Welcome to the IPMS/USA Reviews site!

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 John Noack, IPMS/USA 1st VP.

To learn more about IPMS/USA, please see our About Us page.

Kitset contents

A-7E Corsair II Cockpit Set
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$21.50

The Product

The Aires set arrived in the standard blister pack we all have come to recognize. The multimedia mix includes cast resin pieces in varying shades of gray finely cast and flawless they are beautifully done, my sample came with a couple broken pieces from the delicate control stick and was easily repaired. The photo etch instrument panel fret also includes seatbelts and other fiddly bits all renderings are very nice. Topping off the mix is the infamous Aires acetate sheet with the printed dial faces.

Bottom Line

The instructions are well thought out pointing out where modifications are required. This mainly consists of removing raised detail and thinning the plastic. This may seems old school to a lot of us modelers but remember fundamentals are what make a great model. All in all this is a great improvement over the Hobby Boss parts and is well worth the time and effort needed for a proper fit.

Box Art

MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Review Author
Dave Koukol
Published on
Company
Skunk Models Workshop
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$54.95

General Atomics’ MQ-9 Reaper was conceived and birthed as a super-sized version of the MQ-1 Predator, which had met with great success in the time-critical-targeting (TCT) role in the late 1990’s and early part of this century. Despite Predator’s utility in the TCT role, it was limited by the size, quantity and diversity of payload it could deliver, as well as by limited range and service ceiling. As a result, “Predator B” was developed to leverage the success of the “Predator A” design, while minimizing development time, risk, and cost. The final product was a weapons system capable of carrying 3,750 pounds (an increase of nearly 800%), including GBU-12 Paveways and GBU-38 JDAMs, in addition to AGM-114 Hellfires, and a 50% increase in range and altitude. Given the significant increase in capability over the legacy Predator design, the MQ-9 was redesignated “Reaper.”

Box Art

USS Coronado LCS-4

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Published on
Company
Cyber-Hobby
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$29.50

USS Coronado, scheduled for commissioning in October 2012, is an Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS). Designed by Lockheed-Martin and constructed by General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works, Coronado is the second of her class, and features a high-speed trimaran hull and reconfigurable mission bays tailored to specific mission profiles.

Box Art

NASCAR 2010 Chevrolet Impala
Review Author
Dave Koukol
Published on
Company
AMT
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$19.95

Introduced mid-season 2007, NASCAR’s “Car of Tomorrow” (COT) hit the track in an effort to improve driver safety, decrease operating cost, and level the proverbial playing field between the monster multi-car teams and the smaller race teams competing in the Sprint Cup Series. Although received with skepticism and initial contempt by some drivers, the “wing thing” proved to be a more rugged, reliable, and measurable machine than its predecessor. With COT’s arrival, manufacturer’s body styles settled in around 4 core models: Chevy Impala, Ford Fusion, Dodge Charger, and Toyota Camry.

Box Art

Sd. Kfz. 7/2 3.7 cm Flak 36 Smart Kit
Review Author
Michael Novosad
Published on
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$59.95

History and Performance

The Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two, by Chamberlain, Doyle and Jentz, show that 319 Sd. Kfz. 7/1 fitted with quad 2 cm FV38 were produced until October 1944, and 123 Sd. Kfz. 7/2 fitted with 3.7 cm FlaK 36 were produced until February 1945. This review addresses the latter vehicle. These vehicles were issued to FlaK units of the Luftwaffe.

I scoured many of the personal library references and found very few images of these vehicles. Nonetheless, this looks like a very interesting build.