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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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.

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.

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:

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.

Review Author
Chris Vandegrift
Published on
Company
Reskit
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$25.60

Every time I review one of these red RESKIT sets, I reaffirm the quality and value that I associate with their name now. One of the things you’ll really appreciate about this is that with 3-D printing all of the small components are a part of the master print and so there’s no assembly required here. The resin is not brittle. It separates from very fine support tips easily without cracking or breaking. I will say, I did use my ultrasonic cutter for this because there are some pretty fine attachments where the pocket is for the blades. I did those last to try and make sure that they didn’t break while I was rotating the overall part to remove all the different supports. Another thing to watch out for is, the rope ends extend past the frame in a couple of places, so if you are using cutters in any way, make sure you’re actually cutting supports and not part of the assembly itself. Instructions look clear.