ICM 1/48 B-26B Marauder - Finished

[richie894]

Hello, haven't posted here for a while. I just finished the new ICM Marauder kit. I am not sharing on here for critique, as I do not build to be historically accurate. I just build for fun. I am posting as I want to share some feedback for anyone else thinking of building this model.

 

So high-level feedback...

The kit went together well with no real fit issues. I would recommend this kit for an intermediate modeller and not a beginner as some parts are very fiddly - especially the way the gear and bomb bay doors are attached. A lot of work (many hours) to get this put together, it is certainly not a quick weekend build. So for the high price point, you will get your money's worth.

 

I found the attachment points for the parts (especially gear) were too small. There is not enough plastic for the joins, which makes the gear very flimsy. I would highly recommend metal gear to strengthen it. The masks I scanned from the instructions and printed on my Cricut machine. Worked great. I also created a custom mask for the yellow at the front so it lined up with the mouth decal.

 

I left off the top turret, rear clear parts and nose clear parts. They fit no problem at the end. I found it easier to paint and weather the aircraft without them attached. 

 

Some sprues were molded very close to the runners. You could not fit a pair of sprue cutter in, and even with a knife it was hard to remove the parts without breaking them. Finally beware!!! Nose weight called out in instructions was 50g. I used 56g (2 oz) in the exact spot it shows. It barely just balances. In fact before I glued on the engines, it was a major tail sitter. You need to add a lot more nose weight to make it sturdy.

 

I used Tamiya LP-11 for the main color and was happy with the finish, as this was my first attempt painting a natural metal finish on a model. I created a detailed 9 part video build series of this on my YouTube channel.

 

Edited April 30, 2024 by richie894

[richie894]

 

 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2024 by richie894

[Armorrich]

Beautiful work sir!! That looks like some major decal work in the nasal region. You handled everything perfectly. Very nicely done. 

 

Cheers...Rich 

[georgeusa]

Thanks for showing us a finished product of this recent kit.  It is on my l list of acquisitions.  I am also very glad you shared the niggles of building this kit and what to look for and be aware of.  Your finished Marauder looks great.  Thanks for everything in the article.  Just out of curiosity, what is your YouTube channel?

[Tigerausfb]

Crumbs! I've had this kit a couple of weeks now and only just finished one engine  Definitely a reflection on my slowness. I do like the plastic on it, easy to work with. Well done on your model, looks very nice in it's 'natural' finish.

 

Andrew

[kapam]

Very nice work!

The natural finish has turned out beautifully. 👏👏👏

Makes me keen to break out my 1/72 Hasegawa kit (this scale is a little large for my display options, but I’m sure the ICM is extremely good).

[Duncan B]

It looks fantastic. I was watching a video of someone fitting the clear parts on this kit and they looked like they just dropped into place with no visible step or joint at all. If the rest of the plastic goes together that well it must be quite a nice kit to build.

 

Duncan B

[Sky Keg]

Excellent review and results of this highly anticipated release of the B-26. 

 

Mike

[woody37]

Great to see one done, excellent result too

 

[kelly9mm]

Great result, congrats!

[richie894]

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

 

5 hours ago, Duncan B said:

It looks fantastic. I was watching a video of someone fitting the clear parts on this kit and they looked like they just dropped into place with no visible step or joint at all. If the rest of the plastic goes together that well it must be quite a nice kit to build.

 

Duncan B

All the clear parts fit perfectly.

 

18 hours ago, georgeusa said:

Thanks for showing us a finished product of this recent kit.  It is on my l list of acquisitions.  I am also very glad you shared the niggles of building this kit and what to look for and be aware of.  Your finished Marauder looks great.  Thanks for everything in the article.  Just out of curiosity, what is your YouTube channel?

www.youtube.com/rwhobbies

 

19 hours ago, Armorrich said:

Beautiful work sir!! That looks like some major decal work in the nasal region. You handled everything perfectly. Very nicely done. 

 

Cheers...Rich 

I created my own custom mask and painted the yellow around the mouth. You just get the decal for the mouth part and eyes.

[Rando]

That’s such a beautiful and convincing finish. I appreciate that I’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm for this new B-26, it’s undoubtedly one I’ll have to get eventually. And thanks for sharing your thoughts on building it!

[Orion]

Excellent model and the same goes for the photography.