Long legs and snow skis: the Black Hawk gets ICM's winter treatment
ICM's 1/48 Black Hawk is one of the best regarded helicopter kits of recent years, and kit 48368 takes it somewhere new. It builds a US Army National Guard UH-60A with the External Stores Support System, stub wings that carry extra fuel tanks for long range flights, and fibreglass skis for landing on deep snow or soft tundra.
In the box
There are 378 parts, and the finished helicopter is about 414 millimetres long. The fuselage, cockpit, cabin and rotors come from ICM's proven Black Hawk tooling; the winter equipment is new. The stub wings, pylons and fuel tanks have a sprue of their own, and the skis are 3D printed along with modified landing gear struts, which on the real ski gear lose the cable cutters fitted to the standard wheels.
You can build it with or without the ESSS, fit the troop seats or leave the cabin empty, and the instructions include templates for cutting masks for the glazing.
Two National Guard schemes
Both options are in overall dark green, with a full set of stencils: 89-26156 of the Kentucky Army National Guard in 2009, and 80-23424 of the Montana Army National Guard in 2013.
What the reviewers say
The earlier releases share their core parts with this kit, and the reviews are consistently strong. Chris Smith built the UH-60A for IPMS/USA and found the fuselage fit excellent, with the joints largely hidden and glazing that is easy to mask. His verdict: "I highly recommend this kit." Tom Pope praised engineering precise enough to need little or no filler, with sharp panel lines and rivets, and Modeling Madness found it better equipped than the other 1/48 Black Hawks on the market.
Building tips
The fit is precise, so dry fitting as you go pays off, and ICM's animated assembly guide, reached through a QR code, walks you through each stage. The cabin seats are the most detailed part of the build and reward a patient evening. Fix the 3D printed skis and struts with gel superglue, and check the stub wings and skis sit level from the front before the glue sets.
Paints
ICM's guide quotes its own paints. The colour to match is US Army Helo Drab, FS 34031, and these are our picks from the shelf:
- Tamiya: XF-62 Olive Drab darkened with a few drops of XF-1 Flat Black, with straight XF-62 to lift the panel centres.
- ATOM: ATOM-20065 Dark Olive Drab straight from the bottle, with ATOM-20069 Olive Drab for highlights.
- No mixing: AK Real Colors RC899 is matched to FS 34031 itself.
Finish with a green brown panel line wash, and keep a roll of 6mm masking tape for the glazing.
The ICM Black Hawk family
The ski version is the newest member of a whole family ICM has built on the same tooling, and five more are on our shelves. The MH-60L is the special operations machine flown by the 160th SOAR Night Stalkers. The UH-60A with crew adds a pilot, co-pilot and crew chief, and the Medevac comes with flight medics and the cabin's rotating stretcher system. The Black Hawk Down set recreates Task Force Ranger's helicopters from Mogadishu in 1993, and is due back in early November. Next is the MH-60L DAP, the Night Stalkers' heavily armed Direct Action Penetrator, on pre-order now.
Add the MH-6J and AH-6J Little Bird and the UH-1C Huey Gunship on pre-order at £34.99, and ICM has quietly become the go to name for US military helicopters in 1/48. We would love an MH-53 Pave Low next. If ICM is listening, we will take a few.
Or collect free from the shop at 294 Hillmorton Road, Rugby.
Sources: ICM's product information and instructions for kit 48368; IPMS/USA reviews by Chris Smith and Tom Pope; Modeling Madness. Real aircraft photographs are US Department of Defense images via DVIDS. Cover image: ICM.