Finding helicopter crew member figures, especially in 1/48^th scale has been like finding hen's teeth. Thankfully, ICM has listened, and provided modelers with some great figures in this scale. Finally, we have a modern helicopter crew in 1/48. These are the most recent US Army helicopter pilots and crew.

Packaged in a really sturdy top opening cardboard box with the artwork on a sleeve that fits over it protects the entire contents from anything short of fire or a trash compactor. Inside you’ll find a single sprue of light grey plastic that contains 32 beautiful parts for THREE figures.

There are two pilots and a crew chief. The crew wear A2CU OCP flight suits with Aircrew Combat Equipment (ACE). There is a two-sided instruction sheet included that has the ICM paint numbers and full color of the subjects. A nice touch is the small box that explains the multicam camouflage colors and how they should look.

Each figure consists of about 11 parts for two figures and 10 for the other one. That is a lot for such a small figure, but the modular ACE allows you to move stuff around as you see fit. There are a few things that are standardized, but for the most part, you can add the modular packets where you like.

The cool thing about the crew chief is the maxillofacial shield (MFS) which can be painted up in a number of cool ways. This is the first time that I know of, that the MFS is made available in 1/48 scale. The faces of the pilots are quite well proportioned and will look great with their HGU-56 helmets.

The fit of the figures is exceptionally good with just removal of the mold lines. They look the part. The assembly took less than an hour. The biggest challenge of this set is painting the A2CU camouflage. Luckily ICM gives you a very nice photo of how it should look. In this scale it will be challenging but the results will be well worth the effort.

My only complaint with this set is that UH-60 typically has a crew of four, so you are missing a gunner. Even with this minor niggle, this is a welcome set. This will add tremendous realism to your Blackhawk or a variety of other modern US Army helicopters in 1/48^th scale. I hope they come out with more 1/48^th scale helicopter figures. It is about time a manufacturer finally realizes what modelers want and need.

Highly recommended

Thanks to ICM and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can find yours at your local hobby shop, online retailer or directly from ICM.