Product Description

ICM has released a kit in 1/32^nd scale featuring a “crew” of 3 Luftwaffe ground personnel in uniforms that would be worn from 1939 to 1945. The kit also includes a 200 liter fuel drum, a pair of smaller containers for liquids, a fuel pump to attach to the fuel drum, and a toolbox with the lid closed. Two of the figures appear to be wearing the same uniform, while the 3^rd figure, standing and carrying one of the aforementioned liquid containers in his right hand, is wearing a slightly different uniform, lighter in color than his crew-mates.

Product Packaging

ICM packages this kit in a strong and durable cardboard box that has a tab that slides into a slot, keeping the box tightly closed until that tab is pulled out of the slot. Inside that box you will find the instruction sheet and the parts runners, the runners being contained in a sealed clear bag. Upon receipt, I noted that all the parts were still attached to their runners, but even if one were to come loose it would still be found, safe and sound, in that clear bag.

The cardboard box which contains the parts bag and the instruction sheet features a box top that fits rather tightly over the cardboard box. As you would expect the box top has very impressive kit artwork featured on the top, with the usual information and smaller images printed on the 4 side panels.

Instructions

The instructions present painting and assembly instructions on one side of the sheet. The three figures are shown assembled and painted, with part numbers printed in black, and suggested paint placement with red letters. The other side has images of the two runners with the part numbers printed in an easy-to-read font, helping to locate and identify the parts being assembled. A chart shows which colors are recommended for use and lists the paint I.D. numbers for Revell and Tamiya paints.

Parts

The individual parts are molded at a high level of quality. The uniforms are molded with creases and folds in the fabric. The pockets are free of flash or imperfections. The faces of the 3 crewmen have detail that awaits the artist’s touch to bring out that detail. There are some mold seam lines that are visible, but they are easily and quickly removed with a sanding stick with smaller grit. Detail will not be lost while sanding as one can use the curvature of sandpaper to match the undulations of the molded uniforms. The one issue I noted was that the cuffs of the uniforms, where the hands would be inserted into the sleeves, were not hollowed out. This same problem does not exist when attaching the head of each figure to the body. The contact point between head and body is sunken below the level of the uniform collars.

Assembly

Assembling the legs and torso are rather easy and with some sanding, a clean and even mating surface can be created leaving little or no indication where the parts were joined. In those areas where my own clumsiness created a seam, I “stretched” part of the runner into a “thread” that would fill the seam, and then glued it into place with JV’s Got Glue Styrene Weld. After 2 to 3 minutes the glue softened the “thread” of runner sufficiently so that it could be pushed into the seam with a toothpick or burnisher, and with a little pressure made to blend with the plastic of the surrounding parts. So, it can be said that no putty was needed or used.

Conclusion

In the hands of a better figure painter these mechanics will grace a diorama of any Luftwaffe aircraft in service between 1939 and 1945 and add significantly to that scene. The degree of detail in the molding is outstanding. The figures are molded in such a way that they appear natural and life-like. I can give this kit a rating of “Highly Recommended” with no reservations. Thanks to ICM for making this product available to IPMS/USA for review.