Introduction

ICM has been building up a great range of 1/16th scale figures covering a very broad spectrum or period and genre, the latest 1/16th scale offering covers a female British police officer who is part of a firearms team and part of the Metropolitan Police from what I can see here. The reason I have pointed out the force I believe this figure represents is that police uniform varies quite a lot across the various police forces in the UK, plus of course the houses of Parliament are depicted behind the figure. Lastly here this officer is in shirt sleeve order and so I suspect the figure is set in a summer time period.

Review

This offering is supplied in the now usual flip top cardboard box favoured by ICM with a second separate card lid with the artwork on it, as a modeller I do appreciate a well packaged offering and I feel ICM is one of the best in this respect. The artwork on the lid is very nicely done and will draw your eye to the box I believe. Inside the box is an instruction sheet with a print of the box art work. The sprues are packed inside a single re-sealable plastic bag. An examination of the contents leaves me happy as the plastic appears to be free of issues sometimes found.

The figures legs have been moulded in two solid pieces and I was a little concerned that this may cause sink marks, but an examination does not reveal any of these. Footwear is usually purchased by the officer themselves and so unless the Met is different there is no wrong style here. The trousers seem a little tight but not excessively so; I did expect to see leg pockets on the trousers as they nearly all have them, but again this does not signify something is wrong. There are some very light mould seams on the legs but nothing excessive.

The torso and upper arms are cleanly moulded and depict the figure wearing a white short sleeved shirt; I am more accustomed to seeing police wearing dark T-shirts, but it is my belief that it is up to the officer and or the police force concerned. The black and white check cravat is I believe an item of uniform specific to Female Met uniformed officers. I like that ICM has recessed the sleeves on the figure so that when the arms are added an under cut is present; I am also very pleased that they have not gone for a buxom female as I feel it would detract from the figure. The body armour present looks to be a stab vest rather than a ballistics vest or is at least not a design with which I am familiar with.

The hat style is one item of uniform that is specific to all British female police officers and they usually complain that the felt brim loses its shape. The checker pattern and the hat and cap badge have been moulded well on the hat, but I am not looking forward to painting it.

The equipment on the figure consists of a Tetra radio that should have an earpiece attached in most cases. An extendable baton that in this case is kept in a pocket across the lower back. A spare magazine for the primary weapon is stored in a pocket on the chest and is not an item I am familiar with seeing. Handcuffs have been well replicated and are shown attached to the belt on the right hip; I have seen these kept more often at the rear on the right side in my local force. A CS or pepper spray is also mounted on the right hip, the reason I have not specified a spray type is that each force have their own preference.

The weapons provided here are a TASER which is now a fairly commonly seen piece of equipment on many officers and mounted on the left thigh. The primary weapon is an MP5A2 with a red dot sight I believe and mounted torch; I am pleased to see the effort put into this by ICM as while they have not included a sling they have supplied the parts needed for the modeller making one from lead foil or paper. A holstered Glock 17M is on the right thigh; I have gone for the Glock 17M as it is the weapon issued to Met police officers.

The face of this figure has good definition without any expression but it is obviously female; not uncommon in police officers performing this role. I like that ICM has shown the hair in a bun as that is the style of hair seen most commonly on female officers with long hair and it has good detail provided. The lower arms have good scale and detail along with very well done hands and finger detail. My only surprise is that no watch is shown and it is something usually worn.

Conclusion

This is a very nice and unusual figure to see in this scale from ICM as it is not one that jumps to mind as being in demand. With that said ICM has tackled the subject well and it should please most modellers tempted by it. The only thing I would like to see ICM provide with these figures is relevant decals as some elements are all but impossible to paint.