Procopius Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 It's widely implied that the ICM 1/72 109E family is a bit more than inspired by the Tamiya 109E in 1/72, with the vital difference that the ICM kit's fuselage is the proper length. Has anyone tested this to see how far it goes? Can the presumably nicer Tamiya parts be used interchangeably with the ICM parts, to the point where, say, you could build a Tamiya kit with the ICM fuselage halves? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 No, but I'll eavesdrop. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck1945 Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Yes and no. I built both kits several years ago as part of a BoB project. While I didn’t actually assemble the the ICM kit with Tamiya parts, out of curiosity I did test fit several of the Tamiya parts to the ICM fuselage and found they fit better than ICM’s own parts! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted September 4, 2018 Author Share Posted September 4, 2018 7 minutes ago, Chuck1945 said: Yes and no. I built both kits several years ago as part of a BoB project. While I didn’t actually assemble the the ICM kit with Tamiya parts, out of curiosity I did test fit several of the Tamiya parts to the ICM fuselage and found they fit better than ICM’s own parts! Excellent. So it seems that my long-held theory may actually be true: the ICM kit could be treated as an aftermarket fuselage for the Tamiya kit. This bears further investigation. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06/24 Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Chop Tamiya fuse behind cockpit and ahead of tail, insert approx 20-30 thou fillets at each, reassemble. Fiddly, but possible. Worth it? Not sure. Depends how cheap your ICM donors are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 18 minutes ago, Procopius said: Excellent. So it seems that my long-held theory may actually be true: the ICM kit could be treated as an aftermarket fuselage for the Tamiya kit. This bears further investigation. Go for it, in my opinion (Mr Lawyer Sir) the ICM is virtually a clone of the Tamiya kit but with the fuselage (rather crudely) lengthened. i say rather crudely, it's not actually bad or anything but on my copies (sic) at least I can see marks as if a mould has been adjusted at that point. Once built up they are difficult to tell apart unless you know what to look for on the Tamiya kit (the uneven spacing of one fuselage station). Duncan B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Just now, 06/24 said: Chop Tamiya fuse behind cockpit and ahead of tail, insert approx 20-30 thou fillets at each, reassemble. Fiddly, but possible. Worth it? Not sure. Depends how cheap your ICM donors are? They are cheap enough not to bother chopping the Tamiya kit, or they were when I bought mine anyway. Duncan B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael louey Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Hi Procopius, As requested No real issues about swapping the ICM fuselage - All the remaining parts are Tamiya as their mould quality is better than the ICM. In theory no waste either as I can use the Tamiya fuselage on a less significant 109 and get to see if the difference is observable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted September 5, 2018 Author Share Posted September 5, 2018 4 minutes ago, Michael louey said: Hi Procopius, As requested No real issues about swapping the ICM fuselage - All the remaining parts are Tamiya as their mould quality is better than the ICM. In theory no waste either as I can use the Tamiya fuselage on a less significant 109 and get to see if the difference is observable. Thanks, Michael! So just to make sure I follow you, you used the Tamiya internal parts for the cockpit and their clear parts, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael louey Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 23 minutes ago, Procopius said: Thanks, Michael! So just to make sure I follow you, you used the Tamiya internal parts for the cockpit and their clear parts, right? As far as I recall. Definitely the clear parts as the Tamiya ones are a lot clearer and sharper. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted September 5, 2018 Author Share Posted September 5, 2018 15 minutes ago, Michael louey said: As far as I recall. Definitely the clear parts as the Tamiya ones are a lot clearer and sharper. Excellent. One of my major issues with the ICM kit was the lousy clear part quality. Thank you, you've been extraordinarily helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaCee26 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Hi, A friend of mine did that and said it went well. He had same comment of the visibility of ICM fuselage showing corrections Cheers, AaCee 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackG Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Took a look at my respective kits, and I think it appears to be possible to still make two full builds. How about using just one half of a fuselage from ICM, and pair it with Tamiya on the other side - the latter will have to be cut in two areas as mentioned, but when done correctly, all the panel lines should line up on the fuselage. regards, Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now