Review: Kit Review for 1/48 scale ICM Ki-21 "Sally" #48195

This is a model that I have been wanting for many years. I have not included any of the history behind this aircraft.

Several years ago I read that ICM was going to someday be releasing a kit of this plane in 1/48 scale. Once I knew this was in the making, I knew right then and there I had to get one of these as soon as they became available.

My very first model ever was a 1/32 scale Revell P-40E. I was 8 years old at the time. Back then, all of the model kits had wonderful box art, and this one was no exception. I can vividly recall daydreaming while in math class about how I was diving my very own Flying Tiger P-40 through a formation of Japanese twin engine bombers... This is also likely the same time when my fascination with aviation and aviation history began.

One thing to note, is this model is made in the Ukraine as can be noted by the box corner.

This ICM Ki-21 Sally also is adorned with excellent box art. As best as I can tell, this depicts a Ki-21 Sally flying near Mount Fuji.

The side of the box shows the four decal options included. I will get to the decals in a moment.

Once the box cover is removed, you will find a plain white cardboard box. It is very sturdy, and I believe very welcomed ! I can't tell you how many model boxes I have in the good old stash that have collapsed from having other model kits stacked on top of them. If you have built any of the recent ICM kit's you will be familiar with the white cardboard box.

Once you open the white box, you are greeted by the plastic parts, which are nicely packaged in a clear bag with adhesive on one end that can be sealed again after you remove the parts tree you are after. The box is chocked full of goodness !

Packed safely below the plastic parts, are the instruction booklet, and the decals.

The decals look to be nicely printed and in register on my copy.

The instrument panel has a decal to use if you decide to. The actual plastic IP has raised details and one could paint this if you so desired.

The small Kanji characters are also well printed. I can't read Japanese, but if I could, chances are I could make out what is being said here. I'm guessing these are your typical aircraft warning stencils, similar to "lift here", and the like.

On to the instruction booklet. It is glossy, and printed in color. The cover page gives a short history of the type, and the color call outs are also located here.

The instruction sequence appears to be very logical, and in a somewhat standard order. Although I have not studied them very well, it appears as if you can install the tail wheel at the very end of the build, hopefully avoiding breakage.

Immediately following this, there are several pages with a diagram layout showing the parts numbers and where they are located.

The vertical fin is glued on to the main fuselage section early on in the construction sequence. This is actually the very first step, and not the cockpit as one would expect.

The bomb bay is equipped with the option of being built either opened or closed. There are four bombs included as ordnance. If you would rather not display the open bomb bay, a closed solid cover is also included.

The completed cockpit assembly includes the fuel tanks, which are mounted above and slightly behind the bomb bays... Hmm. Do you see a fire hazard here on the real plane ? 😉

The fuselage interior is also very nicely detailed. This is one of the final fuselage assembly illustrations, so you can see how much detail has been incorporated.

The clear parts are added, and the flight controls are molded as separate parts. I believe you could pose them off centered if you wanted to.


The landing gear are mounted to the bottom of the wing, and then the engine nacelles are installed over the top of this.

The engines are beautifully molded, and are little gems of their own. You build them, and install them at the end of the assembly sequence. This might make it a little easier to paint.

These are the masking templates, and an illustration showing where they go. My model didn't come with a masking set. It looks like ICM has provided the templates for the windows, but it is up to the builder to actually cut them out using the provided template.

If anyone has a kit that came with a separate masking sheet, please let me know. I'll amend the article if needed.

This is the first decal option. It is an overall Gray Green Ki-21.

This is the unit information and where it served.

This is the second option. It too is an overall Gray Green Ki-21.

This is the unit information and where it served.

No surprise here... We have another overall Gary Green Ki-21.

This is the unit information and where it served.

This is the one I will likely be building. It originally started out as an overall Gray Green aircraft, but it was later camouflaged using a Dark Green. It also has the Yellow color on the leading edge of the wings. This was an IFF feature used by many Japanese planes after a certain date and time which now eludes me.

This is the unit information and where it served.

Now on to the plastic parts ! Here we go...

As mentioned above, the parts bag is reseal able. This shows the adhesive end.

This is one of the wing parts trees. This model is fairly big. I would guess offhand and say it is about the same size as a Heinkel He-111. I have included a steel ruler in with the pictures to show the size. The ruler is a standard 12 inch size.

The details molded into the plastic are nice and subtle. They should look really good once painted.

The controls were fabric covered. This shows a close up of the fabric details. I will let the pictures do the talking here. I'm OK with it as is and I will build mine right out of the box.

Here is the plastic tree that contains the crew served MG's. Most of the tiny parts and some landing gear parts are included on this tree.

This shows a close up of the amazing details included on the MG's. These will look outstanding once painted and installed.

This is the parts tree that contains the separate vertical tail section as the biggest items.

Here you can see the fabric covered elevators and rudder.

This is a close-up of the vertical fin assembly. The molded in panel lines look really nice to me. I didn't do any comparison with line drawings or the like. I'm not part of that crowd.

Next up is a pair of these trees. They contain the engines, propellers, cowlings and landing gear parts. They were smart here and made stuff for one side... then doubled it, so you're not seeing double and your eyes are fine. 😉

This is a view showing one of these plastic trees.

Here I zoomed in on the engines. You can also see some of the bombs, of which a total of four are included.

This is a close up of the "snail drums" that the Japanese MG's were fed from. Going from memory, these held 100 rounds and had to be changed out frequently in the heat of battle. I used to have a T-shirt that said "Happiness is a belt fed weapon". I think these Japanese gunners could agree ! Thankfully for the Allies, these were not belt fed like was typically found on Allied bombers.

The molding quality of the engines is exquisite. I am very impressed with this kit.

The tires are simple. Plain tread with no design pattern to worry about. The wheel hubs look good.

The propellers are also nicely rendered.

This is the main fuselage plastic parts tree. Again I have placed the 12 inch long steel ruler next to it for a size comparison. This parts tree also includes the engine nacelles.

This is a close up of the tiny windows that were present on the rear fuselage. You can also see the quality of the molding here. This kit looks very nice in the box.

This is a close-up of the IP that I mentioned earlier when talking about the decals. You can see the raised details.

This is the other side of the plastic tree. It shows the details molded into the inside of the fuselage.

This is the forward section of the fuselage, and shows the cockpit side walls. There are more parts that will be added here, so it will be busy once done.

This shows the details that are present on the inside of the engine nacelles.

This is the other main wing plastic tree. Again I have placed the 12 inch steel ruler next to it for a comparison.

This shows the cockpit floor. The bomb bay is on the other side of this main part.

This shows one of the fuselage bulkheads. This bomber used corrugated sheet metal on the interior sections in places similarly to how it was done of the G4M "Betty".

This is the dorsal gunner insert. This will be covered mostly by a clear plastic canopy.

Earlier I mentioned there was a single one piece bomb bay cover. This is what it looks like.

This is how the clear parts are packaged. This small clear parts bag is located inside the main plastic parts bag, so it is double protected. It too is re sealable.

Here are the same parts once removed from the parts bag. Once again, you can see my trusty steel ruler...

In typical ICM fashion, they have shaded the areas that are to be eventually painted. The actual window portion is crystal clear. This is the main pilot's canopy.

This is the choice of nose sections. One is an early model and the other is a later version. Here you can see the shaded areas I was describing above.

This is the main dorsal canopy. There are a LOT of windows to mask.

These are the side entry door, and a hatch that can be opened. Here again, the shaded portions are highly evident.

This is the nose cap.

This is a close up photo showing the main canopy.

Overall I am VERY happy with the look of this kit in the box. I wish it would have included a set of masks for the thousands of tiny windows. But they do include a template, so it might not be as hard to mask... (my not so famous last words).

I would like to sincerely thank the people who work at ICM for giving us yet another model that we have wanted, especially in the adverse conditions they are currently experiencing.

I would also like to thank Brandon Lowe from Squadron Mail Order for keeping me informed on the shipping process.

This kit is courtesy of my wallet... so what you see here is really what you get.

I hope that someday we will get a matching new tool G3M "Nell" in 1/48. One can always dream.

This one is going to make it's way onto the work bench ASAP, so please look for a work in progress journal to start any day now as a part of our Empire of Japan group. Lately we have been doing some work on our home, so my bench time has been non existent. Hopefully this will soon change.

If you are on the fence about getting this one, don't be. It looks even better in person. Trust me, you're going to want one of these. No scratch that... you NEED one of these. I can see myself getting another one in time.

Meanwhile, here is the build journal I just started for this one.

https://imodeler.com/groups/the-empire-of-japan-1919-1946/forum/topic/1-48-scale-icm-ki-21-sally/

Please follow along as I build this wonderful looking kit.

Thank you for reading this to the end.

If you have a kit or aftermarket part or decal set that you would like to see a fair and honest review on, please contact me. You can look at my other reviews.

I don't bash things, but instead I show the reader what is provided, and let them make up their own mind.

As always, comments are encouraged.