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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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Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$19.95

The Kurtis Kraft company built some of the first specialty race cars of the post war era. Started by Frank Kurtis in the 1930s, the company would go on to build race cars ranging from midget racers to the “big cars,” that raced the grand prix circuit which included The Indy 500. This model represents a 1955 Kurtis Kraft 500C model powered by a 255 ci Offenhauser engine producing 400hp. These cars could hit 170 mph. Nine of these cars were built. In fact, between 1950 and 1955 Kurtis Kraft cars won four of five Indy races.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.00

The FuG 220 Sn-2b radar antennas were installed on Bf 110 and Ju 88 night fighters during World War. These radar antennas are the focal point of any night fighter kit. Model Master from Poland provides us with turned brass antenna struts and antenna dipoles to enhance the look of our next night fighter kit.

The turned brass parts mean that no mold line is present and that alone is enough of a reason to consider upgrading your kit. The other advantage is that antenna struts and dipoles actually have a circular cross-section.

Assembly is straightforward and simple. The instructions recommend soldering the parts together for assembly, but my soldering skills are not very good. I’ve used super glue instead. It worked OK, but I managed to knock off the dipoles in a few occasions during construction.

Book Author(s)
John Alcorn
Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
Albatros Productions, Ltd.
MSRP
$17.12

This is the second of two volumes dealing with the history of the DeHavilland DH-9A, and continues the story of the postwar development and service of this most versatile biplane. The first volume generated a lot of feedback, so a number of points are clarified, and more details are included, although the main thrust of this issue is the postwar service and development, as well as the Russian copies that were produced as the R-1 after the Bolshevik Revolution. Since there are a couple of kits available of this aircraft, at least in 1/72 scale, the book will be of special interest for those of us who model World War I and “Tween the Wars” airplanes.

Review Author
Ed Kinney
Published on
Company
Fisher Model and Pattern
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$225.00

It is my distinct pleasure to present to you Paul Fisher’s latest full resin kit effort, the RB-51 “Red Baron”. I guess what surprises me most, having had the opportunity to build and review each of his magnificent 1/32nd scale aircraft kits, is his innate ability to continue to raise the bar on himself each time. This one is no exception, Paul having produced quality models for 32 years now.

His kits come to you in a very sturdy cardboard box, very carefully hand packed and wrapped in several layers of tissue by Paul’s lovely wife Suzy. I mean c’mon! What more could you ask for? No kidding, you really don’t see very many like this in today’s market. After the tissue is removed and the exquisitely cast resin pieces are exposed, it is top quality as far as the eye can see.

Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$18.95

A product of the brilliant yet practical designer Ed Heinemann, the Skyhawk was a simple lightweight naval attack jet that served the U.S. Navy and Marines far beyond what anyone expected. One of its standout roles was serving as the mount of the U.S Navy’s Blue Angels aerobatic team from 1974 to 1986. These Naval ambassadors dazzled hundreds of thousands of people with their precision maneuvers, which the A-4, with its phenomenal roll rate, was capable of doing. I had the opportunity to witness these aircraft in action at the Pt. Mugu NAS in my teens. I was looking forward to sharing a shiny blue and gold bird with you until I saw the decal sheet. This is the original Monogram kit we all know which, in spite of its raised panel lines, still holds up against its contemporaries. There are decals for the Blue Angel birds 1 thru 4 but the other option is that of Senator John S. McCain’s A-4E as it looked in June 1967 when he was assigned to the Klansmen of VA-45.