Introduction
The following introduction is taken from the ICM website:
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery was one of the most prominent and successful British commanders of World War II. His military career began in World War I, where he suffered severe injuries but continued to serve as a staff officer. During the interwar period, Montgomery held various positions, and just before World War II, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Division of the British Expeditionary Force in France. In the autumn of 1942, he became the commander of British forces in North Africa and later achieved victory over the famed “Desert Fox,” German Field Marshal Rommel. In December 1943, Montgomery was appointed as the commander of the 21st Army Group and the overall commander of Allied ground forces in Europe, also participating in the planning of Operation Overlord. In the autumn of 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. Montgomery, often known as “Monty,” was highly regarded for his modesty in personal life and communication with soldiers. They appreciated his modesty in everyday life and communication, and deservedly called “general – Spartan.”
Review
This offering from ICM arrives in a sturdy flip top cardboard tray with a separate card lid depicting the artwork. Inside the sprue is packaged in a single plastic bag, an examination of the sprue reveals nothing to be worried about and are cleanly moulded.
Looking at the contents Montgomery is identifiable from his beret. The 2 cap badges of the British Royal Armoured Corps and a British Field Marshal cap badge. The Tank Corps badges is very well detailed, the other is a little obscured as regards identification but I believe that this is due to how it came out of the mould rather than ICM not doing a good job of it. Uniform battledress is worn by all, which is basically the short blouse and trousers, webbing belts. The insignia on the figures as a whole is a little weak other than on Montgomery and the communications corpora walking towards the group in the box top image.
The officer to the left of Monty on the box top is I believe his chief of staff Sir Francis de Guingand who held the rank of Major General. The other figure I am unable to identify, and I will also say that the facial features of the individuals, while of a reasonable quality are not identifiable as specific people. The Major General’s tache appears to be missing, but anybody who is anybody will identify Monty by his beret. The communications soldier meets all my requirements as a figure and the set as a whole is quite pleasing. All they need to do now is release the communications lorry to go with the set.
Conclusion
This offering ICM is as a set pleasing. The scale of the figures has made identification of the primary individuals difficult to say the least, but Monty is easily identified due to the beret with two cap badges on it. Major General Sir Francis de Guingand is another prime figure often seen with Monty and is easily identified in the artwork but not the figure itself.