Introduction

The following introduction is as provided by ICM The intense nature of the fighting in Vietnam required a quick response from the aviation, which was involved in the direct support of the troops. Bronco light attack aircraft and AH-1G attack helicopters fully met these requirements. Thus, the OV-10A Bronco planes in a certain period of the war were able to reduce the time of approach to the combat zone to five minutes, and in many ways this was possible due to the location of airfields near the areas where hostilities were conducted. Airfields thus became advanced bases for strike aircraft. Initially, the OV-10A Bronco was used as a surveillance and guidance aircraft, but the lack of strong air defence by the enemy for some time allowed their use as light attack aircraft. At the same time, the planes were inferior in manoeuvrability and accuracy of the impression of targets to helicopters, which, in turn, could be based on the same airfield as the Bronco. This was the case, for example, at the air base in Da Nang, also the OV-10A-equipped VAL-4 “Black Ponies” squadron was based on the same airfield with helicopters. Among the helicopters in Vietnam, the AH-1G Huey Cobra attack helicopters have proven themselves well. Demonstrating excellent survivability, they also had high firepower – it was not for nothing that the term “air artillery” was born in relation to attack helicopters. It should also be noted that the basing of airfields near the areas of hostilities significantly increased the danger of an attack on them; there were cases when the airfields were even hit by mortars and grenade launchers. Therefore, the Americans were forced to pay considerable attention to the issues of protecting air bases.

Review

This offering from ICM brings together some good offerings including a scaled down AH-1G Huey Cobra attack helicopter. The parts are bagged together for each model to make finding parts an easy prospect; kits being bagged together does open the risk of damage but everything looks good here. A substantial cardboard tray with flip top lid and an additional card lid with the artwork on it. This example looks to be free of moulding issues that stand out to me. Due to this release being a number of releases brought together I will keep this review short.

AH-1G Huey Cobra attack helicopter

The AH-1G Huey Cobra attack helicopter appears to me to be a scaled down 1/32nd scale offering as while the sprues are not identical the parts do appear to be a match with the 1/32nd scale offering. I like what this kit offers and will only benefit from some work in the cockpit where the harness detail is missing and the large clear canopy makes this area fully exposed. The exterior has very good recessed panel lines which are accurate from my limited knowledge and add visual interest/appeal to a viewer and giving the skilled painters with us to really go to town on it. Lastly the supplied weapons for the AH-1G Huey Cobra attack helicopter look very good, but could always be upgraded if desired.

OV-10A Bronco

This portion of the release was only offered a short while ago being kit 48300. This is another of those aircraft with a large glazed canopy allowing a good view of the cockpit interior and so making the effort the modeller puts into this area worth the effort. At the very least the modeller needs to tackle the lack of harness detail. Other than dressing up the cockpit I am not aware of any real complaints about the model and a pleasing result can be managed with a minimal skill set. ICM has included the pleasing weapons set that was offered as a standalone release with this model and so provides the following:

LAU-33 rockets

LAU-69A rockets

Mk 77 Napalm bomb

LAU-68 rockets

150 gallon fuel tanks

Mk 81 Low drag bomb

Mk 81 Snake Eye bomb

Mk 82 Snake Eye bomb

Mk 82 Low Drag Bomb

LAU-10A

Figure Sets

One area where ICM really excel in my opinion is 1/48th scale figures of which 10 are offered in this release. The two sets offered are the US pilots and ground personnel and the US helicopter pilots set; both of these releases are set for the Vietnam War period. I believe that the reason for the high level of detail is due to the moulding process of tackling the figures in the same part process used for 1/35th scale. The uniform detail is of a high stand but it is the hand and facial detail that really brings life to these offerings with the finger detail being a joy to see in this scale.

Conclusion

These multi-kit offerings from ICM have a great deal of appeal for both the young modeller who can create a scene that he/she is really pleased with or as part of a stunning piece of art by the most accomplished modeller. The two aircraft offered both have their appeal, but for me it is the stunning detail seen on the figures that grabs me.