ICM has released a new 1/72^nd scale WWII US Marston Mat (aka PSP, Perforated Steel Plate). The molded plastic has great recessed detail and all you need to do is apply the paint.

In the Box

The base is made from injected light gray styrene, and the molded detail quality is very fine for 1/72^nd scale. Size is 2.5 X 5 inches (63.5 X 127 mm). Four plates of the mat are included. If glued side-by-side, a mat of 10 X 5 inches can be obtained.

The parts are wrapped in a single plastic bag and encased in a very sturdy cardboard box. A slipcover fits over the box and has a painted close-up of what the mat should look like. The instructions are for a 1/35^th scale Marston Mat set but you get the general idea but at smaller scale. The painting instructions list only one color for the mat, Gun Metal (ICM 1027), and a clear coat if so desired.

Review Process

This is a box stock build with no aftermarket products used during the assembly process. From Part 1, we move on to painting and final assembly.

Surface primer was applied using Mr. Surfacer 1500 White, which was heavily thinned with Mr. Surfacer Leveling Thinner. A 4:1 mixing ratio allowed for a lighter coat of primer while not filling in some of the shallow recessed details. After a day of drying, the underside was airbrushed with Tamiya XF-2 White with a little gray added to make it an off-white color. The upper surfaces were then painted Tamiya XF-80 Royal Light Gray, which, in my opinion, looks like Light Gull Gray (FS16440). The aft exhaust area was then masked and airbrushed with Alclad Steel. To add the vertical striations, I cut Tamiya tape into thin strips, masked, and airbrushed Alclad Aluminum. This is much easier to do if the exhaust is not installed per the instructions (See Part 1 for more clarification).

ICM continues to pump out fantastic kits in all genres of interesting subjects to the modeling world. This Beaufort is the sixth version to be released. I built the second release that featured tropical filters a couple of years ago, so there were no real surprises with this build.

The standard ICM box lid was adorned with a striking painting of a low flying, dark sea grey over white Beaufort dropping a red nosed torpedo over the water. Grey plastic parts were contained in one plastic bag, with a clear parts sprue protected within its own bag. The instruction manual and decal sheet were at the bottom of the box, along with a color sheet showing ICM paints available.

Following the instruction manual format, construction was set out to ease painting separate items. Components like the cockpit and cabin, landing gear and other assemblies could be completely built and painted in one session which sped up and simplified assembly.