Aircrew on deck

IJNMS Yamato, Part 4, Final Assembly

Glass distortion

Büssing NAG 4500 A-1 with Bilstein 3t Drehkran

Fiat Parts 1

Battle of Malta

Body

Stone, Woods & Cook ’41 Willys

Kit Parts

F-104G Luftwaffe & Bundesmarine Scale: Q

Sprues

A-4M Skyhawk

Completed 1

Mitsubishi A6M2a Zero Fighter Type 11 Combo

Overhead view

MQ-8B Fire Scout

Lower fuselage assembly

ASF-X Shinden II "Ridgebacks" – Limited Edition

Instrument panel

F-35A Lightning II

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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.

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Box Cover

Macchi MC.200 Saetta
Review Author
Steven J. Corvi
Published on
Company
Italeri USA
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$179.99

What is in the Box

  • 4 gray injection molded plastic sprues [247 parts total]
  • 1 clear sprue
  • 1 decal sheet with 6 markings options
  • 1 3d printed instrument panel (three parts)
  • 2 Etched Brass frets
  • 1 canopy & wheel hub masks
  • 1 elastic vinyl tubing
  • 1 brass wire
  • 1 instruction book in FULL color

Construction

The construction begins with the cockpit and the fuselage interior and this makes up the majority of the early construction sequence. Extra time spent here will pay dividends later in the build and I recommend a thorough reading of the instructions since they will alleviate most if not all construction problems. The sprue gates are on the mating surfaces, so it is imperative to cut them from the sprues with care and be sure not to over sand the sprue gate nubs. Now I have noticed this trend in manufacturers. The cockpit has nice set of 3-D decals which dress up the cockpit nicely.

Decal Cover sheet

JLTF (1) – M1278 US Marines
Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
AOA Decals
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$15.50

From AOA Decal Manufacturer’s Notes

14 options for JLTVs in US service:

  • 2x Army Reserve (Fort McCoy)
  • 12x USMC - Additional decals are also included without the tape/exercise markings that cover some various unit markings. Decals for an M1102 trailer are also included for one JLTV option.
  • Includes full JLTV stencil data set (enough for two vehicles) with variations.
  • For Rye Field Model (RFM) 1/35 JLTV.

Background and Historical Notes

As one of the military’s most important decisions, it put out a bid announcement for a replacement for its basic utility vehicle, what was to be called the ‘Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.’

Show Shout Out and Bench Update

This video will cover all the information for an upcoming show coming up on May 16th, 2026. The show will be held in Simpsonville, South Carolina and will be hosted by the South Carolina Modelers Association (SCMA) which hosts about three different shows a year. We will also look at one of my completed models, a Tamiya Toyota Supra GR, which was a 48 hour build and the Tamiya Yamaha YZR M1.

Package

M8A1 U.S. Landing Mat
Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.00

During World War II, the concept of creating airfields in days, rather than months or years, came about with the use of what was called “Pierced Steel Planking”. These were segments of metal, linked together to form runways, taxiways, and parking areas, to name a few. Its modern day equivalent is the M8A1 Landing Mat.

This is a fairly simple, straight-forward kit. Six sprues, each containing one section of matting, comprised the entire kit. The instructions show two different ways of creating a rectangular mat, and I build the 2nd version.

The only downside I have to mention is that when I assembled the kit, there was a minute gap down the center seam – although I cannot discount the possibility of an erroneous assembly procedure on my part.

Painted and weathered well, this would be a great little addition to any diorama in 1/72 scale. Best of all, each kit can combine with other landing mat kits for bigger aprons and parking spaces.

Cover

WW2 Vehicles – Through the Lens Volume 7
Book Author(s)
Tom Cockle
Review Author
James Kelley
Published on
Company
PeKo Publishing
MSRP
$41.95

WW2 Vehicles – Through the Lens Volume 7 by Tom Cockle is a forthcoming photographic reference book focused on Second World War era military vehicles, part of the WW2 Vehicles – Through the Lens series. It’s designed primarily for military history enthusiasts, scale modelers, and researchers who want authentic period photography and detail on armored vehicles and related transport.

The volume is a photo-centric reference book with minimal narrative — it emphasizes large, high-quality black & white images accompanied by concise captions that identify vehicles, locations, and sometimes field conditions. Each section groups photos around a specific vehicle type or theme.

Featured subjects include: