ICM 1:48 HP.52 Hampden B.Mk.I

Churchill’s “Flying Suitcase”

With the new look and renewed activity of the forum, I’ll be making a (gradual) change to the way I’ve been presenting my reviews.

I will continue doing reviews, but this time as full build logs straight from the box.

I’m not exactly an internationally renowned modeller (although at home I’m very well known!), and when this opportunity came up, I was genuinely excited—almost like a modelling rebirth, as I currently feel in a state of complete modelling apathy, with little drive or motivation.

With that honest admission, I make a commitment here, in this virtual space, to follow through as quickly as possible!

The chosen subject will be the ICM Hampden B.Mk.I in 1:48 scale.

I’ll be sharing step-by-step photos of the build and my thoughts along the way—what proved more challenging, how the assembly goes, the level of detail, and so on.

The paint scheme will be one of the options provided in the box, so I can make use of the supplied decals, while the paints used will be my own preferred choices.

I’ll leave you with some initial photos, and now it’s time to head to the bench to cut, glue some plastic, paint… and take pictures!

This should be good Ricardo one of those Very interesting A/C of the early years.I will follow with interest more than once have thought of a purchase of said kit.

Hi Kevin ! thanks ! i hope that this build will confirm your thought about this model :)

I began the construction of the model:

The exterior fuselage detail features finely recessed panel lines, with depth appropriate to the scale. Rivet detail is also present and well proportioned for the model.

Assembly starts with the fuselage interior components.

The internal structure and the various equipment boxes are attached to the fuselage sides, which themselves include moulded internal frame detail. There are some ejector marks present, but all are located in non-visible areas or will be covered by other parts.

The build looks promising!

Hi !

Here's yesterday update!

During the interior construction, the instructions indicate that a few holes need to be drilled in the part that will form the roof of the bomb bay.

Following the instructions, the measurements were transferred onto the part and the holes drilled accordingly.

The transparent nose section is made up of several parts. Although not mentioned in the instructions, I took the opportunity to mask the first nose piece externally before attaching it. The frame lines are perfectly defined, and using kabuki tape and a fresh blade, the masks can be cut to fit precisely. Before cutting, I always run a cocktail stick over the tape to ensure it adheres properly to the surface.

One note: the edges of these parts are moulded with an “L”-shaped profile, allowing them to sit flush with the fuselage sides and resulting in a clean join.

I then continued with the interior assembly. The build is quick and straightforward—simply remove the parts from the sprue, clean them up, and glue them in place. Alignment holes and recessed guides ensure a precise fit, with no gaps or confusion regarding orientation.

Some interior fuselage details:

Painting is just around the corner!

I left a few sub-assemblies unattached, as they will be easier to paint separately.

Ricardo the canopy mask were not pre-cut but they provided and outline elsewhere?The interior looks good to go.

Yes, the outlines are on the instructions sheet. Put tape over them and cut them out, as the paper is quite glossy removing the tape is easy. I used these on mine and it worked reasonably well. Although I would prefer Eduard masks.

Cheers

Cees

I am really interested to follow this, its one of those models i would like to have on my shelf.

Great! I'll be following along😀

10 hours ago, KevinM said:

Ricardo the canopy mask were not pre-cut but they provided and outline elsewhere?The interior looks good to go.

yes they provide :)

5 hours ago, Cees Broere said:

Yes, the outlines are on the instructions sheet. Put tape over them and cut them out, as the paper is quite glossy removing the tape is easy. I used these on mine and it worked reasonably well. Although I would prefer Eduard masks.

Cheers

Cees

thanks for the tip ! i'll follow it on the other clear parts!

Lovely! Following this

Hi Guys!

thanks for watching ! a little update on the build :)

Using the templates provided at the end of the instruction booklet, I placed Tamiya tape over the corresponding mask and proceeded to cut it out. In fact, the process is quick and makes this task—often quite difficult for many modellers—much easier. In this case, there are 60 masks 😊.

Even the more complex masks, once cut, fit very well onto the corresponding parts, with virtually no need for adjustment.

The alternative approach of cutting directly on the transparent part with a blade is also valid, thanks to the level of detail and the raised frame lines.

Some of the components are already masked and ready to be fitted. I will be applying the interior colour from the outside.

Meanwhile, the right-hand half of the fuselage is ready for painting. Some injection marks can be seen in the photo, but they will not be visible on the finished model.

I’m also taking the opportunity to share a photo of the jig I’ll be using for assembling the engines — two sprues are provided.

Time for painting!

At last, we move on to painting the interior parts!

Although there is quite a large area to cover, much of it will not be visible, so I’ll be focusing on the most prominent sections, such as the cockpit and the gun positions.

The primer used was Mr Surfacer Black, thinned with Mr Levelling Thinner. Once dry, it provides a smooth, even, satin finish.

After it had fully cured, I applied the interior colour (Interior Grey-Green), also from Gunze and thinned with Levelling Thinner. As with the primer, once dry it results in a uniform, satin surface.

At this stage, I also painted the frames of the transparent parts.

I’m very pleased with the results so far, and will now move on to painting the smaller details and applying the decals on the pilot instrument panels.

Thanks for watching!

Fantastic, methodical work.

Innards looking good Ricardo.