icm 1:35 ICM Leopard 2A6 with Crew Armed Forces of Ukraine

[Fran]

1:35

Leopard 2A6 with Crew

Armed Forces of Ukraine

ICM 

 

Catalogue # 35013
Available from Art Scale Model for 49€

Click here.

  

ICM is a train at full speed even with a war at their literally, at their door step!! Brave ICM!!

So here we are again checking the contents of the new limited edition Leopard 2A6 with Ukranian crew.

 So the Leopard A26 is the Revell mold, very well rebox in ICM boxing, a big box with 291 parts (246 for the assembly tank  and 45 for figures).

This release don’t have the green plastic originally release from Revell but the later one, in grey color and much more friendly to work with.

Anyway, still Revell plastic and Revell injection and is a very good one. So it`s in fact a very good choice from ICM to rebox it with some figures.

Checking the interior of the box, it`s comes in a plastic bag, different of the usually of other ICM boxes. Looks like that it come directly from Revell, and packed on the ICM box.

Its my first time seeing the Leopard… it`s not really my cup of tea but I must confess that I`m very impressed. The parts that it impress me the most was the large circular cooling fans on the rear decking are particularly nicely done as separate parts,

The parts are flash free (except the muzzle and towling cable in vinyl) and with very nice surface detail like the patches of anti-slip coating on the surfaces.

The side suspension also being the side walls of the lower deck and the lower turret are on the sprue A.

The side hull along with the lower hull looks like being quite easy to aligned. This is normal daily in AFV plastic kits as you have two bulkheads that sit in the central are of the chassis. The constructions looks like quite straightforward with the wheels and suspension being the step that probably will take more constructions time unless you decided to get some metal tracks.

 

 

 

The turret is in one single piece. I think that if it comes in several parts, you could`t get it all aligned properly.

The turret is a big one and a bit complex shape but easy to construction.

 

The upper hull come in a single large and big piece with very very good surface details

 

The back end also is given with great surface detail.

 

 

For me the most impressive detail parts are the engine covers.

 

The small parts are quite good with sharp detail and no flash that is always difficult to remove in such small parts.

The side-skirts are model in a single part to make easier for the modeller

 

 

A clear part is given with a simple acetate sheet.

 

 

The wheels and suspension system are quite detail 

 

Speaking of wheels tracks, the vinyl tracks does have some good details. Personaly, this point is almost a non subject.I always get some AM tracks but it’s a personal choice (details and weathering)  as with these vinyl tracks in the model you can get some good results.

 

 

 

Two things here: the main barrel and the antennas.

Well, the antennas will have to be yourself to build them.

As for the barrel, comes in two halves. I don’t like to have a two parts barrel but with care and some work you can get a solid barrel. Or you can get an aftermarket one (I know I will).

 

 

 

If with these two things every modeller could live with, I think that the towing cable in vinyl is the worst part in the entire kit. Flash and very hard to paint and weathering so a strong recommendation is to get some AM stuff like XXL Eureka cable.

 

 

 

 

As for the figures set, just check our review  - 

 

 

 

The decal sheet is quite comprehensive and I didn’t don’t know where ICM make their decals but they do have a good color saturation and good printing details, but it’s a quite small decal sheet.

 

 

So with this decal sheet ICM gives the modeler 6(six) options (with the standard 3-color scheme):

 

 

1.    Leopard 2A6 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Summer 2023, Zaporizhzhia region

 

 

2.    Leopard 2A6 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Summer 2023, Robotyne

 

3.    Leopard 2A6 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Autumn 2023, Zaporizhzhia region

 

4.    Leopard 2A6 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, December 2023

 

5.    Leopard 2A6 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, winter 2024 (marking option 1)

 

 

6.    Leopard 2A6 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, winter 2024 (marking option 2)

 

 

The instructions booklet.

These are in an ICM way, with the first pages in stain paper and the rest on normal paper with 55 steps, quite easy to follow.

A small information about the model, and the color references, as always, only with ICM references. I already said in past reviews that it would be nice to have other references as Tamiya or AK.

 

 

Conclusion
 

 

This Leopard rebox with figures and Ukranian markings are most welcome to armour modern modellers.

The plastic and tolling are not actually from ICM but from Revell. The quality is very good but there`s a little bit of flash in some parts (barrel muzzle) but nothing hard to remove.

The figures are very good and an extra to make his box are all in vignette!

        

Highly recommended

 

My sincere thanks to ICM for making this!

To purchase directly, click HERE.

 

Fran