Kit No 35061
Description:   1/35th scale full injection molded plastic kit
Price:   b/w $8.99-10.00     Rating: highly recommended

Tread-heads know ICM as the people who made those beautiful multi-turreted Russian tank kits last year. Their latest and I hope not their last is this kit of French Line infantry of the Franco-Prussian War.  To those of you that slept through Western Civ. class that was the war that made Germany a nation.  Prussia and the rest of Germany mopped the floor with the French in six weeks.  It was because of this war that France was so willing for the rematch in 1914. ICM has molded a fine set of the brave Coulette Rouge or Imperial French tine Infantry.  The uniforms are close to the ones Union soldiers wore in 1861, except the kepis and trousers are red.  There are four figures in the set, an officer and three riflemen with Chassepot rifles.  They are molded in ICM's 'Tupperware" gray plastic, each figure on his own sprue.  The detail is extraordinary, with the overcoat skirts and even the bolt on the rifle are separate pieces.  The directions call for some straps to be added for mess tins and swords, but otherwise the figures are very complete.  The separate molding of the epaulettes will allow Foreign Legion or French Republican infantry to be built.  Since the figures are plastic and inexpensive, conversions become a lot easier and large scenes become possible. Painting directions are detailed and include Testors and Humbrol lines.  Most serious figure builders will probably use their own favorite shades or mix up oils.  Osprey's two excellent volumes on the French army of the Franco-Prussian War will be of use here. All in all an excellent addition to ICM's product line.  A glance at their catalog shows more on the way including a horse drawn Russian artillery unit from World War 11 and French Napoleonic Hussars.