Scale Aviation Modeller International — February 2018

results in having to sand the

plastic part smooth, ensuring

it is completely seamless whilst

keeping the curvature of the

fuselage. ANY imperfections will

stick out like a sore thumb.

The second issue is the engine

and exhausts. I found the exhausts

to be one of the weakest areas of

the kit, having large seam lines

and solid ends. Work is required to

drill out the ends of the exhaust to

ensure that it looks as intended.

As well, the instructions have a

big problem with the exhausts.

They lack clarity and orientation

directions, making the exhausts

seem more like guess work.

Thirdly, the engine does not

have the best mounting design.

I found it to be rather flimsy,

and the engine panel covers to

be a little lazy on ICM’s behalf. I

decided to glue the engine in, and

glue all the engine panels down.

I can’t say that all the panels

fit as intended, but with some

TLC you can get them close.

Now, although I have said

that the engine mounting is not

the greatest, the engine itself is a

very nice feature of the kit. Should

you choose to have the engine on

display, either externally from

the model itself, or by the way

of removable panels, it will be a

very nice talking point – if you

give it the attention it deserves.

Very minor extra detailing

could turn a very good-looking

engine into a great one.

My fourth and final issue is the

landing gear. This is a minor issue,

but I think it is worth mentioning.

Given the very basic Soviet design

of early-war aircraft, I thought

that the model landing gear would

have been just as simple. But

the landing gear doors lack any

indication of location, leaving

you to ponder exactly how and

where they are supposed to be

glued. I will admit that I find the

“THE ICM I-16 TYPE 24 IN 1/32 IS JUST

BRILLIANT. THAT IS ALL I CAN SAY AND I

AM GLAD I HAD THE CHANCE TO BUILD IT”

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