With Ruler for Scale

Kenworth W-900 Conventional

Finished Fuselage Right

A-4KU (AF-1) Skyhawk 'Brazilian Navy VF-1 15th Anniversary'

Assembled

AH-1G Cobra "US Marines/Navy"

Top Hatch Fit

P5M-2G Marlin "Coast Guard"

view of finished model

Sd.Kfz. 1381 Geschutzwagen 38 H fur s. JG.331

stripes-clean 15

MV-22B Osprey

Rear closeup

World War Toons German Light Panzer 38 (T)

Completed 4

British Forces Land Rover Twin Set

Finished front right

USAF B-47 "306th BW(M)"

Decals

Grumman F-14A Tomcat

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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.

SAC Image

Ki-43-II/III Oscar Landing Gear (FM)
Review Author
Michael Furry
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$17.95

I am familiar with Scale Aircraft Conversions but have never used any of their products. Having a Fine Molds Ki-43 III, I was keen to compare these metal landing gear parts to the kit parts provided by Fine Molds. The SAC landing gear provides additional strength being metal, and the ability to slightly bend the gear if needed.

Upon close inspection, the landing gear provided by Fine Molds is my preference over the metal landing gear offered by Scale Aircraft Conversions. In my sample, the metal landing gear has mold part lines, heavy pitting, and a shape that is more oval than round. One of my struts had a curve coming out of the packaging, but this was easily bent back to shape.

SAC Image

Maryland Mk I/II Landing Gear (Special Hobby)
Review Author
Michael Furry
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions has been creating parts for modelers since 1990 and has long supported the IPMS-USA Review Corps with their items for review. The white metal parts are meant to replicate the original kit parts, but with the additional strength of being metal instead of plastic. There is also an advantage in that the metal gear can be slightly bent, if necessary, once installed to allow for improved positioning.

After reviewing the Scale Aircraft Conversions metal landing gear for the Fine Molds Ki-43 III I knew exactly what I was getting into with this set. My sample had castings that seemed rough along with mold part lines and parts slightly bent in the package. I cleaned up one main gear leg and the tail wheel leg as best I could. A coat of Mr. Surfacer black followed by a layer of Testors Steel Metallizer did not seem to completely cover some issues I had identified. A few layers of watercolors highlighted the details.

Box top

Kaleido Color Works 24 Auto Colors Set
Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
Company
Gaahleri
Scale
N/A
MSRP
$83.99

The IPMS-USA recently began receiving items for review from Gaahleri. The company is relatively new and first introduced airbrushes and has since expanded into the production of their own line of paints. Kaleido ColorWorks is their premium sub-brand of water-based paints, which are developed with RapidAir Technology. In addition to all the individual colors, Gaahleri also has sets of paint available for consumers.

210ml Bottle

Kaleido Color Works Cleaner (Brush & Airbrush)
Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
Company
Gaahleri
Scale
N/A
MSRP
$9.99

The IPMS-USA recently began receiving items for review from Gaahleri. The company is relatively new and first introduced airbrushes and has since expanded into the production of their own line of paints. In addition to their individual and sets of paints, they have also released their own Cleaner, which can be used on both paint brushes and airbrushes. This cleaner is advertised as being non-toxic, odorless, non-flammable, and safe for the environment by Gaahleri.

The Kaleido ColorWorks Cleaner used in this review came packaged in a 210ml (7.1fl oz) bottle that sells reasonably at $9.99, which is comparable to other airbrush cleaners. I have successfully used the Cleaner for the Gaahleri ColorWorks Metallic paints as well as several of their Auto Colors. While the Cleaner does a nice job with initial cleaning, I continue to use a Lacquer Thinner for the final cleaning, and when I first added this to the “clean” color cup, I did force out a small amount of paint residue.

Box Art

Kokusai Ta-Go w/Accessories Set
Review Author
Jason Holt
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$38.50

History

The Kokusai Ta-Go (Ki-128) was a dedicated Kamikaze attack plane designed to use non-strategic war materials in its construction. Developed by Captain Yoshiyuki Mizuyama at the Japanese Army Aerotechnical Research Institute in Tokyo, his idea was to produce a simple aircraft that could be produced in small workshops. He initially had some issues in getting his design approved and produced by the Tachikawa company at first. After having some production setbacks, he went to the Nippon Kokusai Company, which eventually gave him the backing to move forward with his project.

The aircraft utilized wood, plywood, and fabric for its design. Powered by a simple Hitachi Ha-47 110HP air-cooled engine, this provided the aircraft with a top speed of 120mph. Its only armament was a fixed 100kg bomb. The aircrafts design was to have folding wings to be utilized in being housed and launched from caves along the coast towards American forces.