1/48 Dornier Do17Z-2 ICM

[BarryW]

The box top



The aftermarket



I may get a chance to cut plastic over the weekend, Monday latest. This does look like a nice kit as other ICM’s I have built.

[dave]

Looking forward to this, I have the Eduard reboxing in my mini stash waiting to be built

[Jim R]

Hi Barry
I look forward to this.
Jim

[Vaughan]

Barry will watch with interest, I hope you have better luck with this build.

[BarryW]

I have made a good start today on the ‘internals’.






I can see here how ICM have been on a journey. This is an older kit than those I have built so far of theirs (though not very old). The plastic is not quite as clean and sharp as my other ICM builds, the engineering not quite so precise, the fit good but not quite as good, ejection pins in awkward places. But I am really enjoying it and it is much better than a lot of other companies are producing. I can see no major issues.

[Jim R]

Hi Barry
If ICM are really improving their kits over time then all credit to them. Maybe they are listening to their customers.
Jim

[BarryW]

Hi Barry
If ICM are really improving their kits over time then all credit to them. Maybe they are listening to their customers.
Jim

The evidence of that is very clear Jim.

I should add that this kit dates from 2015 while the others I built are all from the last few years.

[BarryW]

I have dry fitted the fuselage halves to get some bulkheads cemented to one side in the right position. I will be ready to start internal painting tomorrow.

[BarryW]

I have made some good progress over the last couple of days. Interior painted and weathered with a brown wash and some dry brushed metal powder.

The fuselage sides fitted quite well, better than I thought from a dry fit before I fitted bulkheads.

The cockpit looks nice but the engineering was not great. I have just seen in the picture below that the paint on the seatbelts where it bends over the seat back has had the paint peel. I will deal with that.



When doing some dry fitting I did find some questionable engineering and fit in respect of the bomb bay. I decided to take the cowards way out and fit the bomb bay doors closed. So I cemented the closed bomb bay door part into place. The part fitted perfectly lengthways but is a little narrow (not unassociated with the issue thrown up by the test fits). The result is that I used some plastic card on the interior to strengthen the join on one side and provide a back to support filler.





A dry fit of the wing section that goes on top suggests that it will need gluing in sections and then a fair bit of filler. Not a major issue.

Here is the underside with some filler applied to the bomb bay. I have a little more filler to apply and the joins to fill and sand before attaching the wing.

[Jim R]

Hi Barry
All going very well. Those metal, ready painted seat belts are a devil for the paint shelling off when bent.
Jim

[BarryW]

I mentioned previously that this model demonstrates the journey ICM have been on. From a company producing short-run style kits with all the vices associated with them, to one producing mainstream kits as good as most out there. This seems to be very much a mid-point between the two. That is not to say it’s a bad kit, far from it, it is a great build even though not up to the standards of their newer kits. What it has done is provide me with a date: 2015 when this kit was produced. I will treat their kits from before 2015 with a little caution but not necessarily avoid them. I don’t want anyone to think that my criticisms of this kit reflects on ICM’s newer kits that I have found to be outstanding.

[Dave Ward]

I mentioned previously that this model demonstrates the journey ICM have been on. From a company producing short-run style kits with all the vices associated with them, to one producing mainstream kits as good as most out there. This seems to be very much a mid-point between the two. That is not to say it’s a bad kit, far from it, it is a great build even though not up to the standards of their newer kits. What it has done is provide me with a date: 2015 when this kit was produced. I will treat their kits from before 2015 with a little caution but not necessarily avoid them. I don’t want anyone to think that my criticisms of this kit reflects on ICM’s newer kits that I have found to be outstanding.

Barry,
I totally agree with you about a firm date for ICM's improvement, but I would go for a year or so earlier! It makes you wonder whether you can pin it down to a single new person, a new team or new CAD gear?
Dave

[BarryW]

Barry,
I totally agree with you about a firm date for ICM's improvement, but I would go for a year or so earlier! It makes you wonder whether you can pin it down to a single new person, a new team or new CAD gear?
Dave

I just would put it down to evolution. A company that listens and has ambition. It does not mean that all kits after 2015 are great or that all are problematical, but based on this kit it seems a good ‘fulcrum’ point to use as a guide. I have seen a lot of people praise their ‘recent kits’ on FB in particular, without defining what they mean by recent.

[BarryW]

Just to let you know, I have put my back out again so I have not been at the bench since Friday. As I am away (hopefully) for Easter I might not make any progress on the model until after Easter.

[stillp]

Hope your back is better soon.
Pete