In Box Review of ICM 1/35th Scale
“Barbarossa” Operation, 1941
Soviet Anti-tank Artillery
Great Battles of WWII
Kit no. 35072
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1998
I paid $11.98 for my kit, years ago, when it was marked down from $13.98 at a local hobby shop that went out of business.
Out of production.
Available at one location overseas on the web.
Kit no. 35072
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1998
I paid $11.98 for my kit, years ago, when it was marked down from $13.98 at a local hobby shop that went out of business.
Out of production.
Available at one location overseas on the web.
HISTORY:
When it became evident that Germany had lost the 'Battle of Britain', Hitler turned his eyes east and soon launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Stalin, under the presumption that a peace treaty was in effect between Germany and the Soviet Union, had been caught off guard by the sudden change of direction in fascist expansionism.
Like the United States sudden entry into the war, the Soviet Union needed time to get its own war machine into high gear, to mobilize and train troops, and to repel the German invasion. The task of buying Stalin that time fell upon the forces already in uniform, using anything they could muster to fight the Germans. The greatest burden of stopping the German Panzers fell upon the anti-tank troops and their outdated guns.
When it became evident that Germany had lost the 'Battle of Britain', Hitler turned his eyes east and soon launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Stalin, under the presumption that a peace treaty was in effect between Germany and the Soviet Union, had been caught off guard by the sudden change of direction in fascist expansionism.
Like the United States sudden entry into the war, the Soviet Union needed time to get its own war machine into high gear, to mobilize and train troops, and to repel the German invasion. The task of buying Stalin that time fell upon the forces already in uniform, using anything they could muster to fight the Germans. The greatest burden of stopping the German Panzers fell upon the anti-tank troops and their outdated guns.
THE KIT:
ICM is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in the Ukraine. They manufacture all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end-flaps of the box to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a horse-drawn wood cart on 2 wheels, with a driver. On a Russian, rubble covered city street, that is surrounded by big buildings and a steel anti-tank trap in the street.
There are 3 men around the cart. The cart driver and two men are dressed in tan jackets and jodpher type trousers . One wears a grey steel helmet. The cart driver wears a tan cloth side cap.
The man walking next to the cart, also wears a cloth side cap and has his trousers bloused into white leg wraps. He has full field gear on his belt and a dark-grey bed roll over his right shoulder, along with his rifle.
Walking ahead of the cart is a man dressed and equipped like the man walking beside the cart. He wears a dark-grey steel helmet and is shading his eyes with his left hand and looking up.
The fourth man is walking ahead of the cart. He is an officer, wearing a tan officer’s hat, tan jacket and black jodhpur trousers, bloused into high black jack-boots. He is walking with a walking-stick and has his left arm bandaged in a white sling. He has a pair of binoculars strung around his neck and a brown holster on his belt.
Ahead of them all is a Soviet 45mm anti-tank gun. It is overall sand yellow.
One side-panel of the box gives a small paragraph about the Barbarossa Operation. Over: This kit contains parts for one 45mm anti-tank gun mod. 1938, gun crew of 4 figures, 2 horses and limber. Paints and glue are not included. Not suitable for children under 36 months. Contains small detachable parts. Made in Ukraine. This is written in English, German and Czech with each language labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language.
ICM is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in the Ukraine. They manufacture all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end-flaps of the box to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a horse-drawn wood cart on 2 wheels, with a driver. On a Russian, rubble covered city street, that is surrounded by big buildings and a steel anti-tank trap in the street.
There are 3 men around the cart. The cart driver and two men are dressed in tan jackets and jodpher type trousers . One wears a grey steel helmet. The cart driver wears a tan cloth side cap.
The man walking next to the cart, also wears a cloth side cap and has his trousers bloused into white leg wraps. He has full field gear on his belt and a dark-grey bed roll over his right shoulder, along with his rifle.
Walking ahead of the cart is a man dressed and equipped like the man walking beside the cart. He wears a dark-grey steel helmet and is shading his eyes with his left hand and looking up.
The fourth man is walking ahead of the cart. He is an officer, wearing a tan officer’s hat, tan jacket and black jodhpur trousers, bloused into high black jack-boots. He is walking with a walking-stick and has his left arm bandaged in a white sling. He has a pair of binoculars strung around his neck and a brown holster on his belt.
Ahead of them all is a Soviet 45mm anti-tank gun. It is overall sand yellow.
One side-panel of the box gives a small paragraph about the Barbarossa Operation. Over: This kit contains parts for one 45mm anti-tank gun mod. 1938, gun crew of 4 figures, 2 horses and limber. Paints and glue are not included. Not suitable for children under 36 months. Contains small detachable parts. Made in Ukraine. This is written in English, German and Czech with each language labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language.
The other side panel says: Made in the Ukraine. Followed by the same things on the other side panel, in Ukrainian and Russian and labeled with flags.
The box bottom serves as a painting guide. It shows a color illustration of all the men. The man shading his eyes is illustrated from the front and the rear.
At the bottom, ICM’s P.O. Box address in Kyiv, Ukraine is supplied in English and Ukrainian.
At the bottom, ICM’s P.O. Box address in Kyiv, Ukraine is supplied in English and Ukrainian.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX;
This kit contains 3 off-white trees and a dark-green tree in 2 sealed clear cello bags.
The off-white trees are alphabetized. The dark-green tree is not.
Parts are not numbered on the trees themselves, but are on the parts-trees illustrations and box bottom. Bad move ICM ! This makes the model more difficult to assemble.
Off-white letter A tree holds the parts of 3 of the figures. Divided into separate heads, torsos, arms and legs. Also on the tree is 2 rifles, a steel helmet, ammo pouches, 2 bed rolls, cloth pouches, a pair of binoculars, 2 canteens, walking stick, officer's billed hat, pistol holster etc. (45 parts)
This kit contains 3 off-white trees and a dark-green tree in 2 sealed clear cello bags.
The off-white trees are alphabetized. The dark-green tree is not.
Parts are not numbered on the trees themselves, but are on the parts-trees illustrations and box bottom. Bad move ICM ! This makes the model more difficult to assemble.
Off-white letter A tree holds the parts of 3 of the figures. Divided into separate heads, torsos, arms and legs. Also on the tree is 2 rifles, a steel helmet, ammo pouches, 2 bed rolls, cloth pouches, a pair of binoculars, 2 canteens, walking stick, officer's billed hat, pistol holster etc. (45 parts)
Off-white letter B tree holds the parts of the 2 horses, reins and 2 base plates to place the horses on etc. (32 parts) Again no part number’s on the tree.
Off-white letter C tree holds the part of the wood cart and it’s driver. He is divided into separate head, torso, arms and legs. Also on the tree is a rifle, shovel in a pouch, a pick and an axe etc. (55 parts)
The dark-green tree is un-alphabetized. It does have part number tabs on it. It holds the parts of the 45mm anti-tank gun and wood ammo cases for it. (75 parts)
There are 2 sets of instructions.
The first set is for assembly of the horses and cart. It consists of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 6 pages, in 7 ½” x 10” page format.
Page 1 has the parts-trees illustrations at the top, over illustrations of the saddle, canvas bag, spade in pouch, canteen, side cap, holster, officer’s hat and map case.
Pages 2 on through to page 5 gives a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 2 has international assembly symbol explanations on it.
Page 6 is the paint color listings over a CAUTION, in multiple languages. ICM’s P.O. Box address, telephone and fax numbers are given.
The second-instructions is a single-sheet, that is the same size as the first ones. Printed on each. The face side has an illustration of the 45mm anti-tank parts tree and a listing of the names of the parts. Over a listing of Testors and Humbrol brands of paint and ICM’s address again. The other side of the sheet shows 4 assembly steps.
The detail in this kit is excellent.
The first set is for assembly of the horses and cart. It consists of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 6 pages, in 7 ½” x 10” page format.
Page 1 has the parts-trees illustrations at the top, over illustrations of the saddle, canvas bag, spade in pouch, canteen, side cap, holster, officer’s hat and map case.
Pages 2 on through to page 5 gives a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 2 has international assembly symbol explanations on it.
Page 6 is the paint color listings over a CAUTION, in multiple languages. ICM’s P.O. Box address, telephone and fax numbers are given.
The second-instructions is a single-sheet, that is the same size as the first ones. Printed on each. The face side has an illustration of the 45mm anti-tank parts tree and a listing of the names of the parts. Over a listing of Testors and Humbrol brands of paint and ICM’s address again. The other side of the sheet shows 4 assembly steps.
The detail in this kit is excellent.
Highly recommended.