ICM 1/35 S-64E Skycrane (53058)

This time I will tell you more about something big - ICM 1/35 S-64E Skycrane (53058). New kit barely fits on my table, and assembled model will be huge as well. I reviewed the military versions of this bird, but now we get the civil one in a bit brighter markings. Overall idea is still the same - cargo heli in popular scale. Plastic was quite impressive in person, so it is interesting to see what is included here and how is it different from the previous versions. Overall packaging is typical, frames are packed into several bags. I would say it is an improvement from packing all frames into one plastic bag as it was before. There are 522 parts which should assemble into a model with 775mm length. Let's open everything and take a closer look together.

By the way, here you can read review with combo-version of the military heli.
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Watch this video-review where I show all parts even closer.

First we see blades for the main rotor. Those come in pair, and I would recommend to think through their installation points.

Next come fuselage panels which should be combined together. ICM did a great design work here, so kit features some strengthening tabs as well.

Tail section is also built out of separate panels and each of those feature crazy amount of rivets.

All those external features deserve some proper paintwork, so be sure to spend some time in order to highlight this on your model.

Tail section is also glued out of separate panels. There are guiding pins which will help you with proper alignment.

ICM also copied all the lines which are visible on the aircraft. Assembling those might be a bit tedious, but final result should be worth it.

Whole engine bay is also almost exposed, so it might be a good idea to paint it properly in your build. Some aftermarket can be handy as well because it will be visible on the finished model.

Landing gear wheels look okay for the standard project. You can also find some aftermarket with weight effect.

Nose section should be glued out of separate panels. I like that ICM designed nose area as single-piece part because this will give a better-looking result.

Here you can see more panels for the fuselage.

Be careful with thin parts, as some of those will require precise cleanup after separating.

Kit features two transparent frames. On the photo above you can see the one with "standard" parts.

Second sprue features two side windows specific for today's version. Molding quality looks great, and there are masking templates included.

Decals sheet is surprisingly compact for such a big set. Printing quality looks fine and you can see both markings on the photo below.

Assembly manual is typical for this brand. I show all pages in the video-review.

As I write below, the size of this kit is both advantage and disadvantage. Some modelers will be happy to work with such giant, while other would prefer a bit smaller offering. I can say for sure that this is definitely not something for beginners, and you should have a proper experience before even thinking about such build. Moreover, there is some aftermarket available, so it might be worth checking as well.

Get this and other kits in Modelimex webshop.