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.

Book Author(s)
Simon Forty
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$28.95

Having just reviewed the previous book in the Casemate Illustrated Series (No. 37 – The German Infantryman on the Eastern Front), I expected this book to follow the same format. While the outline of the book and its chapters are the same, the content differs vastly, and in a good way, especially for modelers. This book has a lot more focus on the Soviet Infantryman through re-enactor photographs focusing on uniforms and weapons, and more personal Soviet infantrymen accounts.

From the book’s conclusion,

The Western view of the Soviet infantryman and Red Army is colored by the Cold War. As the Soviet Union moved from valued ally to likely adversary, the Eastern Front battles were dissected by the German generals who had fought them. They pushed their own agendas and tended to undervalue their opponents, blaming the German defeat on hordes, poor strategy from the top, and almost anything other than the prowess of the Red Army.

Book Author(s)
Simon Forty and Richard Charlton Taylor
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$28.94

From the book’s conclusion,

In 1939-1942 German infantrymen were the best trained and most efficient soldiers in the Western world. Their victories in Europe optimized the use of new technology and old skillsets to overpower their enemies in a series of lightning thrusts. Spearheaded by airborne special forces and amor, fully supported by a rampant air arm, quite simply they blew away the opposition and made fools of the Allies who had defeated an older generation of Germans so comprehensively in 1918.

Book Author(s)
David Grummitt
Review Author
Joe Terry
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$29.95

In the thirteenth volume of Pen & Sword Books Land Craft series, Dr. David Grummitt provides an informative and detailed look US Self-Propelled Artillery from the post Korean War era to present. Having previously authored six other books for Pen & Sword, covering armored fighting vehicles and tanks, Dr. Grummitt now turns his attention to self-propelled artillery in his latest book: Kings of Battle, US Self-Propelled Artillery, 1963-2023. A professional Historian by trade, Dr. Grummitt is also an avid modeler and serves as the editor of Military Modelcraft International, which unique background combines to present a work that is both historically interesting and relevant to the scale modeler.

In this book the history of US Self-Propelled Artillery since 1963 is covered over sixty-four pages divided into twelve chapters outlined as follows

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Brengun
Scale
1:144
MSRP
$10.92

The Item

If you want to bring your Piper L4 Cub Grasshopper aircraft kit to the next level, this excellent detail set is just the thing for you. This extensive PE sheet set has most of the appliqués that can be added to the kit to provide a fully detailed rendering of the Piper L4 Cub aircraft. In addition, acetate window sections and resin cockpit and wheel sets are also included

PE parts generally require certain tools to bend/and manipulate the parts for a good fit. You’ll find those at online and local hobby shops. Adhesion can be done in a variety of ways including thin cements, paint, or even floor polish, depending on the part’s requirements. This set comes with instructions and the parts are correspondingly numbered on the fret tree. Resin parts require cleanup and C/A or epoxy adhesives.

All-in-all this set will definitely enhance the appearance of your Mark I Piper L4 Cub Grasshopper kit.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Brengun
Scale
1:144
MSRP
$5.73

The Item

If you want to bring your Mark I Hawker Tempest Mk.V aircraft kit to the next level, this excellent canopy set is just the thing for you. This crystal clear vacu-formed canopy provides an excellent viewing piece for the cockpit area

Adhesion can be done in a variety of ways including thin cements, paint, or even floor polish, depending on the part’s requirements.

All-in-all this set will definitely enhance the appearance of your Mark I Piper L4 Cub Grasshopper kit.

The Subject

The Hawker Tempest Mk.V was a British fighter aircraft that was primarily used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War.

It was developed from the Hawker Typhoon, and intended to address the Typhoon’s unexpected deterioration in performance at high altitude by replacing its wing with a thinner laminar flow design.