Reference: the ICM website:

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is the most widely produced lightweight fighter aircraft in the world. As of 2018, a total of 4,604 units had been built, and it was operated by the air forces of more than 30 countries. The aircraft was developed in 1974 by General Dynamics and was notable for its high degree of standardization in parts, assemblies, and systems. Over the course of its service, the F-16 has undergone several upgrades, allowing it to remain in the military aviation fleets of many countries around the world.

Since August 2024, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has also received multirole F-16 fighters. It is known that Ukrainian F-16s can employ AIM-9 and AIM-120 missiles, as well as precision-guided bombs such as the SDB, JDAM-ER, and GBU-39. One of the key features of the Ukrainian F-16s is their use of ECIPS+ electronic countermeasure pods designed to disrupt enemy radar systems.

The first reports of Ukrainian Air Force F-16s being deployed appeared in late August 2024, when the aircraft participated as air defense fighters in repelling a large-scale missile and drone attack. In the winter of 2025, it became known that these aircraft had also begun conducting strikes on ground targets using GBU-39 precision bombs.

Upon opening the cover, there is a reinforced white inner box that does a good job of protecting the kit’s six gray plastic sprues, clear sprue for the canopy and HUD, and decal sheet (I recently heard on the Beyond the Box Art podcast that ICM’s boxes are designed to withstand the rigors of delivery services, and this box definitely meets that standard). Four of the sprues show that this a repop (from Japan as stated on the paper in the clear sprue package) and the two W sprues are ICMs. The downloadable instructions are also available separately online on the ICM website. This F-16AM is well detailed and is an excellent representation of the new quality and detail that are ICM’s trademark. Take care with small pieces (grab handles, etc) as the plastic is fragile and can break when removed from the sprue gates.

This kit is a repop of the Hasegawa F-16 line. The ICM sprues (2 x W (weapon)) and decals make this a Ukrainian F-16AM Block 20. There are minor notes that are identified here by their instruction step:

• Step 01: This kit comes with a pilot figure! Thank you!
• Step 02: Paint reference Q is listed for the cockpit color, but not on the color code (see below for the missing colors).
• Step 05: Color call S is missing (see below for the missing colors)
• Step 07: Care must be taken to remove the wing tip launch rails to replace them with ICM’s updated rails for this Ukrainian version (2 x W4).
• Step 08: The four antennas (4 x W1) in front of the cockpit, colloquially nicknamed “bird slicers” don’t have location marks: ICM provides dimensions to place them.
• Steps 10-12: Use care with the fragile and very small landing gear assemblies. I left mine off until final assembly and still had to search the carpet monster.
• Step 15: Parts W2 and W3 (not sure what they are, but are located underside near wingtip launchers) don’t have location marks. Refer to Step 20 or the color paint schemes for their proper location.
• Steps 18-19: ICM has updated this kit with newECIPS+ (Electronic Combat Integrated Pylon Systems Plus) that integrates a pylon-based infrared missile attack early warning system The ECIPS pylons carry the three AN/AAR-60 sensors, but do not have the flare and chaff dispensers.
• Step 20: The ECIPS+ are both marked as Step 17, should be 17 and 18 (they are interchangeable as they are modular and designed to be swapped out).

As these were originally Hasegawa molds, there are lots of options for various weapon loadouts. Loadouts include ECIPS+ pods , AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) , AIM-9 Sidewinders. Check your references and have fun.

The F-16AM has two marking options, both unidentified Ukrainian Air Force units in the standard USAF three-tone camouflage. The differences are the serial numbers 3596 and 3599.

I painted the F-16AM per the instructions, although curiously, the paint color guide lists colors through P, while the instructions carry through to T. Ironically, these colors are four of the six recommended in the custom-made F16 Acrylic Paint Set (ICM No. 3084). They are:

• Q Sky Grey (No. 1033)
• R Dark Sea Grey (No. 1034)
• S Gun Metal (No. 1027)
• T Neutral Grey (No. 1036)

The decals are delicate and conform well to the model, have no silvering and really look the part. Care must be taken due to their small size. The tail serial numbers blend into the paint. Online photos also show they are faint, if they are even present.

The 1/72 Soviet PAG-14 Airfield Plates (Kit No. 722124) are a previous release from 2011 ($20.99), reviewed by IPMS/USA Reviewer Pablo Bauleo and are a great addition to this beautiful kit. Most of the information on the internet refers to the ICM PAG-14 kits in 1/48 and 1/72 scale. Delving further into the rabbit hole, I found “Soviet Precast Pre-stressed Construction for Airfields” online at the airporttechsite (Naum Sapozhnikov, PhD and Raymond Rollings, PhD, PE who shared in their abstract,

The Soviet Union used precast concrete slabs as routine pavement construction for roads and airfields and standardized the PAG-XVIII slab for airfields. These 2m x 6 m x 18 cm slabs are pre-stressed longitudinally and provide excellent load-carrying capacity. In fact, an airfield in Uzbekistan supported intense US Air Force C-17 aircraft operations for several years without any structural distress. These slabs were even the thinner PAG-XIV slabs rather than the more robust PAG XVIII slabs (14-cm thick rather than 18 cm). Past history in the former Soviet Union found these precast, pre-stressed slabs to be structurally sound for aircraft operations, and they also offered particular advantages for construction in adverse weather, rapid installation, maintenance on unfavorable soils, and construction in remote or environmentally sensitive areas.

ICM has once again taken an older kit mold, updated it and made it relevant with the added bonuses of additional weapon payloads and Soviet-era airfield plates. The Ukrainian markings on the ubiquitous F-16 look great!

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