Left Rear

British Heavy Tank Conqueror Mark 2

Finished Model - Rear

Panzerjaeger II fuer 7.62cm PaK 36 (Sd.Kfz.132) "Marder II D"

Left-front

Gloster Gladiator, Limited Edition

Finished

Mercedes Benz Actros MP4 Giga Space

Interior Starboard 3

Lancaster Mk.1B - Part 1 of 3

Finished 1

Junkers J.1

Figure closeup

USAF Crew Chief "Cold Weather"

Finished 3

Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat

Image 3

Kfir C2/C7

Front view

Captain America Monster Truck

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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

Higgins PT Boat On Deck
Book Author(s)
David Doyle
Review Author
Mike Kellner
Published on
Company
Squadron Products
MSRP
$18.95

The Higgins PT boat is lesser known than the Elco PT boat probably because a future president wasn't driving one that got cut in half by an enemy destroyer. There were only 209 Higgins PT boats built versus 326 Elco 80-foot PT boats, but it’s claimed by various sources that more Higgins 78-foot PT boats survive today.

This soft-cover book measures 8 1/4 by 11 inches, the same as others in this "On Deck" series, and is 80 pages in length, with a good mix of vintage photos and other shots of some surviving restored boats. It is also available in a hardcover version for an additional nine dollars, as stock number SS66008.

Box Art

B-29 Superfortress Combat Chronicles
Book Author(s)
Robert Hilton
Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
Company
Squadron Products
MSRP
$24.95

This is the first of Squadron’s “Combat Chronicles” series I have had a chance to read and review. The format is a little different than most other publications from this publisher, in that it is focused specifically on the combat operations of a particular unit operating the title aircraft.

This volume focuses on the training and combat operations of the 40th Bomb Group/58th Bomb Wing operating the B-29 during WW2. The author is a veteran of this unit, and narrates his experiences starting with early Stateside training. He then progresses through early combat operations flying from India, over “The Hump”, to stage out of forward bases in China. Next, he describes the Group’s relocation to the Marianas and the final phases of the bombing campaign against Japan. Ultimately, he discusses some of the efforts to air drop supplies to POWs immediately following the Japanese surrender.

Box Art

Hawker Hunter Pitot Tube

Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$5.00

Model-Master has added a number of turned brass pitot tubes to their line of metal detailing parts for kits ranging from 1/32 to 1/72. This one is designed to enhance any 1/72 Hawker Hunter. It is amazing to see how much something as small as this will improve the appearance of a 1/72 scale model. How small is it? It’s so small that it is almost lost in the package it comes in (so a little extra care is recommended when removing it from the package and while handling it).

Comparing it to the kit part clearly illustrates how much an injection molded plastic part may have to be bulked up for manufacturing…resulting in something that is far thicker than it should be. The photo below of the Master-Model tapered metal part next to the kit part on the sprue shows how much out of scale the kit part is.

Box Art

IJN Cruiser Submarine I-16, Pearl Harbor with Detail Set
Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
Company
Aoshima
Scale
1/350
MSRP
$59.79

The Imperial Japanese Navy Cruiser Submarine I-16 was constructed at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in Kobe, and was then towed to Kure Navy Yard for completion, as well as commissioning in 1940. She was the lead boat for a class of five submarines that included the I-18, I-20, I-22, and I-24, which were Type C1 boats. The design of this class was based on the Junsen-type, and they were developed from the type KD6. These boats were designed to carry either the Ko-hoteki midget submarine or Kaiten suicide torpedo.

Box Art

FW-189 Masks
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$15.00

The Great Wall FW-189 is a really nice kit but one thing you notice about the airplane is the large expanse of windows around the cockpit. The whole procedure of masking the canopy would just about kill me and take hours of work. Now, if you are like me and like to get on with the painting, anything that will make canopy masking faster and easier is just what I’m looking for.

The Eduard masks are designed from “Kabuki” tape. This means that they are made from a really pliable tape that you can visually see is down around the edges, just like Tamiya tape. Besides all the windows and because this sheet is so large, Eduard also gives you masks for the wheels. If my counting is correct, there are 93 individual masks included on this large sheet. Can you imagine having to cut that many masks out yourself? I can’t. That kit would just languish in the to-do pile. Now, thanks to Eduard, the kit will probably see the light of day.