ICM HOLDING [ MORE REVIEWS ] [ WEBSITE ] [ NEW STORIES ]

Built Review
116
S.W.A.T. Team Leader
S.W.A.T. Team Leader
  • move

by: Darren Baker [ CMOT ]

Introduction

ICM has released their latest 1/16th scale figures in the form of a S.W.A.T. Team Leader, and on this occasion it is also the first of their large figures that is not a guard of some sort. A S.W.A.T. team member is an interesting choice for ICM to switch too and I wonder if this is a sign of a switch to special forces from guards units. Of course another possibility is that this is the first of a whole S.W.A.T. team.

Review

This offering from ICM is in their now usual very high quality packaging that does an excellent job of protection, even in the postal system. Taking a look at the mouldings reveals a pleasing level of detail with no serious issues to overcome, there are some moulding seams but these are light and so easy to deal with. The points where the sprues attach to the moulded parts have been well chosen and so again easy to deal with.

Areas that I am particularly pleased with cover things such as the tread detail on the sole of the boots that have been supplied as separate parts. The M4 rifle has been supplied the barrel grip in two halves, and this has enabled good replication of the cooling holes. The top mounted sight and torch are supplied as additional parts which I like, my only complaint here is that I would have liked to see the torch and sight lenses replaced with clear parts.

The Build

I should say right here that I was not best pleased with the instructions that are supplied due to it being a simple front and back drawing of the assembled figure. I know this is not a complicated model, but a more in depth instruction sheet would have made things easier to follow instead of being a hunting exercise.

I started with the lower half of the body; the knees to the waist are supplied as a front and back half. The fit of these two halves as a dry fit was not the best, but after I applied adhesive to both halves to soften them slightly the fit was good. You will be left with light seams to fix but nothing overly difficult. The lower halves of the legs are supplied as solid castings and I am very impressed that ICM managed this without having any sink marks present. The fit of these is very good as is the tread portions of the boots.

Moving onto the upper body and the torso is supplied as front and back halves, again they fit together best if both sides of the join are softened with adhesive. The detail present is good in my opinion for injection moulded plastic, but the more advanced figure modellers will likely sharpen the edges of some details. The arms have been moulded as solid parts and again ICM has managed to avoid shrink marks in what are thick pieces of plastic. One of the hands has been supplied as a separate part and the other has three separate fingers. The fit of the arms at the shoulders is not perfect and some filling will be required, but the way the hands hold the rifle is very good in my opinion. The back of the figure has SWAT clearly marked out and is a nice touch over a decal.

The head is an easy assembly to work on, and due to the face consisting of the bridge of the nose to the forehead should prove an easy to paint aspect of the model. The limited amount of the face that is visible has been well sculpted. ICM has provided two helmet choices: one with goggles and the other is what I think of as a military assault style helmet.

Conclusion

The pose of the figure is pleasing to me having what I feel is a cautious action pose about it. The moulding is good throughout with only the shoulder joints looking to need any remedial action as regards filling. Final painting as suggested by ICM is not my favourite with a search of online images providing more pleasing colour options to my mind. I am torn between this offering and the previously released US Marine figure when it comes to picking which I like the most. The assembly that I have done was very easy going and paints ICM in a very good light.
SUMMARY
Highs: The details that have been moulded into this figure really draw my eye, and the ease of construction is a bonus.
Lows: The instructions could be much better.
Verdict: These figures in 1/16th scale are drawing me into a modelling area that never previously appealed.
  Scale: 1:16
  Mfg. ID: 16101
  PUBLISHED: Aug 09, 2017
  NATIONALITY: United States
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 87.04%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 84.86%

Our Thanks to ICM Holding!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

View Vendor Homepage  |  More Reviews  

About Darren Baker (CMOT)
FROM: ENGLAND - SOUTH WEST, UNITED KINGDOM

I have been building model kits since the early 70’s starting with Airfix kits of mostly aircraft, then progressing to the point I am at now building predominantly armour kits from all countries and time periods. Living in the middle of Salisbury plain since the 70’s, I have had lots of opportunitie...

Copyright ©2021 text by Darren Baker [ CMOT ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Good looking figure with exception of the M4. As previously pointed out the inclusion of a TASER would be nice, maybe even a looped bundle of flex cuffs as part of his gear.
AUG 10, 2017 - 08:12 AM
If you are referring to the rifle, that's 15-20 years ago, for the flashlight ........maybe. G
AUG 10, 2017 - 01:43 PM
Actually no, It's not "universally black". FBI and ATF HRT wear green tactical gear. Las Vegas MPD wears green tact gear as do LASO SWAT and most Florida Sheriff's agencies. The traditional uniform colors usually dictate the tact gear colors. City/municipal cops traditionally wear some sort of blue uniforms so the tact gear is black. Sheriffs wear tan, brown or green therefore the tact gear reflects that. I'm a statie and my gear is black. G
AUG 10, 2017 - 01:48 PM
The weapon light looks like a Surefire M500 weapon light which was an incandescent weapon light moulded integrally with a fore end handguard, rather than a rail mounted one. I wouldn't expect to see many carry handle receivers these days either. Most would be flat top.
AUG 10, 2017 - 02:35 PM
Its a cool figure. Which seems to have been taken straight out of the film SWAT. In that they use the foregrip mounted flash light and a sight on the carry handle. If you look closely at the ICM rifle it appears to be a fixed handle M16 carbine. So probably dating this prior to the late 1990's-early 2010's. However the helmet options appear more modern. It might be better to back date with the old PASGT helmet. Remember, you're either SWAT, or you're not. ]http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/S.W.A.T._(2003)
AUG 11, 2017 - 12:30 PM
Looks like the M4 has the removable carry handle.
AUG 11, 2017 - 12:34 PM
I clearly didn't look close enough. Now I've had my coffee I can see that.
AUG 11, 2017 - 01:59 PM
Wow. Where to begin? There are several aftermarket systems that allow mounting the tactical light to the front sight post assembly in a manner shown in the photo. I've used them on a few builds. 1:1 builds that is. I think one of them was by Midwest industries. There are also kits to mount a light on the "old school" hand guards. They mount on top behind the front sight post using existing cooling vents. As for whether or not a department would use this setup, I'm reminded of a quote by Donald Rumsfeld: “You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” A department may or may not have funds to upgrade to the newest EBR. (Evil Black Rifle) Whether the carrying handle is removable or not makes no difference in how it shoots. Nor does the lack of a rail system. Rail systems are not magic. They do not make one shoot better, they just allow you to add more crap to your weapon. UNLESS you are talking a fully floated setup, and even then they're only more accurate under certain situations, ie, slinging up really tightly. I have fired an M4 with an ACOG mounted on top just as in the photo. Not uncomfortable in the least. In CQB, I engage with just the front sight post anyway. Who needs optics at two meters? That said, if its location bothers anyone, rest assured you can use it. Just add a "J Point" to the top of the optics. And many folks may not realize this - there are iron sights milled into the top of the ACOG. Not extremely accurate, but quite adequate for medium range work. As for the comms, I'm not sure how anyone can tell if he's wearing an ear bud or not - he's wearing a balaclava. The radio hanging up? Ummm... There are worse places to put it. As shown, the operator change easily reach back and change channels on the radio. Front mounted has advantages and disadvantages. I almost always wore mine in the front however, and getting a flexible rubber antenna hung up was NOT a consideration.The boom mike? Well, maybe, maybe not. They are more likely to hang you up, with helmet retention straps, slings, and other crap getting in the way. You can lose the boom mike altogether. Bone mikes are widely use and are easy to model - you can't see them. At any rate, it looks to be a promising figure. Not necessarily an operator. Just slept in a few Holiday Inn Expresses.
SEP 01, 2017 - 09:53 AM
I don't know a lot about SWAT but through the discussion here it doesn't look like it would be hard to bring it up to your own expectations. Personally, I like the figure and have it on order. It will really add to my 1/16th figures.
SEP 01, 2017 - 10:44 AM
   
ADVERTISEMENT


Photos
Click image to enlarge
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
ADVERTISEMENT