Another in ICM’s range of paint sets, which is intended for use with any kit of a WWII Royal Navy ship. The set contains the following six 12ml paint pots; I have listed their likely intended uses:

• 1049 Medium Rust - anti-fouling paint (below the waterline)
• 1037 Dark Grey - 507A or G5
• 1034 Dark Sea Grey - 507B or MS2
• 2004 Grey Primer - 507C or MS4a
• 1074 Pale Blue – I was unable to determine what colour this is supposed to represent. It is far too dark for WA Blue, and far too light for B5.
• 1042 Pale Sand - Deck colour or Buff

The back of the box has a drawing showing where to use each color on a generic ship. Unfortunately, ICM doesn’t provide any sort of clue as to what actual RN colors they are supposed to represent, making it difficult to determine their specific uses. It is also not helpful that these paints are part of a generic range, to which ICM has assigned a generic name and which may or may not represent any specific specification. My guesstimations were based on chips included in the well-regarded Malcolm Wright book, ‘British and Commonwealth Warship Camouflage of WWII.’

ICM’s standard dumpy little pots have deep lids with rims to prevent the paint drying in the screw-top thread, something I appreciate! The paint is very thick and from the pot is intended for brush-painting; they will need to be thinned for airbrush use, using distilled water or acrylic thinners, by around 50-60%. They dry with a very flat matt finish. For the purposes of this review, I brush painted two coats for even coverage onto a piece of white card. The paint dries quickly and overcoating the same day is possible.

Although I do like ICM paints in general for brush painting, the fact that ICM doesn’t provide specific names or uses, and the fact that this selection is hardly a comprehensive set of WWII RN colors (there being around 20-30 commonly used camo colors for the period) unfortunately makes it difficult to recommend this particular set.

My sincere thanks for the review sample to the hard-working folks at ICM, who still manage to turn out lots of product, despite being in the middle of a warzone.