During World War II, Allied military engineering units used special metal plates called Marston Mat (aka PSP, or Pierced Steel Planking) to rapidly construct temporary field airfields. These steel plates could withstand heavy loads and enabled the quick installation of stable, durable airfield surfaces for various aircraft on soft or unstable ground. Their perforated design allowed water to drain easily from the surface without compromising the covering’s quality. The Marston Mat, named after its first testing location near Marston, NC, in November 1941, became widely used in combat operations across the Pacific theater, North Africa, and Europe. Allied engineering units could construct airfields of various sizes in just days using these plates. After the war, the plates found new life in peaceful applications, particularly in building temporary roads and platforms and numerous uses on farms. In addition to its use by the USAAF and USN, the Marston Mat was also used by the RAF.

ICM continues to manufacturer interesting subjects, and this plane fits that mold. Per Scalemates, this Ju 88 kit is the newest iteration with the first ICM Ju 88 kit appearing in 2015. It was followed by two releases in 2016 with new parts, five Ju 88 kits released in 2018, one in 2019, two in 2022 and 2023 and finally two in 2025.

The standard ICM box lid depicts beautiful artwork of the USAAF version flying over a deep blue sea and islands. Inside the box is a large plastic bag containing seven gray sprues and a separate bag with clear parts. The assembly manual, decals and an ICM painting chart is also provided. The manual has clearly labeled parts and color callouts. There are several mislabeled parts (discussed later). Also, the sprue diagrams only depict two parts which are not used. In reality, there are many more parts that are not used in this kit build due to them being optional. The last page has two full-color painting diagrams of each version (USAAF and RAF).

The Warpaint series should be remarkably familiar to most modelers. This is #147 in the series and covers the Nakajima Ki-43. The book covers the development of and the service history of the type. The most numerous and famous of the Japanese Army Air Force aircraft, it was comparable to the Japanese Navy’s A6M Zero. One of the interesting facts is that to Japanese people, the Ki-43 is more famous and revered than its counterpart, the Zero! So much so that it is often the aircraft of choice for anime producers.

The book is filled with many wartime and immediate postwar photographs. One of the best features is the substantial number of color profiles covering Japanese, Republic of China, Manchuko, US captured examples, Royal Thai, French, Communist China, and Indonesian examples. Nice color photos of the4 surviving examples are also included.

The UH 60 Blackhawk line has become a staple of military forces around the world. It’s hard to think of a mission this helicopter doesn’t perform including troop carrier, rescue, special ops, electronic warfare, maritime patrol and anti-submarine duties. This release from ICM covers the first version of the Blackhawk the UH 60A troop carrier which entered service with the United States Army in 1979. Having built several ICM kits, this one lives up to the standard that they’ve established with finely molded details, excellent fit and reasonably good references in the instruction sheet and on the box. Decals are provided for three versions, a Blackhawk serving with US Army in Afghanistan in 2005, another serving with the Kentucky National Guard in 2009 and the subject of this build that served with the Montana National Guard 2013. The instructions are typical of ICM kits, very thorough with a parts diagram showing all the runners, including the parts that are not used.

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.