ICM 1/35
German Assault Troops (1917-1918)

The Kit

This new kit is just about the only one you will find available in injection molded plastic of WWI soldiers. At least, a search by me only found this one. There are other kits, but they are of that rubberized plastic, and usually each figure is molded all as one piece. These are hard to clean up the mold seams, like sanding jello, and paint refuses to stick to them. Also, the weapons and equipment are usually molded into them. I was never so happy as to find this kit of injection molded WWI German infantry figures. I wanted these to go into dioramas with the Emhar and Tauro WWI tanks that I have.

The kit comes in an end-opening type box. The box art shows 4 figures advancing past barbwire and what looks like a ruined church building in the background. The back of the box shows them in the same poses and has each in full color. This serves as the painting guide. Colors are called out in the Model Master brand of paints, alphabetically from A to W. A side panel shows the box arts for 4 other figure kits that ICM markets:
French-Prussian War Figures, 1870-1871 (kit no. 35061-4 figures), A Soviet tank crew, 1939-1942 (kit no. 35181-3 figures), Soviet-Afghan War figures, 1979-1988 (kit no. 35331-4 figures) and U.S. Elite Forces in Iraq figures (kit no. 35201-4 figures).

Inside the box is a sealed cello bag with 2 chalk white trees of parts in it. The instructions and a sheet of IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS KIT in 20 languages, including English, completes the kit’s contents.

The instructions consist of a single 8 ½” x 11” sheet printed on both sides and folded in half to fit the box. One side begins with parts trees illustrations, followed by a paint color listing of Model Master brand paints (like on the back of the box)…but this time called out in Ukrainian and English. The bottom of the page has CAUTIONS about using paints near a flame and the address for ICM in the Ukraine.

The other side of the instruction sheet has Black and white illustrations of the 4 figures in the kit. These all have labels showing the colors to use, alphabetically, and the part numbers to use for assembly. Only the parts tree drawings and these drawings call out the part numbers. You will have to refer to the parts tree drawings to find the parts on the two trees, as there are no part numbers molded next to the parts on the trees. This will make for tedious building and a bad move by ICM. These black and white illustrations are drawn larger than the ones on the box back.

The first figure is advancing holding his rifle low in both hands. His steel helmet is shown with a sectioned hard-edged camouflage of sand, yellow chromate, flat black and medium green. Quite gaudy colors for camouflage, but camouflage was in it’s infancy in WWI. He is wearing a harness holding all kinds of gear on his back, has a rifle ammo bandoleer around his neck and draped down in front. He has two radome white cloth bags slung. He has his pants bottoms tucked into puttees. He is wearing a field blouse.

The second figure is aiming his rifle. He has the same uniform and equipment as the first figure, but his helmet is overall just medium green.

The third figure is advancing with a shovel in his right hand and his rifle slung across his chest. He has the same uniform and equipment as the first two figures.

The fourth and last figure appears to be either an officer or a sergeant. He has a reduced backpack on and has a luger pistol in his right hand, with the holster for it on his belt. He has the same uniform as the other three, but appears to have some rank on his collar and blouse cuffs.

Large chalk white letter A tree holds the parts of the four figures. Each figure is divided into separate arms, legs, torsos and heads. All four wear steel helmets. However, these helmets lack the large lugs on the sides of them that were used to attach the so-called “Brow armor”. Modelers will have to add these to accurise these helmets. This can probably be done with a small drop of Elmer’s glue applied with a pointed tooth-pick.
The tee holds the linen bags, back packs, shovels, ammo bandoleers, gas mask canisters etc. (52 parts)

Smaller chalk white letter B tree holds: 6 rifles (3 of which have longer barrels than the other 3), 4 x steel helmets, 4 x canteens, 3 bayonets in scabbards, 8 x ammo pouches, 4 x mess kits, 4 x canisters that may also be gas mask canisters?? and a luger in a holster (34 parts)

Conclusions

These figures are very well detailed and will surely find their way into a lot of WWI type dioramas. Highly recommended to modelers of WWI subjects. This kit is available at Greatmodels. I purchased mine from a vendor at an IPMS contest.