ICM continues to be prolific with both kits and paint sets. The Acrylic Paint Set for WWII RAF Coastal Command aircraft continues this trend and consists of six 12ml wide mouthed paint bottles. The front packaging includes a presentation of a Bristol Beaufort Mk.1A WWII British torpedo bomber. The back shows three left-profile views of Bristol Beauforts, including Mk.1.A DX 135 in Temperate Scheme (1940-44) of German Field Grey (Green) and Dark Grey over Sky (Kit No. 48315), Mk.1A LR906 Late Coastal Command (1944-45) Coastal White with Off White with Dark Grey on top of fuselage and wings (Kit No. 48315) in, and Mk.1 L4516 OA-W Temperate Land Scheme of Leather Brown and Extra Dark Green over Black (Kit No. 48310) with color callouts.

The colors include:

• German Field Grey (No. 1070)
• Dark Grey (No. 1037)
• Off White (No. 1028)
• Extra Dark Green (No. 1069)
• Leather Brown (No. 1053)
• Black (No. 1002)

Painting instructions are on the side of the packaging, stating

• Shake well before use
• Paint is prepared for a brush, for the airbrush dilute with water or thinner, 40-60%
• Use primer when painting with airbrush
• Colors can be mixed with each other
• If the ambient temperature is above 25^oC, use retarder
• When applying from airbrush, first use primer

Spoons were used for painting samples. The spoons were all given a primer of gray (Rust-Oleum Touch ‘n tone), followed by the top of the spoon being airbrushed, then the bottom brush painted by hand, with the line delineated by masking tape. Brush painting was remarkably easy, but a little patchier, particularly for the off white (as seen in the photos). Both methods dried quickly and have a flat appearance. I was impressed that some of the colors were hard to differentiate between airbrush and hand brush for the darker colors, with the obvious exception of the Off White, which is usually hard to brush paint large areas. This is also good paint for figures as brush marks disappear, and the paints are sturdy and dry matte.

My only complaint about these great paints is that dropper style bottles are readily accessible and control paint distribution much better than this open-topped style. I tested thinning it with diluted water, Badger Spray Through and Vallejo thinners. All worked well and reconstituted the paint.

This is a good one-stop acrylic paint set for WWII RAF Coastal Command aircraft. With the variety of aircraft used by the Coastal Command, this paint set will be very versatile. I need to dig out a RAF B-17 and paint it in the Late Coastal Command camouflage.

My thanks to ICM for the opportunity to review these paints. Slava Ukraini!