Interior

Audi R8 Spyder

Upper cockpit view

Sopwith Camel F.1

Paint Set

B-26B Marauder

Construction

Beobachtungspanzerwagen Sd.Kfz. 251/18 Ausf. A

Back

MiG-15 Weekend

Figure 2

Lois & Co. Monowheel Mk.I

Finished

Heinkel He-162A "War Prizes"

Sally assembly

In The Skies Of China, Composite Kit: Ki-21 and Ki-27

Right Wing Seam Filled

Fw 190A-5

Deck

HMS Warspite, 1915

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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

2010 Camaro SS
Review Author
Steve Jahnke
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$24.95

The Chevrolet Camaro was Chevy’s answer to the pony car sweepstakes in the late 60’s. Over the years, the “Bow-Tie” boys brought out many exciting and powerful Camaros to do battle with Ford and Chrysler. After a short hiatus in early 2000, Chevy brought back the Camaro in its current retro styling that harks back to the car’s 1969 aggressive styling. Today’s Camaro is truly a state of the art Pony Car, in part because it rolls on modern and expensive independent rear suspension (IRS) components just like its big brother Corvette; engine power ranges from its base 304 bhp V6 engine while V8s are available up to the 6.2 litre 400 bhp L99 engine.

Box Art

TBD-1 Devastator
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Great Wall Hobby
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$79.95

History Brief

The early 1930s US Navy needed a torpedo bomber and accepted the all-new monoplane design from the Douglas aircraft company. The TBD-1 Devastator was ordered on June 30, 1934, first flying in 1935 and entering service in 1937. The Devastator was, at that point in time, possibly the most advanced aircraft flying for the USN or any navy in the world. However, the fast pace of aircraft development caught up with it and, by the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the TBD was already outdated. However, it performed well in some of the early battles, such as Coral Sea, where they saw extensive action. But, during the Battle of Midway, six Devastators launched on their mission against the Japanese fleet were all slaughtered save one, and they did not score any direct hits. As a result, the remaining aircraft of the type were immediately withdrawn from front line service and replaced by the TBF Avenger (also ineffective at Midway).

Decals

Decals for RCAF Sunderlands in Coastal Command
Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
Company
Aviaeology
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$16.99

Aviaeology has re-released their Sunderland decals in 1/48 as “Updated and Expanded.” This package contains a single standard size decal sheet with markings for three aircraft and national markings for one.

All three aircraft are Sunderland GR.III models and are as follows:

  1. EK591: Aircraft 2*U of 422 Squadron RAF Coastal Command, Castle Archdale, Ireland early-mid 1944
  2. DD859: Aircraft 3*G of 423 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Castle Archdale, Ireland August 1943
  3. ML825: Aircraft AB*D of 423 Squadron RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Castle Archdale, Ireland September 1944

Included with the decals is a very well done, four-page set of directions which includes the decal placement guide, color callouts, and some historical data for each aircraft included. All three of the aircraft included with this decal sheet are responsible for sinking German U-Boats in WWII.

Cover

The Complete Illustrated Manual of Handgun Skills
Book Author(s)
Robert Campbell
Review Author
Michael Scott
Published on
Company
Zenith Press
MSRP
$27.99

The title of this book is somewhat misleading. Very little of it has to do with “handgun skills,” with that taken to mean skill with a handgun. A look at the cover indicates this, showing a target, shooting glasses, and three pistols, but also a couple of cartridges, ear protectors and cleaning materials. It's really a personal look at handguns, attempting to cover all of the bases and not delving too deeply into any of them.

Decals

JASDF 40th Anniversary UH-60J Decals
Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
Company
Hobby Collective
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.00

New to the modeling world is Hobby Collective. This excellent decal sheet covers the 1/72 JASDF UH-60J helicopter in 40th Anniversary markings.

Included in the bag are one decal sheet and a double-sided direction page.

The decal sheet itself is slightly larger than a standard sheet and includes markings for a single helicopter (UH-60J 28-4556) from the Japanese Air Self Defense Force in markings to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the group. The aircraft is very colorful in white over yellow with markings of a dragon on both sides of the fuselage.

The directions are all in Japanese but, with a few minutes of study, the modeler can determine what needs to be done. One side is printed in color and has FS color callouts and decal placements. The back is black and white and includes the decal placements for the stencil data of the aircraft.