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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
Keenan Chittester
Published on
November 11, 2021
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$50.00

The basis of this kit is the old Occidental kit, with extra parts added for the beer barrels and a beautiful Cartograf decal sheet with five options (4 RAF and 1 Dutch). The box states that these are “upgraded moulds”, but when I compared it to the MPM boxing of the Occidental kit it was obvious that the molds are basically the same. The Italeri kit only has the option of the rounded, narrow-chord rudder. Much has been written about the nose of the Occidental kit being too long, and since the Italeri kit uses the same molds, the nose is still too long. I think that the finished model looks like a Spitfire, but for you purists there is a correction set available from Aeroclub which shortens the nose by about 2mm.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
March 4, 2022
Company
Accurate Miniatures
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$39.99

Accurate Miniatures P-51C has been re-boxed many times. This is the “Bendix Racer” boxing of it. You get the standard sprues, which is a full military P-51C (i.e. machine guns are included in the kit).

Probably the main, and really the only problem about this kit, is the instructions. To begin with, they are very confusing regarding the left and right parts for the rear fuselage. You just have to use your common sense. Besides, it is very obvious which part is the left (or right) part of the fuselage; just look at the drawings and ignore the part number.

I assembled and detailed the cockpit as per instructions. Then I departed from the instructions by first gluing the forward and rear parts of each fuselage together, then assembling both full fuselages sides together. Simple enough to do, and it ensured a better alignment of the whole fuselage.

Review Author
Paul Bradley
Robin Bradley
Published on
August 2, 2011
Company
Atlantis Model Company
Scale
1/12
MSRP
$35.55

Swish, swish, SWISH! The mark of Zorro! Fear naught, freedom-loving peasants, the masked swordsman is here to protect you from injustice and tyranny! Well, in 1/12 scale anyway….

The character of Zorro dates back to a novel written in 1919; films and radio programs followed, but it was in 1957 that Zorro really entered American popular culture with the premiere of Disney’s TV series featuring Guy Williams in the title role. The show played out like the popular cinematic serials of the period and last for 78 episodes over three seasons. In 1963, Aurora, seeking to capitalize on the popularity of the show with kids, released a kit of the masked one on his trusty steed, Tornado. This kit hasn’t been released for many years and had become quite a collectors’ item, fetching a rey’s ransom on the internet auction sites.

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Published on
October 6, 2022
Company
Tamiya
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$168.00

After 3-1/2 weeks since the “First Look,” this reviewer is pleased to provide this final installment for the out-of-box “build of a lifetime.” Indeed, in my humble opinion, our friends at Tamiya outdid even their standard-setting Spitfire series. All said, 34 hours were invested in the build – 24 on construction, and 10 on painting, decaling, and weathering. I can’t believe fewer than 40 hours were logged…but that’s what all my records indicate -- most likely a testament to how well everything fit, and the fact that there were a couple of uninterrupted “build days” early in the build.

Integration

With the majority of subassemblies complete at the time of the previous report, integration was the next major task. Again, as e xpected, all of the “subs” fell together with very little effort. Wings and horizontal stabilizers mated to the fuselage with only a couple spots of putty on the lower forward wing root, just aft of the engine cowling.

Review Author
John Lyons
Published on
July 31, 2011
Company
Trumpeter
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$43.95

Short History

Soviet Airborne Forces used the ASU-85 in airborne operations during the Cold War Era. Its primary role was light infantry support or assault, with limited anti-tank capability. The ASU-85 replaced the open-topped ASU-57 in service. It weighs approximately 13,780kg or 13.78 tons and has a very low silhouette of just 2,1 meters. It is powered by one V-6 six-in-line water-cooled diesel engine with 240hp. It was designed on the PT-76 tank chassis, but lost its amphibious capabilities. Armament consists of an SD-44 85mm gun carrying 40 rounds (4 rounds per minute) and one 7.62mm PKT co-axial machinegun. Effective range is around 260km (162 miles), and armor protection is up to 40mm. The vehicle was NBC-sealed and equipped with IR-sights for night fighting.