20

Convair B-36D/F/H/J Peacemaker

Test fit front view

A-20G Havoc Test Shot

Finished left side

B-26 F/G Marauder

Soft styrene log replaced with real wood stick

Soviet T-64 Mod 1972

Closeup of engine deck

IDF M109A2 Rochev

Ak-47 & M-16

Somewhere in the Middle East

Cockpit & Engine

SPAD VII c.1(w/Skis)

Top view with plane and figures

Carrier Deck Section

Assembly- Figure A

American Gasoline Loaders (1910s)

Assembly 2

Beechcraft T-34A Mentor

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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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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

Diorama with Ruins
Review Author
Dave Steingass
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$33.50

MiniArt has released a huge number of diorama and scenic kits, designed with the scratchbuilder and kitbasher in mind. This kit is a simple unreinforced brick building ruin, suitable for almost any era or location in the world that has used this type of construction technique.

This kit consists of 35 parts, including a vacuformed base measuring 238x170mm, one sheet of vacuformed walls, one sprue of injection-molded styrene accessories (the accessory sprue seems to be the compulsory treat included in all MiniArt kits), and a one-page, double-sided instruction sheet.

Box Art

Cobblestone Pavement
Review Author
Dave Steingass
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$33.50

Miniart has released a huge number of diorama and scenic kits designed for universal use. Miniart also includes excellent injection-molded accessory sprues in their kits. This kit includes the same accessory sprue as kit# 35530 Street Accessories.

This kit consists simply of two sheets of semicircle-patterned vacu-formed cobblestone brick streets, a sprue containing parts for a park bench and other accessories in 1/35 scale, and a 2-sided instruction sheet, which is really not necessary.

The streets are in two vacu-formed sheets which, when combined, measure 336x249mm. I only used a 40mm circle of the streets as basing for a scratchbuilt steampunk Walker project of mine, which is really in about 1/54 scale, so it is quite universal for modelers of all genres and multiple scales.

Decal Packaging

Decals for Canadian-Built Mosquitoes
Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
Company
Iliad Design
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.99

This excellent decal sheet contains markings for five aircraft – all Canadian-built Mosquitoes! Included in the package are one standard size decal sheet and a double-sided full color directions page which includes some brief historical data and individual aircraft information.

Aircraft included are:

  • DHC Mosquito B.XX “New Glasgow” KB162
  • Mosquito B.VIII (KB315) “The Spook” US Markings & serial number
  • DHC Mosquito B.XX KB195
  • Mosquito F.B.26 KA406 as the 1,000th Mosquito built by deHavilland Canada
  • Mosquito F.B.26 (FB1) purchased by the Chinese in 1948

The decals are well done, and printed in perfect register.

I highly recommend this decal sheet to anyone looking to build a Mosquito that is a little different than the rest. Iliad Design has done a great job of picking some unique aircraft that will look great on the contest table or in your display case.

Box Art

Tom 'The Mongoose' McEwen Rail Dragster
Review Author
Jim Stratton
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$24.99

Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen is one of drag racing’s icons. He is still one of the most popular drivers in the sport of drag racing. He has raced both funny cars and rail dragsters and set more speed records than any other driver. He earned the nickname “The Mongoose” from racing his arch rival Don “The Snake” Prudhomme during the 70s, which many consider the Golden Age of Drag Racing. This model kit represents the rail dragster that Tom McEwen drove during the 70s. The kit was first released in 1974 and, in spite of being 38 years old, has held up quite nicely. This kit has been released 3 previous times since 1974 and I for one am happy to see it come out again. The molds have held up well and the kit is filled with all kinds of extras, making it worth getting. There are plenty of aftermarket decals available, making it worth getting more than one.

Cover

Model Art Modeling Magazine, #844, May 2012
Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Model Art
MSRP
$13.00

This is a monthly publication from Japan that covers all manner of modeling subjects, ranging from finished models to kit reviews and model building tips, and includes many advertisements. Finding it on the shelves of bookstore in the US is a bit of a challenge, but it can be found online at a number of sites. It is printed on glossy paper, measures 7 1/8” by 10 1/8”, and contains 172 pages. The photo quality (a mixture of full color and black and white) is excellent. Unfortunately, for those who don’t read Japanese, it serves as a great picture book, because (with the exception of some headings and subheadings) the text is entirely in Japanese.