Can I get an overall opinion from those who’ve built them, or even seen them in the box, on kits by ICM? I’ve heard generally that they are average. How, for example, do their Spitfires stack up against other makers? I’m talking both 1/48 and 1/72 scales. Any help will, as always, be much appreciated.
I cannot say much about the 1/72 kits as that is not my scale but the 1/48 kits are pretty good. I’ve built several and the only thing you have to be careful of is the heavy layer of mold release agent on the parts. Make sure you wash them well in warm soapy water and you should be fine. Some kits will have semi-transparent decals while in others they are just fine. For the price they are well worth it. I have built the MiG-3, several Yaks, a Spit and have about ten kits in the stash waiting.
Well I built the 1/72 scale ICM TB-3 ZEno and it was the most complex and difficult kit I have ever built.(I am not alone in this assessment as other model review sites will attest).However I think this kit may not be typical of ICM production.Despite the difficulty of the kit it was very well detailed and accurate.I suggest that you consult model review websites on the kit you are considering so that you can make an informed decision.
I can only speak of personal experience with the 1/48 Spits and they are beautiful. Best value for the dollar straight from the box in 1/48 late Spits. They are a tad on the over engineered side though. Decidedly not shake and bake weekend projects. On the upshot, they’ll save you a bundle on aftermarket things, pretty much everything you need is in the box.
I cant say much about their kits except that they released an excellent Mustang with crew and ground figs, and it was only 11 bucks or something like that
Ditto what swanny said about the mold release. I have only built one but was amazed at how much was there. Mine was a Yak-7DI… sparse cockpit detail, decent surface detail, pretty good fit overall. A lot of sanding to get some parts to scale thickness. The LG doors were thick enough, in scale, to be hung on the side and an for extra armor. Plastic was fairly soft and carved easily.