Front view

’53 Chevy Panel Truck

Radar station

P-61B Black Widow "Last Shoot Down 1945"

Cockpit and bomb bay sprues

TBM-3 Avenger from USS Bunker Hill

Completed

Royal Class MiG-15 Quattro Combo

Rear

Ryan STM-2 / PT-20

Sprue 1

British Police Female Officer

Cart 2

Hand Truck

comparison 2

AGM-154A/C Block I "JSOW"

Sprues

DH.82A Tiger Moth with Bombs

Underside

Foose Custom Cadillac Eldorado

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Welcome to IPMS/USA Reviews

Introduction: The primary organization of the IPMS/USA Review website is by IPMS/USA National Contest Class. Within each Class there are sub-menus by kits, decals, books, etc. The Miscellaneous Class is for items that are not class specific or that cross two or more classes.

IPMS/USA Members: We encourage you to submit reviews, both here and to the Journal. To volunteer for membership in the IPMS/USA "Reviewers Corps" and submit your own reviews, please read the Guidelines For Submitting Product Reviews.

Manufacturers, publishers, and other industry members: IPMS/USA is pleased to offer your company the opportunity for product reviews. All product reviews are performed by IPMS/USA members, and are posted in the publicly-accessible section of our website. With very few exceptions, we perform full build reviews of new kit releases, aftermarket products, and supplies. If you would care to provide product samples for review, please contact the IPMS/USA First Vice President.

To learn more about IPMS/USA, please see our About Us page.

Package

Ultrasonic 3D Parts Support Remover Cutter
Review Author
Chris Vandegrift
Published on
Company
Squadron Products
Scale
NA
MSRP
$39.99

Here’s one of the surprises that I found at NATS this year in Fort Wayne. Totally unexpected due to the lowest price that I have seen and what has really turned out to be a nice quality unit. I’ve looked at these ultrasonic cutters twice now and I’ve gotten a few recommendations from people, and then I’ve looked at the price and said I’m gonna keep going and just maybe buy a new set of cutters. In the end, I was still ending up with some broken resin and chipped resin on some of the finer 3D parts that I’ve been purchasing. Jeff Hearn from Squadron was showing this off at their booth and I took a few minutes to stop, watch what he was doing, and ask a few questions about it. It definitely looked like it was worth the small investment to just give this a try.

Box Art

CH-37 Mojave
Review Author
John Noack
Published on
Company
Special Hobby
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$48.54

From Wikipedia

The Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave (company designation S-56) is an American large heavy-lift military helicopter of the 1950s. It entered service as the HR2S-1 Deuce with the USMC in 1956, and as the H-37A Mojave with the U.S. Army that same year. In the early 1960s, the designation was standardized to CH-37 for both services, with the HR2S-1 redesignated as CH-37C specifically.

Developed in the early 1950s, with its first flight in 1953, it filled a 1950 Navy requirement for an assault helicopter that could carry up to 20 Marines and haul combat equipment. The design includes a front-loading ramp with side opening clamshell doors on the nose. It was powered by two radial piston engines. It served in active military service well into the 1960s, including in Indochina, before being replaced.

Box Art

J-3 'Cub Goes to War'
Review Author
Chris Surber
Published on
Company
Special Hobby
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$31.99

History

According to Wikipedia:

“he Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design, which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Piper Aircraft’s second most produced model after the PA-28 Cherokee series (more than 32,000 produced) with over 20,000 built in the United States. Its simplicity, affordability and popularity invoke comparisons to the Ford Model T automobile.

Packaging

AV-8B+ Harrier II – USMC VMA-214/223/231/513
Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
Company
DXM Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$21.00

One of the newer suppliers for the IPMS-USA Review Corps is DXM Decals, the DXM stands for Double Excellent Models. While as the name implies, the company specializes in decals, they also produce detail parts and paint masks for airbrushing aircraft. The company produces their products for 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32 scale aircraft. The decals are printed by Cartograf, who is known for their quality work. Any modeler that has applied water-slide decals will have no issues with using this set.

This set contains decals for the AV-8B+ Harrier II in service with the USMC. There are markings for six aircraft serving from 2009 through 2024. The specific aircraft are as follows chronologically:

Packaging

F-14 Tomcat Pilots in a Standing Position (Scene 2)
Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
Company
Reskit
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$31.99

One of the recent releases from ResKit is a set of 1/48 scale figures intended to go with your F-14 Tomcat. The figures look just like a pilot and RIO heading to their plane for their next flight. One is carrying their helmet in-hand while the other is carrying the bag used to transport the helmet. These two would look great next to a Tomcat on a flight deck or tarmac before the start of a mission and will be an easy addition for modelers with experience with 3D printed parts.

ResKit does a wonderful job with creating various parts and figures for an array of models. I have never been disappointed with any of the products that I have purchased or reviewed, and the level of detail is always top-notch. The figures in this kit are each printed as a single piece, so no assembly is required.