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Box Art

Gotha IV
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Wingnut Wings, Ltd
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$139.00

First comment: Thanks to Richard at Wingnut wings for sending IPMS USA a review copy of this magnificent kit. Did I say it was “Magnificent”? You better believe it!

Crammed into a sturdy double-corrugated lower, full-color wraparound upper box is undoubtedly one of the most complex, yet simple-to-build, WWI kits I have ever encountered. Box art is excellent, showing two aircraft flying through flak and dropping bombs… Given the reputation of this still-young company, you don’t have to worry. There has been a bit of engineering involved here (duh) to provide excellent fit and, as our British friends say, “Value for Money”.

Box Art

1959 Ford Galaxie Skyliner with Retractable Top
Review Author
Perry Downen
Published on
Company
Revell, Inc.
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.95

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Revell for providing this kit to IPMS/USA and to them for allowing me to review it.

The Ford Skyliner was an innovative full-size car that came with a retractable hardtop and was built for only three years, 1957, 1958 and 1959. It had a very complex mechanism, which folded a section on the front part of the roof and then retracted it under the rear deck lid. It had three roof drive motors driving four lift jacks, four door lock motors, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms for the roof, and a total of 610-ft. of wiring. It was the first retractable hardtop to be mass-produced. The standard engine was a 332 cu. in. or an optional 352 cu. in. was available. Transmissions available on the Skyliner were two manual transmissions, a three-speed and a three speed with overdrive as well as the 3-speed Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission.

Box Art

Vulcan Shuttle Surak w/Warp Sled
Review Author
Robert Folden
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/187
MSRP
$24.99

For Star Trek fans [trekkers], the recent re-releases of the AMT line of Star Trek models has been welcomed with open arms. The re-releases feature all new decals, and in some cases, some new tooling. The Vulcan Shuttle is no exception. First seen in "Star Trek: the Motion Picture", the shuttle Surak is most known for delivering Cmdr. Spock to the newly refitted USS Enterprise NCC-1701. The original release of the Surak featured only a few decals, leaving the modeler the task of masking and painting the complex paneling. Round 2’s new release of the shuttle has solved this.

Box Art

Flakpanzer V "Coelian" w/Panzer Riders
Review Author
Robert Folden
Published on
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$29.95

So what’s better than a 37mm FlaK 43? How about twin FlaK 43s. And how about mounting them in an enclosed, armored turret and mounting them to an armored chassis? In 1943, the German military contractor Rheinmetall-Borsig started designing the Flakpanzer 341 to be just that, an armored, mobile twin 37mm air defense platform. Commonly referred to as the Coelian [Flakpanzer V], the vehicle mounted twin FlaK 43’s in a powered turret which featured the ability to fire near vertical. The turret found itself mounted to a Panther chassis that had been slightly modified. Although the Coelian never made it past a wooden mockup [on actual Panther chassis], several experts over the years have speculated that the design would not have been effective due to the enclosed turret. Many believe that the turret design did not properly allow for the exhaust gasses from the twin 37mm guns to vent.

Packaging

LIFE RAFT CONTAINER
Review Author
Roger Carrano
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$3.99

Basically this Life Raft Container kit contains three grey resin pieces on one resin casting block. One piece is the cylindrical container, the next is the raft itself and finally, the last is the cover. These pieces can be painted quickly and easily. The assembly is nothing more than cutting a round hole on the side of the fuselage where the container and cover would go. The container is glued from the inside and the cover can be shown in the open position with the raft showing or any position you can think of for your own diorama setting. The included directions illustrate where the hole is cut and also provide a template as to the diameter of the hole to be cut.

I know some people don’t like to cut into their kits “skin” but this is not difficult at all.

I would highly recommend this addition for any level of modeling skills that you may have and definitely great for beginners to build confidence.