ICM 1/48 HP.52 Hampden B.Mk.I (48352)

This time we are going to take a look at ICM 1/48 HP.52 Hampden B.Mk.I (48352). Kit comes as new-tooled offering from the famous brand. Plastic was announced some time ago, but now finally it is hitting the shelves. The so-called "flying suitcase" is notable because of its shape, and now you can copy it in a large scale. Overall promise is quite interesting as there should be armament and some assembly options. Packaging is typical for ICM, so all frames are separated into several bags. In total there are 350 parts which should assemble into a model with 442mm wingspan. Yes, you will need some space for this build, but let's open everything and take a closer look together.

By the way, here you can read review with another bomber from the same brand.
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Watch this video where I show all parts even closer.

First are the wing parts. Each one should be glued out of two halves, and there are guiding pins which should help you with alignment.

Fuselage halves come on the separate plastic frame. Both feature nice recessed panel lines and rivets, what should be enough for this scale. Note that bomb bay can be open or closed on your model.

Inside you will also find some features, and those are quite important as they will be visible on the finished build.

Wing features separate mechanization, what should be handy for some build ideas in this scale.

This sprue comes in two pieces as it carries the engine and landing gear parts. Propeller is molded as single-piece element, what should make installation easier.

Engine looks fine, and there are plenty of steps to do for getting the final result. I have no doubt that we will also see aftermarket for this part of aircraft.

ICM copied the tailwing with separate parts, and this is the only right approach to such thing. Guiding elements will help you to get a nice final result.

Armament comes on several frames. Here you will find several bomb types, but some of them will stay untouched.

Clear frames are packed into separate bags with foam. Such packaging is definitely welcome because it will help you get a clean parts.

Overall molding quality looks great, so you just need masks for all those transparencies. Don't worry, masking templates are included in this kit, and you can use them for your build.

Decals sheet is not that big, but you will find all necessary symbols. here. All marking options can be seen on the photo below.

Those are classic RAF camouflages, but they should be fun to copy in such scale.

Note that kit is released together with special paints set which you can buy separately. Assembly manual is typical for this brand, and I show all pages in the video-review.

New Hampden should be already available for purchase. In my opinion we get quite a nice offering in popular scale. Yes, it will be big, but this something you expect from bomber in 1/48 scale. Overall quality looks great, and it is nice that ICM includes a lot of additional extras. Moreover, I think we will also see plenty of aftermarket items for those who would like to have even more. This is definitely not a kit for beginners, but experienced modelers will definitely have fun building such an aircraft.

Get this and other kits in Modelimex webshop.

Pros

• Nice molding quality
• Clever parts division
• Several assembly options
• Great decals
• Huge size

Cons

• Might be tricky for beginners
• Definitely needs space :D