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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
Perry Downen
Published on
May 16, 2011
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/12
MSRP
$62.99

History

Established in 1949 by the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing. Currently it consists of an eighteen-race series visiting fourteen countries, and four continents. Eight nationalities of the world's most skilled riders are mounted on purebred racing bikes. These purpose-built, high tech prototypes are fielded by four manufacturers; Ducati, Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki. They are not available for purchase by the general public and cannot be legally ridden on public roads.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
May 16, 2011
Company
Master Details
MSRP
$19.95

I don’t normally go for installing figures in my models; however, after this one, I may change my stripes and do so more frequently.

First

Thanks to master Details for providing this excellent product to us. It was quite a pleasant diversion from just slappin’ together plastic… and an excellent addition to most WWII British kits!

What You Get

A torso, four different arms, and two legs in resin. And four different heads in white metal, along with an oxygen mask and hose for separate parts. One head with goggles down and no mask, one with goggles up and mask in place, one with mask and goggles in place, and one with mask in place, goggles up. The flight gear is for non-tropical situations, i.e. standard European issue. This is a mid-to-late war flight kit project; not appropriate warmer theaters of operation.

Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
May 16, 2011
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$51.00

History Brief:

The GermanWehrmacht and Luftwaffe grew into a powerful military machine during the last half of the1930s under Nazi control. They were very well equipped with all the latest and greatest weapons the world had ever seen. When the early weapons and training were tested in Spain confidence grew and then they seemed unstoppable blitzing through Europe at will.

As the war progressed so did the inventory of halftracksthe Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe operated, listing several types and sizes of halftracks each with a specific purpose. Our subject the Sd.Kfz.10 was one of the lighter types. Initially conceived as a utility tow for small towed guns, several different specialist vehicles were based on this halftrack design including Sd.Kfz.10/5, its rear hull was refitted with a purpose-built anti-aircraft platform carrying a 2cm FlaK38 platform. Around 14,000 Sd.Kfz.10 halftracks were built from 1938-45.

Book Author(s)
Dr. David Baker
Review Author
Dave Koukol
Published on
May 16, 2011
Company
Zenith Press
MSRP
$28.00

Possibly one of the world’s most recognizable flying machines, the NASA Space Shuttle was the first reusable piloted spacecraft, and to this day remains unrivaled in versatility and success in that role. Having its genesis in waning years of the Apollo Program, the Shuttle evolved throughout the early 70’s, dodging the lethal pens of budget-cutters, and matured into what now is the icon of American manned spaceflight. Now, 30 years after the maiden flight, the program draws to a close in 2011.

Dr. Baker skillfully and intimately captures the history and underlying technology of the Shuttle program and its family of 6 craft in this beautiful 196-page hard-backed edition. The volume is well-written by a man with first-hand experience in the program, and packed with over 250 photos and technical illustrations – a modeler’s dream!

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Published on
May 15, 2011
Company
Tamiya
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$168.00

Introduced in the latter half of 1944, the Mk. XVIe variant of Supermarine’s legendary design was optimized for low-altitude operations, featuring a Packard-built Merlin 266 powerplant, clipped wings, teardrop canopy, packing a pair each of 20mm cannon and 12.7mm machine guns, and toting either a pair of 250-lb bombs or a single 500-pounder. The Mk. XVI was the last Merlin-powered Spitfire variant to roll off the assembly line, and saw service with the RAF and a number of other nations into the 1950’s.