Unboxing The 1/72nd Scale Imex 523 Lewis and Clark Expedition Set - A Model Kit Unboxing Video
Channel: Monster Hobbies Aircraft and Military Models
Date: 15/10/2020

The Lewis and Clark expedition set out in 1804 to explore the vast territory west of the Mississippi that had recently been acquired from France through the Louisiana Purchase. 

Today we will be Unboxing The 1/72nd Scale Imex 523 Lewis and Clark Expedition Set. This is a model kit unboxing video we hope you will enjoy!

The main purpose was to discover the Northwest Passage, a navigable waterway that linked the Atlantic with the Pacific. In that endeavor they failed of course, but they crossed the continent and reached the Pacific. The expedition is one of the greatest in American history.

The first thing that strikes you about this set is the sheer number of different pieces - almost nothing has been repeated. There is plenty of diversity too, with explorers, natives, horses, boats and camp items.

The Corps of Discovery, as the explorers were grandly termed, were about 45 men, mostly woodsmen and soldiers, and this set includes 10 figures to depict them. The men are standing or walking - not doing a great deal, but of course exploring is mostly travelling with not much happening. One man is firing his musket, which is most likely to be hunting for food as the expedition was almost entirely peaceful. Another looks through a telescope (which he should be holding with two hands), perhaps straining to see the ocean that was their ultimate goal. All the poses are very well sculpted, with authentic civilian clothing and equipment. Our only reservation was with the hat on the man with the telescope, which is not a style we recognize.

Clearly the expedition could not have gone very far without the aid of the various natives they encountered along the way. Their vital role is recognized with several figures including a woman who is pointing, and a man with an impressive headdress and carrying a lance who is perhaps some local chief who has come to investigate the strangers.

There are two horses for the mounted explorers. They are well done and seem to be properly equipped for the period. Beneath them are the pack animals - absolutely vital in any expedition like this, and an essential element of this set. The baggage is molded as part of the piece rather than being separate, which makes it look more realistic in our view.

The expedition traveled much of the time on rivers and it is fitting that canoes have been included here. The canoe is waterline only, so it has a flat bottom which means it stands well. The same goes for the other craft, a rather smaller vessel that is being crewed by one of the explorers. This is small, quite rounded, and clearly not a good way of travelling any great distance. However the expedition did bring a small collapsible boat and this may be that item.

There is a raft being punted by one of the expedition. The raft is convincingly constructed with logs bound together and a platform of branches on top. Holes in the logs allow the man to be placed at the rear, though the join is not very firm and should be glued. The man is stripped to the waist and has been well done, really looking like he is putting effort into pushing the raft along. The package and barrels that can be seen on the raft are a separate item, and have been sculpted to fit the raft very comfortably. However the raft is clearly quite small, and we wondered whether such a small construction would have been worth the effort to make since it could only carry a small amount of baggage or perhaps two people. Our knowledge of the expedition is not sufficient to say whether this is inaccurate or not.

Finally there are several items for recreating a native village scene. Most obviously, and most prominently on the sprue, is the tepee. This comes in two halves which fit together snugly to make quite a large model. It stands about 45mm (3.25 metres) tall and is definitely the most authentic model of a tepee yet made. The design looks very accurate, though the doorway should be a hole with a flap over it rather than the simpler affair molded. Other camp items are the cooking pot over a fire and the skin being dried, though this was usually done pegged out on the ground rather than vertical like this.

In so many ways this is a very impressive set. The level of detail is superb and is very sharp and clear. The complete absence of mold lines and flash means there is no trimming required on any figure. Anatomically these are well proportioned and realistic, though they are rather taller than most figures in this scale.

The sheer quantity of parts and the quality of each make this a set that stands out from the rest. Most of the figures and kit could also be of use in other scenarios, but this is an unusual subject that has been skillfully realized, and IMEX have shown that they could still make top quality sets. A great product.

Check out our available 1/72nd scale figures here : https://www.monster-hobbies.ca/Hobby_Products/c107-172-scale-model-kits/

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