Gary assembles them with some nice references in his construction review for you today…
Construction Review: US WWII Pilots of British Naval Aviation
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From ICM
Kit No #32118
1/32nd scale
Parts count: 28
Five figures inside the kit
ICM’s latest new tooled 1:32 plastic injection molded figure set is based on British Naval Aviation during WW2. Gary puts them together with some nice references in his construction review for you today…
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Construction review: US WWII Pilots of British Naval AviationGloster Sea Gladiator Mk.II.
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Kit No #32118[source: icm website]
1/32nd scale
Parts count: 28
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Five figures inside the kit
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ICM’s latest new tooled 1:32 plastic injection molded figure set is based on British Naval Aviation of WW2. The set is a great companion for any 1/32 FAA aircraft from the time, including Swordfish and Seafire. The Fleet Air Arm was originally a part of the Air Force, as an aviation command based on ships and decks. It wasn’t until the spring of 39 that it was transferred directly under the Navy. They were responsible for reconnaissance, fire-control, attack operations on warships, merchant ships and submarines, as well as defence against enemy aircraft and subs. The FAA was involved in many operations, including the assault on the Italian Fleet at Taranto and the sinkings of Bismarck, as well as the counter-attack of German vessels across the English Channel. The 804th Squadron was equipped with Sea Gladiator aircraft and took part in Battle of Britain. The Kit
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As is the case with most ICM figures kits, this kit has a very straightforward design with only one sprue that contains all parts. On the sprue, all of the body parts for each character (legs and arms, torso, head, and torso) are conveniently organized.
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The parts come on single sprue with each figure separated for easy construction…
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Using the color assembly (and painting) guide it takes virtually no time at all to cut out and glue the parts together. The body parts were all in good alignment and there was no excess gaping. A Mc D Garland is a fighter attached to 809 Squadron. Sub Lieut. (A.) F Rabone is an observer in a Fairey Albacore. (A) W H G Browne, an Observer attached to 832 Squadron.
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Like all ICM kits, these figures are made to appeal to the beginner modeller whilst still being attractive to the more experienced (and typically picky). These figures are designed primarily for aviation modellers, who aren’t hard-core figure painters. The pose, stance, and grouping are more important to them than fine details. ICM creates kits for a specific price, so you can get three full figures in a set (for less than a resin or 3D figure).
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The first is the officer dressed in uniform who points to something far away. The officer in dress uniform is the key figure as it is he who holds the entire set together. I really like the stance on this guy as he looks relaxed and the parachute over his shoulder hangs very realistically.
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If you look closely at the finish on the plastic (under a coat of grey primer here) you can see that the master was hand sculpted. The small imperfections and marks on the plastic are telltale signs.
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The final and third figure is of a seaman who also looks up and needs to shade his eye. Having him holding a paint tin, with brush provided but not shown here, also tells a small story of its own.
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CONCLUSION – ICM 1:32 WWII Pilots of British Naval Aviation (32118)
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Much like all the recent ICM figure releases this new set of WW2 Crew of British Naval Aviation in 1:32 offers budget frienfly figures with interesting (and complimentary) poses. Compared to high end figures these are a bit rudimentary, especially the faces, but when paired with an aircraft model and painted properly they do their job.
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As I’ve said before I highly recommend these figure sets from ICM as they represent great value for money and ease of assembly.
Gary Wickham