IPMS/USA Reviews Website

Zorro

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.

North American P-51D Mustang, Part 3

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.

Russian ASU-85 Airborne Self-propelled Gun Mod.1956

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.

Flakpanzer IV Ausf G "Wirbelwind" Early Production

Review Author

Tom Moon

Published on

July 4, 2020

Company

Dragon Models

Scale

1/35

MSRP

$62.95

The Flakpanzer IV “Wirbelwind” (German for whirlwind) was a self-propelled quad 2.0 cm anti-aircraft gun based on the Pz IV. It was developed in 1944 as a replacement for the Mobelwagen. The Wirbelwind was replaced by the Ostwind with a single 3.7cm FlaK 43. The number of units produced ranged from upper 80’s to approximately 105.

This is a multimedia kit comprised of 500+ styrene parts, magic tracks, one braided metal wire (which is very stiff even after annealing), one photo etched fret, decals and the set of instructions that need to be reviewed very carefully before gluing any parts together.

Most Dragon models today are a collection of old sprues and new sprues added to create a new kit variant. In this case, Dragon has done so and you will have some sprues with the same letter. Even though Dragon has not advertised this is a 2-in-1 kit, you have many options that need to be reviewed and decided on before you start this kit.

Weathering Pigments

Review Author

Tom Sprawls

Published on

July 31, 2011

Company

ModelMakerZ

MSRP

$5.00

Among the companies offering ways to weather and complement the realism of your scale models a new competitor has emerged. The company ModelMaker Z is now offering Pigment Powders. A selection of 17 unique colors with descriptive names such as Dark Russian Dirt, South East Asian Mud, Old Rust, Medium Rust, and Panzer Gray Fading are available. The ultra-fine pigment powders are packaged in clear half-ounce bottles with screw-on lids. Powder Pigments likes to say the bottles are transparent because “Quality and Value are Clear”. Each 1/2-oz. bottle retails for $5.00 and is available from your local Hobby Shop as well as direct from the ModelMaker Z web site.