I was wondering what everyone’s experiences have been with ICM’s newer tooled kits, say from 2015-present. I have built several and found for the most part the quality to be quite good. But then there are some kits which just drive you up the wall. For instance, I just built their US6-U3 stake bed truck and found it to be an excellent kit. So, I decide my next build will be their US6-U5 fuel truck. Same basic truck but with a fuel tank on the back. And wow, what a difference a number makes. This kit is horrible. The “A” sprue is not numbered, and you are forced to pick out pieces based on their instruction drawing. The attachment points are non-existent in some cases, and combined with vague instructions, you end up with fitment issues. I’m to the point where I just re-boxed it and put it back on the shelf.
This isn’t the first time I have had issues like this with one of their kits. I love supporting them but it does get difficult when the kits are hit or miss like this. So, am I being too critical? How do you feel about them?
I’ve done a few of their cars and like the kits, largely because they have the antiques that I like - Model Ts, etc. But when I ordered their 1914 Renault taxi, one tree was completely missing (they did send a replacement from Ukraine). Next I got their Model T roadster which came with instructions for the fire truck instead of the roadster (I downloaded the instructions from Scalemates but had to do without the missing decals). Now I’m on their Model A Phaeton and so far no problems. On all of them, there are have been some fitment challenges and required forethought on how to deal with them.
I’ve only done one of their war planes, Dornier Do215. My recollection is that it went together well and built up into a good representation of the 215. The only problem I had with it was the PE radar antenna set that I added to it, I couldn’t get them on when I first tried it. A few years later I went back to it with a new set and added those antennas.
I have several of their kits in my stash: A-26, B-26, Sally, Do-17Z-2, and Beaufort. Each look good in the box.
I always liked the ICM kits, old and new, and they were sort of under the radar. Now, Im sorry to see that the modeling world has caught on to them…they used to be affordable. Now, well, that has changed. Theyre up there in price, aka, ridiculous, with the rest of em - even their old ones.
But to your question - good kits, decent detail, good subjects. They can be a little fiddly, but that makes you better at this hobby. My $0.02 worth
I haven’t attempted an ICM kit as yet, but have experienced the same with some Bandai kits. Some are great some not so much. It makes me shy away from buying the brand unless I can’t get a similar subject in another brand.
I’ve built their AH-1, and CH-54. I thought the detail was really good. One thing that they could work on is the formula of their plastic. Because of the softness on the plastic, parts that need to support things are too weak and easily break.