Completed Model

Soviet IT-1 Missle Tank

Bottom of sprues

Café Furniture and Crockery

Finished

J2M3 Raiden ‘Jack’ Part 2

Camo and markings options 1

Fiat G.50bis Freccia “Regia Aeronautica”

Finished model

REP 1912 Floats

Port view with figures

DH. 82A Tiger Moth with WWII RAF Cadets

Front from above

M-60 Patton

Sprue E

Bristol Beaufort Mk. I, Bombing Raid (Part 1)

Right Front

Etendard IVP/IVM

Instrument panel

Cessna O-2A Skymaster

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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.

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.

Box Art

Hawker Typhoon Seat (with Sutton Harness)
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Ultracast
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.99

The Product:

Attached to apiece of folded card-stock in a simple zip-lock poly bag, I found a pair of finely cast resin seats. The detail and quality is simply amazing. And is just what the Doctor ordered to cure the ho-hum kit seat part syndrome. The seat is correctly fitted out with the Sutton harness and backrest cushion, the rolled pan and tube seat construction is faithfully represented.

Some people prefer ‘photo etch belts’ vs. the ‘cast in mold’ harness belts, and of course this is just my opinion, but I like the molded harness belts a lot better, and for several different reasons, plus when they look like these do I’m a very happy camper.

The Bottom Line:

Awesome product I give it a 5 star rating. I highly recommend it to anyone at any skill level.

Thanks:

My Thanks to ULTRACAST and to IPMS for allowing me the chance to inspect and review such a fine item.

Box Art

Hawker Typhoon/Tempest Seats (with Mid-Late War “Q” Type Harness)
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Ultracast
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.99

Arriving in a small zip-lock bag stapled to folded card wearing Canadian maple leafs, we find a pair of beautiful seats, complete with molded cushions and the unique “Q” type harness belts, keeping with their high standards Ultracast has produce a high quality resin castings that correctly represents a accurate seat for these two aircraft during the mid to late war time period.

The Typhoon and Tempest, lucky day you score two for one on this deal since you get two seats in the package you can use both of them for the two offerings that are available.

First the Hasegawa Typhoon, and yes it is a beautiful kit, but the kit seat part is weak and featureless to say the least, even photo etch harness belts would not help, in fact years ago Hasegawa themselves released the Typhoon in a “Super Detail” boxing with a complete resin cockpit upgrade produced by “Jaguar” very nice to say the least, well good luck finding one of those (and yes, I have one).

Box Art

P-40B/C Propeller w/tool
Review Author
Ben Guenther
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$8.50

Quickboost has been making many types of resin accessories for aircraft for years now, one of which are propellers. This is a review of their P-40B/C propeller which has been faultlessly cast in their grey resin. This product provides three props, one spinner and a tool to assemble these pieces. The spinner has a casting gate on the bottom that was cut off with a razor saw and cleaned up with a file in 5 minutes or less. The props are even easier, they are removed quite easily and had no seam lines to remove, just a little sanding on the base. With the Quickboost tool you can paint the spinner and props separately before hand then assemble the parts into a complete propeller.

Box Art

Plane Spotters Guide
Book Author(s)
Tony Holmes
Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$11.95

Review copy courtesy of Osprey Publishing.

When Steve Collins announced that this book was available, I asked for it to review, because at one time I worked in AF Intel, and got intimately involved with aircraft identification. Especially when a Breguet Alize taxied right past my office window and parked a few hundred meters away. Made my week.

I expected this book to be a comprehensive listing of a lot of aircraft which a lucky person might encounter on a good day somewhere like Oshkosh Airventure or Farnborough International Airshow, or a military base.

I also expected some 3-view drawings and a rather truncated description of the aircraft’s origin, subtypes, and identifying features.

Box Art

Ooma's Tuna Fishing Boat "Ryoufuku-maru #31"
Review Author
Tom Pope
Published on
Company
Aoshima
Scale
1/64
MSRP
$59.95

Introduction

If you're looking to change things up a little from the armor or naval vessels or historical military aircraft kits you've been building, what about a tuna fishing boat for a change of pace? Aoshima of Japan is offering just such a kit with "Ryoufuku-maru #31". Tuna fishing is the main industry in the north of the island of Honshu, Japan and Aoshima offers this kit of the boat that makes it all possible. The boat depicted by this kit is representative of the typical tuna fishing boat this industry is built around.

My thanks go out to Dragon Models USA for providing this Aoshima kit for review and to IPMS USA for letting me review it.