1:48 ICM Mistel 1

[Fran]

 

Mistel 1

 

ICM catalogue number 48100

Price: €62,20

 

Last week, I have had the pleasure of listening to “Models For Ukraine” podcast with the interveiew of ICM sales director, Valerria Buzina. It`s a fantastci interveiew and a new look to inside ICM, a model company that wants to make everything inside the house, which is quite impressive. So, 3D design, tool making, injection, instrucitons, decals, and now thy start with paints… It`s quite unusual in model company but looks like it work perfectaly with ICM.

 

In the past year, ICM has release to the market several very original releases.

And the one that we are about to see is no expection.

A Mistel 1 in 1:48, straight from one box??

ICM make it possible using their Ju-88 and 109 F, making the particular nose of the Mistel 1.

After the Mistel S1 release, I was really hoping for the Mistel 1, knowing that ICM had to make a new nose for the Ju-88.

 

 

About the Mistel 1, “Mistel (German for "mistletoe", a parasitic plant) was the larger, unmanned component of a composite aircraft configuration developed in Germany during the later stages of World War II. The composite comprised a small piloted control aircraft mounted above a large explosives-carrying drone, the Mistel, and as a whole was referred to as the Huckepack ("Piggyback"), also known as the Beethoven-Gerät ("Beethoven Device") or Vati und Sohn ("Daddy and Son"). The most successful of these used a modified Junkers Ju 88 bomber as the Mistel, with the entire nose-located crew compartment replaced by a specially designed nose filled with a large load of explosives, formed into a shaped charge. The upper component was a fighter aircraft, joined to the Mistel by struts. The combination would be flown to its target by a pilot in the fighter; then the unmanned bomber was released to hit its target and explode, leaving the fighter free to return to base. The first such composite aircraft flew in July 1943 and was promising enough to begin a programme by Luftwaffe test unit KG 200, code-named "Beethoven", eventually entering operational service.”

If you want to know much more about Mistel, you need to get a long gone Mistel book from Classic publication. And to know a bit more of KG200 unit, you must get the even more rare, KG200 book from Hikoki Publications

Inside the box, several sprues with quite a lot of plastic, with good sinjection. I didnt found any flashes. The injection, per si, look perfect.

 

As expected, you get in fact, two models: a Ju-88 and a BF-109 F4.

The Ju-88 is much newer than the Bf-109 in the market and you can see ICM evolution between both.

 

For me, in review is the first time that I have in hands a ICM Ju-88.

Starting with it, and checking the surface detail and recessed panels, the engraving is quite good, with sutble surface detail. Has I saw in the He-111 H-8 (reviewed here)  ICM used again the same method on the wings provinding a good area of attaching be giving centre portion of the lower wing extending beyond the bounds of the fuselage.

 

 

The flight control surfaces have all been provided separately and so can be positioned as required by the modeller.

 

There is two new sprue new sprue between that Ju-88 -A and the Bf-109 F-4 – Sprue H e K.

The Sprue H are the parts for the connection structure for the Ju-88 to the Bf-109 and also undercarriage doors and wheels for the Bf109, if you want to put the undercarriage down.

 

 

 

The sprue K the new nose and a new under wing fuselage. I order to get Mistel design look you will have to make a small surgery to cut a portion of the fuselage. The cut is well located and it should be quite straigthforward.

 

 

 

 

I was quite suprisse to see two full Jumo engines.  The engine detail, at first glance, looks quite good, straight from the box, but there`s a lot of room to improve it, with scratchbuilding and aftermarket. I confees that i really like that because I always had a Mistel diorama project, and full engine open is a must in that project.

 

 

 

 

 

To get it even better, the 109 was have a full Daimler-Benz DB601E engine. Also here, even with a very good detail engine straight from the box,. There is room for some extra detailing like wires.

The 109 is not at the same level of some 109 that are in the market (the cokpit could be much more detailed, there`s no seatbelts) but it still a good replica, so you can stay with this 109 or get a 109 from Eduard. However I will probably chose for the Eduard one with all goodies in it… full open with the engines of both airplanes open…

        

 

The instructions also give masking templates for the 109

 

 

Like on the He-111 H-8 Paravane release, the instalation of the structure to unite both planes will demand some serious measuring. Those measurements in millimeters with no guide point on the model wing surfaces themselves so that must be the first to do, just start with measuring and making the holes and then checking the construction to see if everything align correctly. You will need a digital caliper!!

 

The instruction manual is detailed and easy to follow. It includes step-by-step assembly diagrams, color callouts, and decal placement guides.

 

 

 

However, the instructions is a mix of the Mistel S and Mistel 1. Beause of that, there is two imprecision, that don`t have the influence the modeller, if not beginner.

 

The F sprue(clear parts of Ju-88) is referer that only two parts is not to use when in fact, is almost all of them, as this Ju-88 have a completly new nose with no glass at all. So only F1 part is to be use.

 

Again, at the end, in the diagram drawings of the measuring to make the holes to put the mistel structure, is the drawings of a ju-88 with the normal nose and not the concrete Ju-88 special bomb nose.

The decals are from ICM and they are correct and have very good color registration.

 

Three markings options are given

1.    Mistel 1 – 2.Kg 101, St. Dizier, June 1944

 

 

2.    Mistel 1 - 2./KG101, France, Summer 1944;

 

3.    Mistel 1 – probably from Einsatzgruppe 101, Burg, Autumn 1944

 

 

Conclusion

The ICM 1:48 Mistel 1 is fantastic!! I always love the Mistel concept and now wehave a brand new, 21th century model kit of the Mistel 1.

Not perfect, yes, but a very good one. The structure will not be easy to install but an expert modeler (even an intermediate) will handle it with no big issues.

The detail out of the box is very good and it will make a very good replica. For the expert and keen modeler some AM will make some extra detail to make this beauty into a masterpiece.

Highly recommend this to intermediate/expert modeler