ICM 1/16 scale ‘The Game’ O plastic model kit review

The ICM 1/16 scale “The Game” O figure is an all-new mold based on the Netflix streaming TV series Squid Game. The show by South Korean writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk was released on Netflix in late 2021 and quickly became popular. The guards, the basis for this figure, act as referees, controlling the competition and its participants.

The O model’s parts come molded in gray and black styrene. The kit contains 14 parts for the figure itself, six parts for the base, and a single decal for the mask. Everything is nicely packaged in a double-layer box with art useful for painting an accurate Squid Game figure.

The instructions are different from what I am used to, labeled using letters and numbers. However, I had no problem because assembly is straightforward. The Squid Game figure parts are all cleanly molded, with no flash whatsoever. A super-fine mold line is present on some of the parts, but it doesn’t really need to be removed.

Simple to build, and I found no issues with how the Squid Game figure’s parts fit together. I started the assembly with the body, gluing the legs, torso, and hood together. The pieces attach as shown in the instructions with tight seams that don’t need any filler. If you're going to paint the head, leave it until final assembly; it fits under the hood with no problem and must be used to attach the mask.

To paint the model as a proper Squid Game figure, I used Tamiya acrylics. I skipped the mask because it already had a nice finish with a great surface for the decal to cling to. I used a decal solution to get the O to conform to the compound curves and texture. The kit could be improved by providing extra decals to make different versions or in case the modeler makes a mistake.

The kit offers four groundwork choices for the base and a cover for the bottom, so you can add lighting effects.

Finally, I added pins to the Squid Game figure’s feet for stability, but that may be an unnecessary step because it seems pretty stable on the base as is.

The ICM 1/16 scale “The Game” O (we all know it’s Squid Game) figure is a great kit for a beginner because it is easy to assemble and has a fairly simple paint scheme. The mask covers the face, which makes it a great piece to practice painting eyes. I highly recommend this kit for fans of the TV show or people who want to dive into figure modeling.