Nose detail

Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo Porter

Finished 2

I-16 Type 10 WWII China Guomindang AF Fighter

Fuselage Sprue

EA-18G "VAQ-141 Shadowhawks"

8 completed kit

Lockheed Martin F-104 Starfighter A/C

Dash

Sauber Mercedes C9

Compressor Faces

Gloster Javelin FAW 9/9R

Sprue fenders

M48A3 Mod.B

Front

Avro Shackelton AEW.2

8

Russian Medium Tank T-34/85

Flash

Boeing 720 “Caesar’s Chariot”

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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.

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Box Art

Manned Research Submersible SHINKAI 6500 (Upgraded Thruster Version 2012)
Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$34.99

In their third release of the Science World series of kits, Hasegawa has reproduced the Japanese manned research submersible Shinkai 6500 in 1/72 scale with upgraded thrusters that were added in 2012. The company previously released the original version of the submersible as SW01 (54001), and parts for that version are contained in this box as well. The kit builds up nicely, with many of the items fitting snugly enough that you might almost consider not applying glue. With the exception of just a few small parts, model builders of any age can complete a very respectable looking model from this kit, and more experienced builders should enjoy the level of detail provided by Hasegawa.

Decal Package

USAAF National Insignia June 1943 – January 1947
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
SuperScale International
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.00

Squadron and SuperScale have released a decal sheet, #481266, with USAAF national insignia for the period June 1943 to January 1947. This decal sheet does not include the red border around the circle and bars. As such, I believe the markings are only valid from September 1943 until 1947, not from June 1943 as listed in the decal sheet title.

The sheet includes decals for scale diameters of 25”, 30”, 35”, 36”, 40” and 55”. They are very shiny and printed by Cartograf (i.e. – good quality decals). The decal sheet instruction includes a location map for P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47 and P-51 aircraft.

Decals are thin, yet strong. I was able to float them onto the model and then easily relocate them for final placement until dry. They settled into the recessed panel lines with a minimal application of Micro Set. At the same time, the decals are opaque and have a vibrant color.

In just a few words: they are excellent decals.

Box Art

B-25G “Shark Mouth”
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Academy Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$74.00

Academy continues to re-release the Accurate Miniatures series, which in my opinion is a very good thing. Despite their age, Accurate Miniature molds have very good surface detail and they have held up pretty well. There is virtually no flash at all. I only had to clean up two parts for a bit of flash.

Originally, Accurate Miniature released the B-25G as a conversion set for their early mark B-25. This particular re-release brings you all the parts needed to assemble a B-25G in a single box, plus decals from Cartograf. As a plus, you get plenty of spare parts from the early mark (B/C/D) B-25s.

Parts Package

P-51D Mustang Seat
Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$5.00

Quickboost has added the seat for the P-51D Mustang to their line of resin aircraft accessories. This latest addition is molded in a grayish resin, smooth, seamless and bubble-free. The seat is molded in one piece and is easy to remove from the mold block.

The package doesn’t state that it is for any particular kit, so it should work well with any of the P-51D Mustang kits. I compared it with the Tamiya kit’s seat. Talk about a noticeable difference – the detail on the Quickboost part is outstanding. From the photos you can see that the Quickboost seat has the belts molded , and you can almost feel the seat material in the cushion under the belts. You will definitely want to have the canopy open for this.

Parts Package

T-45 Goshawk Landing Gear
Review Author
Bill Kluge
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$16.95

Here’s another fine replacement landing gear set from SAC, this time for the new Kinetic Goshawk. The white metal parts are a spot-on match for the kit gear. In situations where the weight of the model could lead to overstressed and broken gear, these sets are a lifesaver (the life of the model, that is). All relevant parts are there, including both the compressed and extended nose gear struts.

A few of the smaller, thinner pieces in the package I received were slightly bent, but were easily returned to their proper shape. That just shows that care must be taken when handling some of those more delicate thin pieces, but unlike plastic, they are more easily reshaped when necessary before they reach the breaking point.

All told, another very worthy effort from Scale Aircraft Conversions. Thanks to SAC and IPMS for the review sample.