Reference the ICM website,

The SPz Marder 1 is a German infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) developed by Rheinmetall that has served as the main combat vehicle of the armored infantry divisions of the Bundeswehr since the 1970s.

The vehicle underwent several modernizations throughout its service life, with the A3 upgrade program launching in 1988. This modernization included 1600 kilograms of improved armor, reinforced suspension, a new braking system, and a modified turret configuration. The resulting SPz Marder 1A3 has proven to be one of the world’s most battle-tested and reliable IFVs.

The long-awaited Czech variant of the Bf-109 family, the Avia S-199, has finally been released by Eduard. It is the first of the new Hybrid Line of kits. This touts less plastic parts and more resin pieces. One thing that stuck me as funny is there is no photo etch, not because it was needed but considering that Eduard started out as a photo etch company. I found this interesting and shows just how much Eduard has grown since its conception.

Inside the usual Eduard box are three light grey plastic sprues containing 61 parts, some not being used, one clear sprue and 38 resin parts along with masks, decals, and instructions. There are marking options for six aircraft, three Israeli and three Czech. The instruction book is printed on high quality paper as usual with pictures and callouts on there. It is important to determine which subject you are going to model because there are some changes between the variants. The decals are the latest Eduard ‘peelable’ style.

Box Contents

There are four medium grey sprues for the plastic parts.

Clear Parts - The clear parts are very clear and crisply molded. This sprue includes several parts that will not be used in this build. The canopy is made up of three parts, and the canopy may be posed open or closed.

Instructions - There are 20 pages in the instruction booklet. Each step is shown as line diagrams with parts numbered, parts placement shown along with paint colors. As this kit may be built for either the Mitsubishi or Nakajima manufactured aircraft, the different manufacturer parts are noted. There are five different aircraft that can be built from this kit. Start by deciding which version will be built, as there are parts as well as paint color options to be used for the various versions. The instructions show the locations for all markings and stencils.

ICM have released several versions of this biplane, and the box art depicts a plane in snow-white camo in 1942 on the German eastern front. These rugged aircraft served in ground support and training roles throughout the war, even after being supplanted by the more modern Ju 87. They were only taken out of service in 1944 due to a lack of spare parts.

I was excited to be asked to do a build review of this kit, as ICM have a reputation for common sense engineering, interesting subjects and excellent fit. This kit is no exception.

The 1/48 ICM kit “Conquerors of Europe’s Sky” has three kits included, a B26C Marauder, a P-51D Mustang and the Spitfire Mk XVI.

The B26C is a new tool kit, the P-51D and the Spitfire Mk XVI is an old tool kit which came out back in 2006, so those molds are almost twenty years old.

Included in the B26C kit is:

• Eight grey sprues
• One clear sprue
• One set of decals for three different aircraft
• One mask template
• One instruction booklet
• One instruction page for paint and decal placement

Included in the P-51D Mustang kit:

• Five grey sprues
• One clear sprue
• Decals for one aircraft
• One instruction book

Included in the Spitfire Mk XVI kit: