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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
Paul Mahoney
Published on
Company
Aviaeology
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$21.69

This Beaufighter decal set is one of the latest from Canadian-based Aviaeology – SkyGrid Studio’s line of model-related products.

Upon first opening up the standard ziplock plastic bag that holds the decals and instructions, I was immediately impressed with the quality of the decals. There are 4 sheets included in this set, covering 4 aircraft (3 of which have multiple variations). In addition to the individual aircraft markings, a full set of national markings and stencil data is provided for one aircraft. These decals look first-rate, with little to no carrier film except where absolutely necessary. The decals themselves have a glossy finish and appear quite thin, but with good color density.

Book Author(s)
Colin D. Heaton and Anne-Marie Lewis (forewords by Jorg Czypionka and Barrett Tillman)
Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
Company
Zenith Press
MSRP
$30.00

Although I must admit that my all-time favorite aircraft will always be the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, right next to it in second place is the legendary Messerschmitt 262 Stormbird (also known as the Schwalbe {Swallow}). In my stash of unbuilt kits are several boxes containing various versions of the plane, and yes, there may a double or two present. I have seen and photographed the Me 262 that is kept at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum on more than one occasion, and have several books in my personal library on this legendary fighter. Anyway, I normally start my reviews talking about the history of the item I am assessing, but thought that I would instead talk about my interest in the topic before delving into the contents of this book.

Review Author
Jack Wade
Published on
Company
Cyber-Hobby
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$41.79

This new injection molded plastic kit is a great example of modern engineering that exhibits fine surface detail and great fit of parts. It is a builder’s kit, to be sure, and it was indeed a pleasure to build. The design of the parts is excellent and thoughtful allowing easy construction and clean up for a smooth finish. For example, the sprue attachment points are on the inner mating surface of many of the major components which makes cleaning up these areas as easy as it can be. Design features allow the wings to be posed folded, flaps posed up or down, the tail hook posed up or down and there are separate parts for posing the landing gear in the retracted or extended position (although this is not addressed in any way in the instructions). Slide molded parts provide for hollow details and single unit pieces that don’t require assembly and clean up of two halves. Overall, the kit is cleverly designed and simple to build.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.50

This kit is one of a series which Italeri recently released. The idea is a great one, getting young people and adults interested in modeling by supplying everything you need in one box, including a DVD with video instructions.

The kits in the series are:

  • Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon in 1/72 scale.
  • BO-105 Police Helicopter in 1/32.
  • HMMWV Fire Department Cargo Truck in 1/32
  • Mirage 2000C in 1/72.

The kit is the same mold as used by Revell for their Tiger Meet Mirage 2000. That being said, it’s a good choice for this type of model, as it is not a snap-kit, but it isn’t incredibly difficult either.

I started by putting the DVD in my DVD Player. It wouldn’t read the DVD. The problem is that there are 6 zones for DVD media; Europe is Region 2, and the US/Canada are Region 1.

Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$9.99

The MHU-191 is a welcomed addition to the 1/32nd scale community of accessories. It is a very BASIC and easy to build resin kit. The kit was contained in a sealed cellophane bag and consisted of 4 resin parts carriers and a decal sheet. All parts were well protected and not damaged.

The total time it took me to unwrap, clean up, assemble, and paint the model was about 10 minutes. The parts separated from their carrier with very little effort. There was minimal flash and it only took a few passes with the back side of my razor knife to clean. I prewashed all parts and used ACC glue to assemble. The front wheels and draw bar are adjustable for different angles.