are both in the seated position as you'd expect and the driver has his hands out grasping the wheel with his feet appropriately angled for the pedals. This is ICM, so sculpting is excellent with simple parts breakdown along natural seams speeding up assembly and preparation for paint. Each figure is broken down into head, torso and separate arms and legs. The hats are separate parts to achieve a better brim and these have a flat contact patch with the equally flat-topped heads, plus moulded-in detail of the hat band with tassles. The instructions show the part locations for each sprue and a combined assembly and painting diagram that is covered in little arrows, with the remaining sheet showing construction of the accessories, their painting and even the names of each item on the sprue, which is very helpful. Markings There are two decal options for the truck, both of which are the same colour, olive green for the body, and khaki for the canvas areas. The sheet is small and includes a few stencils, divisional badges and a warning to carry no more than 3 tons. Conclusion A beautifully detailed kit of an early truck from WWI with the bonus of some very nicely moulded US soldiers into the bargain. Highly recommended. Available from Importers H G Hannants Ltd. In the UK Review sample courtesy of

Ahoy. I've not posted anything for a good few months now. But have started slowly working away on the B-26B kit from ICM that winged its way to me at Christmas. I've always been a fan of the twin engine WWII American planes and I have fond memories of the Monogram B-26C kit I made as a kit. So this one was a must for me. Bought some pre painted Eduard seat belts to spruce the interior up a tad and that'll be it for aftermarket goodies - unless I spot any decals for a nice NMF that change my mind. Fuselage was glued together last night, opted to glue the interior bulkhead bits into one side first and make sure everything lined up. The nose wheel doors were a little faffy. I decided it was best to glue them to the underside of the pilots floor rather than the fuselage sides as ICM suggests. Seams look reasonable with no big steps / gaps. But did dry fit the nose section and the join there looks like it's going to be right pain with some steps either side. Also just realised I've forgotten to add the decal to instrument panel 🤦‍♂️ Note sure if I'll try and squeeze that in now or just leave it. Thanks for looking. Aaron

WWII British Ground Personnel (1939-1945) ICM 1:32 (32107) Figures This is ICMs figure set and while it says British it would encompass a lot of commonwealth nations as well, and possibly later than 1945. There are three ground crew engaged in doing things, while designed to complement the new Gladiator kits they would be if use in a wide Variety of kits. . All are what would be considered dressed for the period. In general the mould in crisp and clean with plenty of detail. . Like ICM's recent figures these are well sculpted and should build up well. Conclusion This is another great set from ICM and looks like a direct add on for their new Gladiator kits (though they can be used elsewhere) Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Morning all And finally a couple with its stablemate, the Polikarpov I-16 (Revell boxing of the ICM kit I think?): Thanks for looking J.A.

Heinkel He.111Z-1 Zwilling (48260) 1:48 ICM via Hannants For much of the late 30s and well into WWII the Heinkel He.111 was pretty much the largest bomber in the German arsenal, as they had pinned their colours wholeheartedly to the fast bomber getting in and out without being molested by fighters that could barely keep up with them. This wasn’t the case by the time hostilities broke out, and as this became apparent with mounting losses, the Heinkels were sent out with a swarm of fighters protecting them from the Hurricanes and Spitfires of the RAF over Britain. In a parallel track the Reich had some positive experiences with using gliders to take troops into combat, which led to the designing the massive Me.321 Gigant (pronounced Geegant in German) glider that was capable of carrying a huge amount of hardware and manpower within its voluminous interior. They needed a towing aircraft, and initially used a trio of Bf.110s, but it was difficult to synchronise their activities to maintain thrust and directional control. This led to the bright idea of attaching two He.111s together with a new central wing panel to reduce the engineering load of designing a whole new airframe for the purpose. They took the fuselages of two He.111H-6s each with the port or starboard wing removed outboard of the engine mount-point, and a new aerofoil linking them housing an additional engine, in order to give extra power to the twinset. Zwilling is German for twin, so you can see where the Z came from. Later on, it occurred to the RLM to use the same airframe as a long-range bomber, and even as a reconnaissance aircraft to take advantage of the additional fuel load it could carry, as their front-line airfields were pushed further back by the advancing Allies. The Kit Starting in 2017, ICM have been bringing out a new range of He.111 kits that we have reviewed over the years. One such boxing was the He.111H-6, which is the basis for this kit, although there are a lot of additional parts in this boxing, both in duplication of engines, fuselage, tail planes and landing gear, but also the main plane between the two fuselages with three new engine nacelles and a giant flap at the trailing edge. The spars have also had to be revisited to adapt to the flat plane of the central section, so as you can imagine there are a lot of sprues in the box. The box is long and large, with a painting of the aircraft on the front in a winter distemper, and when you cut the tape holding the lid on, there is an immediate surprise as two parts trays drop out, with the usual ICM captive lid on each one. The parts are spread between the two trays, and you have twenty six sprues in grey styrene, four in clear, a long decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that has colour profiles at the rear for painting and decaling. Construction for most of the build follows the building of a single kit…. Errr, twice. The bit in the middle is completely new of course, so that’s where we’ll concentrate our attention. It starts with the two asymmetrical spars, which consist of two lengths separated by the boxed-in wheel wells and a walkway part. One is left-handed, the other right with the two horizontal lengths making the basis for the centre panel. It is worth noting that although the majority of the centre panel is horizontal, there is still dihedral on the section between the wing and first inboard engine to reduce the changes needed to the wing root. Small parts are added to the pair of fuselage frames along the way, and these are joined by a mid-upper gun mount and accompanying seat that is fixed to a length of floor behind the wings that leads to another smaller bulkhead toward the tail. Two cockpit floors are assembled in tandem with the pilot’s precarious frontal position and controls attached along with rudder pedals and comfortable-looking armoured seat. The four fuselage halves are prepped with wing root internal skins, windows and small exterior inserts, then a long rack of ammo for the mid-upper gun, the gun itself with dump-bag, and more glazing in the gondola. Each airframe half still runs on its own main gear and tail wheels for weight distribution, the latter being made up from a large leg, retraction jacks and a two-part wheel with integral hub that slips between the fuselage halves before closure. Each spar/cockpit assembly is then slid into the starboard fuselage half and once the radio gear is installed in the port side near another MG, the fuselage is closed up, another seat and the pilot’s control column are fitted in the forward compartment. The rudder is glued to the moulded-in fin with an actuator, and the bomb bay sides are slid inside the fuselage, then the assembly is flipped over to add the mid-upper insert with turret framing added above and below the aperture. The elevators are separate from their fins, and an insert is placed over the bomb bay, which includes raised portions for the carrying of bombs that is, for this version at least, a vestige of its original role that is reused to extend the aircraft's range. The cockpit’s three-part asymmetric nose glazing is joined together using a non-hazing cement with the same glue used for the overhead panel, which has its own decal like the other panels in the cockpit, then it is added to the nose along with the roof opening panel that slips into the frame provided. By this stage you should have two almost complete fuselages and a hankering to join them together! Each one has an underside skin added between the fuselage and the inner wing, then the main lower wing panels are added left, right and centre, giving you the first indication of how big this model is going to be. There’s no going back now though! Five engines are built up from a good number of parts each, then they are mounted in their firewall positions on their four bearers. The centre engine has a new panel slotted into the gap between the two spars, then all five engines are cowled up and have their radiator scoops added in a step-by-step manner, then covered up by the wing root panels and the three main upper wings plus ailerons, of which there are only two. That must be one long control wire/rod. The cowling is finished off over the next few steps with the exhaust stacks, another intake on the topside and the two hemispherical nose gun glazing parts. Everything happens in multiples on this kit, which is a good test of your production-line skills. The next line includes making up the four main gear legs and two-part wheels, the two front and rear gondola glazing parts with their guns in each section. Additional leg supports are added once they are secure in their bays, then the semi-flush pylons under the bomb bays are decked out with a pair of fuel tanks each, using two sway-braces on each one to hold them steady during flight. Main gear bay doors are fitted in four pairs, then you’ll need to get a friend to help you flip the airframe over to add the props, which are made up of two part spinner and a single three-bladed prop, plus a choice of mid-upper glazing in the open or semi-closed position. Add some aerials and pitot probes and then it’s time to realise your spray-booth isn’t big enough for the task. Oops. Markings There weren’t many of these built, but two of them have made it onto the decal sheet, with schemes as different as chalk and green splintered cheese. Look below if you can’t understand a word of what I’m talking about. From the box you can build one of the following: He.111Z-1 Eastern Front, Winter 1942-1943 He.111Z-1 Eastern Front, Spring 1943 Decals are printed anonymously, but it looks like a DecoGraph affair, with good register clarity and density of print. Conclusion I’m beyond excited about this release. I’ve no idea why, but I have a fondness for the Zwillings and to have one of the He.111 in 1:48 in injection moulded styrene is an awesome thought. The ICM He.111 is the new gold standard in 1:48, so two of them joined in the middle is just gravy. Super-dooper highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Type AG London Taxi (35658) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Ltd. The Renault built Type AG Taxi de la Marne got its name after a fleet of these vehicles were pressed into service transporting French troops to the First Battle of the Marne in WWI. It was very popular as it was one of the first taxis to be able to automatically calculate the fare due to the inclusion of a meter in the interior. As well as service during the early war it was also popular in Paris and London in the early 1900s. Over 1100 were used in London at the time. The Kit This is downsizing of the 1/24 scale kit, and depicts a colourful rendition of the vehicle in civilian service. It arrives in ICM's standard top-opening box with a captive inner lid, and inside are two sprues in grey styrene, a single clear sprue, three flexible sprues with black tyres plus the spare, decal sheet and instruction manual. It is a full detail kit with 10hp engine and detailed underside plus crystal clear glazing panels for the enclosed passenger cab. Construction begins with the chassis rails with moulded-in rear leaf-springs and two cross-members that make up the chassis. The running boards and fenders are then fitted to this. The cab is then built up with the rear part being made up along with the frame from the front. This is then fitted to the chassis. Engine bearers are then added. The front axle is then made up and installed. The five part engine is assembled and along with the exhaust this is added in from the top. The transmission then goes in behind it followed then by the radiator and front wall. The hood is then paced over the engine. Moving back to the cab the doors are added along with the drivers, and passenger seats. The front partition is then added At the rear the double leaf spring is added along with the main part of the exhaust. The rear axle and drive shaft can now be put in. The wheels are all spoked and have separate flexible black plastic tyres that slip over the rims. Detail here is good with bolts, rivets and the air valve for these early pneumatic tyres all moulded into the hubs, while the tyres have a faint pattern moulded into them. The spare wheel is mounted on a rim on the right running board, and also has a flexible tyre provided in the box, Then it's a case of adding the steering wheel, horn, gear shift and the driver's folding awning that fixes to the front of the coachwork with a short frame inside that allows the real one to fold back if desired. The rear cabin is then enclosed The final items are the two lamps with clear three-sided lenses and the taxi's major innovation, the meter, complete with little flag-shaped arm. Markings A small decal sheet provides licence plates and meter signs. Conclusion The Type AG was quite an important advance in Taxis for the day with the innovative meter, plus the smoothing of the ride quality thanks to pneumatic tyres, which must have been a luxury back then. Its good to see this nice kit scaled down to 1/35. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Hi All! Famous kit. I couldn’t do it right away. Spoiled the paint and red stars with varnish. Repainted. Replaced the damaged canopy with a vacuum part. I built an airplane of early series. I took the pre-war paint scheme from I-16. Polished the surface of this wooden fighter. And removed the antenna mast. On Russian planes before the war, there was often no radio. Enjoy watching.

Afternoon all, This is a placeholder for my entry, which is in the post so it may arrive..... who knows. Anyway, as a rule I don't do Spitfires, there currently isn't a Spit either built in my collection nor in the stash, to be honest, they have never captured my interest in the same way that a Hurricane does. This stems, mainly from a Christmas many, many moons ago when my Brother got the 1/24th scale Airfix 'superkit' Spitfire and I got the Hurricane, which was fine by me as even then I knew it was the better kit! So, what better way to address this glaring and some might say heretical omission and build another ICM kit, hey it was cheap alright and of course I enjoyed the last one so much I'm champing at the bit to repeat the experience. Actually the couple of reviews I read stated that the ICM Mk. IX wasn't that bad a kit, we shall see. Cheers, Mark

Hi, I'm on a bit of a BoB kick during our lockdown, here in sunny AZ. The whole photo album is here; https://photos.app.goo.gl/pVxL6xq2z6MyBP7g7 The day our LHS, Andy's Hobby Headquarters was forced to close I stopped in for supplies and noticed the ICM He 111H-3 on the shelf. I have the Xtradecal X48087 Battle Of Britain sheet, and have used it on a Bf 109 and in progress a Bf 110 and a Stuka, so I bought the HE 111. That'll get me my money's worth out of the Xtradecal sheet :). Started the kit on Tuesday. It is very nice. good internal detail, to which I added my own scratched seat belts and cushions(!). I have a couple of questions, if anyone could answer, that would be nice. Google images didn't really help me with these. I painted the little balls under the mgs a 'canvas' type colour. would that be about right? were they some type of bag? How did the crew enter the aircraft? There doesn't seem an obvious hatch on the undersides for me to open? The aircraft depicted (A1+BT) has the three bands on the wing and fin, and I've always seen these given as white. Xtradecal has them in pink(!). Can anyone comment on that? Here is where I am so far, about to button up the fuselage.

Hello guys, here's my next project, ICM's Ju 88C-6b. I hope it fits well. I'll be painting it as Heinrich Prizn zu Sayn Wittgenstein's machine.

Hello guys. As the title explains, are ICM's decals of the sticky nature? I don't want to find out that after having my model all gloss coated, only to find out the decals stick firmly to the surface as soon as they are placed. TIA!

Wehrmacht Radio Trucks (DS3509) Henschel 33D1 & Krupp L3H163 w/Kfz.72 1:35 ICM Via Hannants Ltd Radios were a little larger in WWII than they are now, so any radio with a decent range needed to be transported by a truck if it was to be mobile, and to a certain extent that's still true. The German Army use different chassis with the same Kfz.72 body with panelled wood sides to contain the equipment and crew needed for communications, which was a crucial aspect of their then-new Blitzkrieg warfare technique. the Henschel 33 truck was a product of the mid-30s and remained in service with the Wehrmacht until 1942, able to carry just over 3 tonnes and powered by a 6-litre petrol engine and made in substantial quantities. The Krupp L3H163 chassis was also used, with similar capabilities as the Henschel, although it was a slightly more modern design originating in 1936 and using Pneumatic braking systems to slow the 110hp engine’s roll. The Kit This is an amalgamation of two kits from the ICM stable, both of which were released originally in 2012 in their radio truck guise. It makes a lot of sense in the same way it did to the Germans at the time, although why they used two types rather than one for simplicity… well, it’s a good thing they did as it made for more complex and back-end heavy maintenance that helped slow things down for them. The kit arrives in a deep glossy box with a painting of the two types next to each other, showing how they differ mainly forward of the Kfz.72 body section, although the accessories and so forth are different between the two types, giving them some individuality. It’s a full box with seven sprues of grey styrene and a clear sprue for the Henschel truck, and nine sprues plus clear in the Krupp bag. Each kit has its own instruction booklet in the slightly older style, with a small decal sheet hidden within the pages of each one. Henschel 33D1 w/Kfz.72 Radio Truck Beginning with the six-cylinder engine and its ancillaries, the chassis rails are next with running boards fitted along with cross-rails, crew stirrups and some stowage, oil containers and jack block. The rear wheels are made up from a pair of tyres with moulded-in hub, joined to the rear by a two-part brake drum assembly. Four of these are made, and then set aside while the chassis is progressed by the insertion of the engine, front axle, steering box, exhaust and air-tanks at the rear. The transmission is assembled with the transfer boxes and drive shafts distributing the power to the rear axles that are mounted on twin leaf-springs on the top and bottom of the hub. The twin wheels are added to the ends of the four axles, and two single-part front wheels are attached to the front along with steering linkage. At this point the chassis is complete, and the body is then begun, starting with the cab. The cab is begun with the driver controls being inserted into a pedal box, instrument panel installed on two brackets, and steering wheel made up and all three assemblies fitted to the firewall along with the window frames and their clear glazing. A full-width bench seat is assembled and added to the cab floor with the front, sides and rear, the latter three having glazing added along the way. The back of the seat fits to the rear wall, and after a lick of paint, the corrugated roof is added, then closed in by the two crew doors with glazing, handles and winders. These can of course be fitted open or closed as you see fit. The front wings/fenders glue onto the chassis with large tabs holding them in place, and the radiator is slipped into the front rail of the chassis in preparation for the cab, which has its cowling made up along the centre rail, which can have its doors flipped up to view the engine. The cab is fitted to the chassis with the cowling once the radio cabin is completed. The cabin is basically a rectangular box with window (and door) cut-outs on the sides and front, a door cut-out at the rear, and two wheel well inserts cutting into the cabin floor. The rest of the cabin is empty, so if you want the extra detail inside you’ll need to do some research on the likely configuration of the interior. The wooden panelled cabin is completed by the curved ribbed roof, the rear door and side door with their glazing panels. The chassis, cab and radio cabin are mated with additional tools, antenna tubes, rear-view mirrors and an upstand enclosure for stowage on the roof, then more small parts such as jacks, lights, cowling clasps, a roof-mounted light bar, pioneer tools, steps, ramps for getting out of mud, and even some foot-pegs to reach the roof and get the stowage. Markings Any colour you like as long as it’s panzer grey. The two decal options are for vehicles in Poland and the Ukraine, with just a few number plates and small stencils completing the job. Decals are well-printed with crisp instrument dials for the panel in the cab. Krupp L3H163 w/Kfz.72 Radio Truck The build of this truck is very similar to the Henschel for obvious reasons. There are some differences to the equipment attached to the chassis, such as winches and the placement of fuel tank and stowage, then at the rear wheels there are large horizontal springs playing a part in the suspension while the front rests on leaf-springs. The cab has a central driver position and full-width instrument panel with some minor cab shape differences, which also extends to the cowling over the engine. The Kfz.72 cabin is based on many of the same parts as the Henschel as you'll see from the pictures, with the differences mainly in terms of the equipment attached to the exterior. In addition, the cab roof also gets a stowage enclosure fitted to the roof for even more carriage capacity. Externally, all the same tools and equipment are fitted to the vehicle but in different places, plus the addition at the rear of a pair of covered-up wind-up antennae that sit either side of the back door of the cabin. Markings It’s panzer grey again, and this time the vehicles depicted are from France and the Ukraine, with a similarly small and concise decal sheet including instrument panel dials for the cab. Conclusion Thanks to the communication needs of Blitzkrieg, these vehicles were ubiquitous wherever German command was established, with more sent closer to the front lines to extend lines of communication and keep abreast of changes on the battlefield. Having two of them in one box gives extra options and the opportunity to load up on Panzer Grey once to paint them both at the same time. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

I've been slowly working up the courage to post some of my more recently finished models on here. I've been looking at parts of the current collection and wondering which would make suitable candidates for RFI posts. The Revell reboxing of the 1/72 ICM Polikarpov I-153 Chaika didn't exactly sit up and beg but somehow I couldn't resist it in its tiny, stubby glory. Among other things it was my first foray into rigging since some unfortunate attempts in the 1980's. Chaika, I choose you! I purchased it for a song back in 2018 and got stuck straight in. The Revell boxing is super value for money and includes the very detailed ICM cockpit parts which are not in the Revell instructions, but are not hard to work out. I kinda spoiled the whole effect by shoehorning a pilot figure in, only realising after the fact that all that lovely (and fiddly!) cockpit detail was now very much obscured... I found it to be a very easy and rewarding build and the fairly simple rigging arrangement was perfect as a beginner's introduction to the gentle art of rigging. It came with quite a supply of ordnance, choices include eight RS-82 and their rails, four FAB-50 or four AO-25 (I think?) from which I chose the four 25kg fragmentation bombs to arm mine. I can only think of two minor additions that the kit could do with, a gunsight and exhaust stubs, either as separate parts or moulded in the cowling apertures. I didn't add the main gear wheel covers as these were often removed in service as they tended to act as a mud magnet. Brush painted with Tamiya acrylics as is my wont due to a pathological fear of airbrushes. Anyway enough blather, here she is in a bit more detail. There is cockpit detail in there, trust me! The belly of this teeny beast, the rigging is invisible superfine polyamide thread with a touch of drybrushed Tamiya gunmetal. Oops, someone needs a bit of a dust! I might have to get another of these, or perhaps an I-15bis if anyone makes such a beast in 1/72. Better (dust-free) photos further down, because I didn't actually think about using edit function until now!

British Pilots in Tropical Uniform ICM 1:32 (32106) Figures This is ICMs figure set and while it says British Pilots it would encompass a lot of commonwealth nations as well. There are two pilots and another standing office who look like they are in a briefing scenario. All are what would be considered dressed for the period and the climate. In general the mould in crisp and clean with plenty of detail. . Like ICM's recent figures these are well sculpted and should build up well. Conclusion This is another great set from ICM and looks like a direct add on for their new Gladiator kits (though they can be used elsewhere) Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

WWI ANZAC Desert Patrol (DS3510) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Formed in 1914, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) played a substantial part in WWI often in areas that are seldom given the prominence of the Western Front. They were a major player in Gallipoli where they were heavily mauled due to the Lions led by Donkeys approach that pervaded at the time. They also served in Palestine and Egypt, and it was the former where they used the then new Ford Model T to replace the previous vehicles that were suffering due to the poor availability of spares, They used six of them as Light Armoured Cars, often mounting weapons in a manner that became more familiar in WWII in the shape of the LRDG. The Kits The kits arrive in the usual ICM top-opening box with the captive flap on the lower tray and artwork depicting the contents on the lid. Whoever puts those lids together certainly makes them tight and difficult to get off even after cutting the tape between the two parts. Model T 1917 Touring WWI Australian Service (35667) Despite being small, this is a full-detail kit and includes a nicely detailed representation of the engine using 11 parts, a two-part radiator that is moulded into the front axle and attaches to the front of the body shell along with four lifting eyes inside the engine compartment. The completed engine is dropped in behind the rad and with the chassis upended the exhaust is put in place linked to the exhaust manifold on the side of the block. The rear axle of the Model T was suspended on a single lateral leaf-spring, and this is next to be constructed along with the differential and drive shaft assembly. This is also fitted to the underside with various swing-arms and the steering mechanism, then the four single-part wheels are installed and the model is righted once you've had a few moments to appreciate the detail of the wheels, which even have the valves moulded-in. The vehicle looks a bit odd with no upper body, so with the steering column fitted the crew compartment is made up from front, sides and back which have the doors moulded in and the base of the windscreen mount added as a separate part. The cylindrical fuel tank is fitted across the cab in a gap in the floor, and additional fuel is glued to the front bulkhead as a row of four jerry cans in a box on the left side as this is a right-hand drive vehicle. The foot pedals and handbrake are added on the right and the bench seats are made up from bottom cushions (literally!), stiff back with additional cushion and armchair-like sides. Before these are fitted the fuel tank is boxed in and then they can be fixed in place alongside the folded four-part hood and the steering wheel complete with boss and two stalks, one of which was the throttle, surprisingly enough. The pedals on the floor didn't work exactly as you or I would expect either, so it's probably for the best that few of us would ever get chance to drive one. The windscreen can be found on the clear sprue as you'd expect as can the rear light, the front ancillary light and both of the wing-mounted headlights. The screen is in two parts with a C-shaped frame attached to the two halves and a pivot to allow them to be folded or opened. Another pair of fuel cans are attached to the left running board and a spare tyre (no hub) is found on the right. Markings There is only one colour and that is olive green that is used on both decal options, both of which were used in Palestine in 1918. Each one has a code on its bonnet/hood and a unit crest on the rear passenger door. Model T 1917 Utility WWI Australian Army Car (35664) The engine, chassis and floor pan of this kit is the same as the Touring except for a tow-part fuel tank set below the cab. The truck bed is made up of the bed, sides, front and rear sections in addition to the outer curved panels, bench seat and optional rolled up canvas cover attached to the right bed side. The two-part battery is fitted to the driving compartment bulkhead, along with the scuttle, doors and foot pedals. The gear stick and steering column are then fitted to the chassis as is the truck bed assembly. This assembly is then glued into position between the truck bed and engine compartment. Each of the two-part bonnet sections are fitted with grab handles, then fixed together, before being fitted to the engine bay. If you’re very careful, the modeller could cut the lower section of one side of the bonnet and fold it up along the hinge line to show off the engine. The semi open cab consists of the rear three-piece bulkhead, roof and two side sections, which leaves the upper door areas exposed. The windscreen is made up from upper and lower sections that can be folded or extended. The two headlights and single tail light are assembled and fitted, along with the spare tyre, a storage box and water container rack. Markings The small decal sheet contains identification numbers and markings for two vehicles. The two vehicles are both painted in the overall sand scheme with khaki for the canvas cover. Model T Utility 1917, Palestine 1918 Model T Utility 1917, Dead Sea Region, Palestine 1918 Model T 1917 LCP WWI Australian Army Car(35663) Yes - these are the same sprues. This kit shares the same sprues as the Utility car, and diverges after the creation of the truck bed and crew cab, omitting the canvas roof and including a yoke for the machine gun in the passenger seat foot well plus a back for the bench seat. The gun is in three parts with the barrel seemingly rested on the yoke and having no other visible means of support, which might require some detective work to make look realistic. The same water rack, tool box and lights are fitted to this model as the previous option. Markings The small decal sheet contains identification numbers for two vehicles and a small crest for the radiator. The two vehicles are both painted in the overall sand scheme. Model T LCP, Dead Sea Region, Palestine 1918 Model T LCP, Palestine 1918 Conclusion ICM have amalgamated three kits into the one box for a very cost-effective package that would be most useful for the diorama buff as well as someone that just wants all three variants on the Model T, but not in black. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

FWD Type B 3 ton truck (35655) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Built by the Four Wheel Drive (FWD) company, this was a very early truck used by the military of Britain and the US during WWI, beginning in 1915 with a small order from the British Army. It was full of curious technology from a modern standpoint, but then vehicles of this type were still in their infancy, so that’s hardly surprising that there were a few dead-ends. It was originally supplied with solid tyres and the front wheels had a strange toed-in look due to the suspension geometry set up to give a light steering load. Its T-head engine produced a monstrous 36bhp for rice-pudding skin removal, and it could be connected to all four wheels or either front or rear in the event of necessity or damage to either drive-shaft. It also had a distinctive pig-nosed front due to the fact that the engine was mounted below the cab, with only the radiator housed in the front and precious little (read: none) cover for the driver and crew. Over 12,000 were made up until the end of WWI, with them finding a ready market in the post-war period in the civilian sector, sometimes with pneumatic tyres added to improve the ride quality. The Kit This is a new tooling from ICM, widening their WWI vehicle range again. Arriving in their usual captive inner lidded box, there are four sprues in grey styrene plus a tiny clear sprue, a similarly small decal sheet and the instruction booklet with colour cover and spot-colour inside. It benefits from the same attention to detail that they have lavished on their other WWI kits and you get a full model that includes engine and chassis details not supplied in some other manufacturer’s kits. Construction begins with the double ladder chassis with suspension and cross-rails included and adding the axles, brakes and drive-shafts, most of which are broadly familiar but a little odd looking into the bargain. The larger rails of the chassis denote the rear of the vehicle, and at the front the steering linkage is added before the wheels are made up from three layers each plus hubcap, then fitted to each corner of the vehicle. The radiator core has its sides fitted then it is dropped into the front of the chassis, then joined by the peculiar engine, which is very well detailed with almost 30 parts devoted to its construction. Once it is painted and in place the exhaust is threaded through the chassis and attached to the manifold outlets, with the diagram helpfully ghosting one of the wheels to improve your view. Power transfer boxes are suspended from the underside of the chassis rails with more drive-shafts, then up at the front the chassis is widened by adding tread-plated “shelves” to the sides before beginning work on the cab and snub-nosed bonnet. This assembly also includes an engine cover that ends up with the crew sitting on it and in the gap between the cowling and radiator the crew have a small footwell with driver controls and a fire extinguisher present, louvered side panels to the cowling and cooling fan for the radiator that is surrounded by a shaped cowling that plugs into the back of the radiator later. The fuel tank is made up from four sections plus two supports, then the lovely deeply upholstered crew sofa is put together with moulded-in buttons giving it a Victorian drawing room feel. The steering wheel and control levers are added to the sides of the cowling, then the seat is dropped on top with a nice cosy fuel tank right behind it. The perfect cab. Exposed to the elements, high up and with extra heating in the summer, plus a big flammable tank right behind your seat. Awesome! The old-skool railway-style front lamps and U-mounted searchlight are put in place on the front and stowage is placed on the left foot-plate, presumably tied down so you don’t lose it on the corners, and the hand-crank starter can optionally be inserted into a socket on the front chassis rail if you wish. The 3-ton load bed begins with the floor and has five cross-beams slotted into position underneath, a front panel and two side panels that have braces added down the sides before they are installed, located on the pins on the end of each cross-beam. The tail gate is made up from frame and panel parts, then two stowage boxes are built up and fitted to the underside front of the bed, which is then mated with the chassis on a number of tabs and slots. You can model your truck with the tilt stowed or in place, with the former having five hoops fitted down the side panels to complete the assembly. For the covered bed there are five parts to make up the canvas tilt with some nice sag moulded-in. Hide the seams and paint it accordingly and you’ll end up with a believable looking tilt. That’s it. You’ve finished. Markings There are two decal options on the tiny sheet with just stencils on the sides to differentiate them from each other as they are both painted olive green. The few decals on the sheet are all white, so there’s no worries about registration, but colour density and sharpness are good. Conclusion An early truck that became a staple of the battlefield in WWI and beyond in injection moulded styrene with plenty of detail. It’s a nice kit and great for WWI military modellers. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Hi all, This is my entry to the currently ongoing P-51 STGB . The kit is the ICM 1/48, built out of the box. To say that this one put up a fight is a gross understatement. Whilst the engineering I believe is based on the Tamiya kit, it in no way resembles a Tamiya build experience! Anyway its done, with, I have to admit a very shallow dihedral. It is completed with Tamiya acrylics and Alclad Aqua Gloss sealing the quite appalling kit decals. Weathered with Tamiya powders and an oil paint filter and finally sealed with Winsor and Newton Galleria Acrylic Matt Varnish sprayed un-thinned, BTW an excellent product which I would highly recommend. Thanks for looking, comments always welcome. Cheers, Mark.

Model T 1911 Touring with American Motorists ICM 1:24 (24025) The Ford Model T car has gone down in history as the worlds first mass produced car. By 1927 in a little over 9 years 15 million cars were produced. In 1999 the Model T was crowned the most influential car of the 20th Century. The Model The model arrives in the usual sturdy box with a separate top sleeve with a nice artist’s representation of the vehicle on the front. Inside, within a large poly bag, are four sprues of grey plastic, a clear spure and 4 rubber tyres. There is also one sprue for the figures. The build starts with the nicely detailed engine with the block and gearbox halves glued together followed by the addition of the rocker covers, fan belt, dynamo, exhaust manifold, cooling fan, cooling pipes, and other sundry items. The radiator is attached to the front axle and just needs the radiator grille glued to it to complete the assembly. The radiator/axle is then glued to the front of the floor pan/chassis. The rear axle, drive shaft and differential are built up from only three parts and fitted to the underside of the chassis along with the two piece exhaust/silencer unit. The front and rear axle support frames are then added, as is the steering rack. The four wheels, rubber tyres are added to the spoke wheels and are glued to the axles, the construction moves to the body work. The rear engine wall (not a firewall as its not solid) is made up and added, the engine covers are then added. The rear coachwork body is then made up and added to the chassis. The driver floor pan is added along with the steering wheel and column. Drivers pedals are added. The seats are then made up and added, along with the windscreen and its supporting stays. If fitting the roof this is the next part to be added (note there is no option for the roof down). The rear part has its window added and then its fixed to the roof. The stays are then added and the roof can be fitted. The horn arrangement is made up and fitted . The last items to be made up are the head lights, lights and the motormeter for the radiator. Decals There are no decals included in this kit. Figures This is ICM set 24013 "American Motorist". One is a male driver and the second is a female passenger. Both are what would be considered well dressed for the period. In general the mould in crisp and clean with plenty of detail. . Like ICM's recent figures these are well sculpted and should build up well. Conclusion This is another great addition to the Model T series that ICM have been releasing. As with the other versions, it looks like it wont be a difficult kit to make, but will look great once painted. Recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Hello guys; This is my first model of this year: Mig-25 RBF 931 OGRAP Werneuchen AB, Germany 1991. This is a ICM 1/72 new mold. Excellent. No problems during the job. This aircraft number 38 red (serial number 02032317) had an unusual livery. This Foxbat-D had camouflage paint scheme composed of dark brown, sand and dark green on the upper surfaces and dark grey on the underside. I used Mr Hobby paints, photo etched interior by Eduard and pitot by Master Pl. Cheers!