As a recap, we are building up the old Monogram kit and two ICM kits of the B-26B Marauder with ICM’s 1/48^th scale Flak Bait as the main review item. I selected the following schemes for the three kits:

• “Flak Bait”, 322^nd bombardment Group, Spring 1945
• “Hard to Get”, 497^th BS, 344^th BG, Cormeilles France 1945
• “Idiots Delight”, 391^st BG, 575 BS RAF Matching England, August 1944

At the end of Part 1, the fuselages were all together and it was time to finish off the kits.

ICM has been releasing quality kits, figure sets, and recently paints to support their vast library of releases. This one is a rebox of the original 2021 Leyland Retriever General Service Truck (Kit # 35602), but adds a figure set of Montgomery himself with three of his staff. It also has decal schemes for three versions of the same caravan: one sand-color scheme based in North Africa in 1942, a two-tone camo scheme for Tripoli in 1943, and the one I decided on, an all-dark green based in Germany in the spring of 1945.

What’s Inside the Box

You get thirteen light gray and three clear sprues, as well as seven vinyl tires and a small PE fret for the front grill. An additional sprue is inside for the four figures. Details are pretty crisp and there are a lot of interior details for the latrine and office area.

When ICM started to release its family of B-26 models and variants, it was well received by modelers the world over as the old Monogram’s kit was released in 1978, 47 years ago. And at some point, they were going to release Flak Bait and they did and I jumped on the opportunity to review it. A little background on Flak Bait- it was given the name by its first pilot, James Farrell who adapted the nick name from his dog, flea bait. It then ran 202 bombing missions over France, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium and survived the war intact and holds the record for number of bombing missions survived. And not one crew member was killed during that time and only one was injured even though it landed on one engine twice, lost its electrical and hydraulic systems twice and ended up with over 1000 holes that needed patched. Currently, Flak Bait is in the hands of the Smithsonian and being restored.

Background and Historical Notes

From The Kit Manufacturer’s Notes:

Bronco NOGS US Attack Aircraft

In 1970, two OV-10A Bronco aircraft were modified to evaluate their nighttime combat capabilities. The modification was designated NOGS—Night Observation Gunship System. The aircraft received an extended nose section with a turret housing a forward-looking infrared system and laser rangefinder (FLIR) in its lower half. Under the mid-fuselage, engineers mounted a turret with a 20mm General Electric M197 three-barrel cannon, which was aimed using FLIR.

In late 1970, both aircraft were sent to China Lake Air Base for testing, and by April 1971, they were deployed to Vietnam for combat trials. Operating as part of the light attack squadron VAL-4 “Black Ponies,” the aircraft conducted evening and night missions. The YOV-10D aircraft flew in various configurations: either in pairs, paired with an OV-10A, or with an escort of two OV-10A aircraft.

What really drew me to this release was the Aussie option! The Australians started getting the UH-60M in 2023, and traditionally they use it for long-range search and rescue in the Outback and over the ocean, making for some unique configurations. Academy has a long history with the Black Hawk mold, and they’ve taken full advantage of its popularity with new parts. In addition to the A60-001 import model, Academy has everything in this box to fit out a full Australian import version of the Black Hawk. Builds of the M seem few and far between, so I’ve tried to hit a lot of detail in this review for the competitive builder.

For everyone who wants instant gratification, let’s start with the pros and cons, then transition to the details!