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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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Parts

XL Sanding Block
Review Author
Brett W Scholten
Published on
Company
UMM-USA
Scale
NA
MSRP
$7.99

I came back to the hobby during COVID. One thing I hated, and still hate doing is sanding putty.I am just not that good at it. I am always looking for something to help me. The UMM-USA series of sanding bars are one solution to a gritty problem.

The bars come in various sizes; fine, small, medium, large, extra-large and extra-extra-large. I reviewed the Extra-Large version. They come as a six-sided polished aluminum bar, with the ends being pointed.

My initial take on the block was one of curiosity, a large flat good for sanding large flat surfaces, or so I thought; something most aircraft and ship models do not have. I then took a closer look and realized that the angled/pointed ends would be great for small tight surfaces, or if a very narrow area needed to be sanded, which is how I have been using it. Ironically, my son printed a sandbag wall and used the long flat bottom to clean it up.

Package

Montgomery’s Staff Figures Set
Review Author
Paul Bradley
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$21.00

Here’s a new figure set from ICM, this time featuring the British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and his staff. According to the box top, the four figures represent Field Marshal Mongomery, a Lieutenant General, a Major and a radio operator or soldier.

Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery was one of the most prominent and successful British commanders of World War II. In December 1943, Montgomery was appointed as the commander of the 21st Army Group and the overall commander of Allied ground forces in Europe, also participating in the planning of Operation Overlord. In the autumn of 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. A controversial figure for many reasons, he was nevertheless one of the greatest of Allied Generals during the War, guiding the largely conscript Allied armies to victory while conscious of the need for as small a casualty rate as possible.

Package

JASDF F-15J Eagle Aggressor #903 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron
Review Author
Paul Bradley
Published on
Company
Platz
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$30.00

The F-15C has been license built for and used by the Japanese Air Self Defence Force as the Mitsubishi F-15J since 1981 and is still a mainstay of that force. One unit, currently known as the Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, was formed in 1981 to act as an aggressor squadron and has been equipped with the F-15J for some years. This model is based on one of their F-15Js, airframe 903, with markings from the time when it was based at Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture from 2014 to 2016.

The Platz 1/72 F-15J has been around for some years now, first being released in 2015, and subsequently released in a bewildering variety of boxings – Scalemates lists 36! - the vast majority of which are unchanged except for special decal options.

Box front

Mercedes Typ 770K (W150) Tourenwagen
Review Author
Fred Bachofner
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$30.00

The Mercedes-Benz 770, also known as the "Großer Mercedes" (big Mercedes) was a luxury car built by Mercedes-Benz from 1930 to 1943. It is probably best known from archive footage of high-ranking Nazi officials before and during World War II, including Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring but also Six and a Quarter as was the nickname of The Reichskommissar of the Netherlands Arthur Seyss-Inquart.

The 770 was extensively revised in 1938, resulting in the new internal designation W150. The all-new chassis was made with oval tubes and was suspended from coil springs all around, with independent suspension at the front and a de Dion axle at the rear.

The engine had the same basic architecture as that of the W07, but was tuned to produce 155 braking power (116 kW) at 3000 rpm without supercharger and 230 rempk (170 kW) at 3200 rpm with. The transmission now had five forward gear ratios with a direct fourth gear and an overdrive fifth.

Cover Image

Flying Colors Of Richard J. Caruana - Bookazine Collection: 2
Review Author
Fred Bachofner
Published on
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$22.15

This is another colourful book (in a larger series) by the well-known aviation artist Richard J Caruana, who was born and lives in Malta. The well-known author/illustrator has a 15-volume history of the Italian Air Force to his name, numerous books on model making and ospreys (among others), and has designed 89 stamps for the country of Malta. You will also find many of his drawings and profiles in many other publications dedicated to aviation. At Stratus Publishers (-MMP-Books) he created two series. The first, titled "Fighting Colours of Richard J. Caruana," dealt with fighter planes, and each volume was devoted to a specific period or theater of war.

The second series is titled "Flying Colours of Richard J. Caruana" and offers a selection of interesting aviation topics that the author would like to share with us as readers.