ICM continues to be prolific with their production of both model kits and paint sets. This Acrylic Paint Set for WWII US Naval Aviation continues their trend, and it consists of six 12ml, wide-mouthed, paint bottles. The packaging includes a picture of a Douglas SBD (Scout Bomber Douglas) Dauntless in an early war scheme of pale blue over light gray two-tone scheme on the front. The back shows both the SBD Dauntless and a Grumman TBF-1C Avenger in Measure 22 (light gray over white, primarily used in the Atlantic Theater during 1943-1944), with the color call-outs noted. These paints are designed to be used on early World War II US Naval aircraft. The paint colors include the following:

• Camouflage Green (No. 1071)
• Pale Blue (No. 1074)
• Sky Grey (No. 1033)
• Neutral Grey (No. 1036)
• White Grey (No. 1029)
• Olive Green (No. 1068)

Painting instructions are on the side of the packaging, stating as follows:

• 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 an airbrush.
• Colors can be mixed with each other.
• If the ambient temperature is above 25^oC (77°F), use a retarder.
• When applying with an airbrush, first use primer.

I used spoons first to test the paint samples. The spoons were all given a primer coat of gray (Touch ‘n tone by Rust-Oleum), followed by the top of the spoon being airbrushed, then the bottom was painted by hand, with a line delineated by masking tape. Brush painting was remarkably easy, but a little patchier, particularly for the White Grey (as seen in the photos). Both methods dry quickly and have a flat appearance. I was impressed that some of the darker colors were hard to differentiate between the airbrushed and hand-brushed finishes. The Sky Grey (No. 1033) was particularly welcome as it blended beautifully with the Rust-Oleum primer. I believe that the colors look good on my early Pacific SBD-1 Dauntless.

My only complaint about these great paints is that dropper-style bottles are readily accessible, and they control paint distribution much better than this open-topped style. For some reason, the Olive Green color was clumpy with no visible liquid in my sample. 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 early World War II US Naval aircraft and is highly recommended. This is also a good paint for figures, as brush marks disappear, the paints are sturdy, and they dry matte.

Slava Ukraini!

Profuse thanks to ICM and IPMS/USA for providing the review sample!