Officer and BAR

U.S. Marines, Peleliu, 1944

Engine bay

Ford Escort Zakspeed Gr.2

Engine detail

1941 Packard Clipper (U.S. Army)

Factory detail 2

Ruined Factory with Base

Landing Gear Strut Hole with Ejector Pin

Afrika Dual Combo

Right front

Spitfire Mk.VIII Profipack

Crisp Detail 2

USAF B-52H 20th BS "Buccaneers"

Engine 10

Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB, Part 1

Cockpit tub

P-47D Thunderbolt "Razorback"

Landing gear

P-47D-25RE Thunderbolt - Advanced Kit

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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.

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.

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Masking kitset

Masks for Trumpeter Voroshilovets Tractor
Review Author
Tom Moon
Published on
October 1, 2011
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$9.95

These sets of masks are for the use in painting the model without painting the clear glass windows and lamps. The masks are made of a vinyl type of material and are different from the yellow “Tamiya” type of tape. Because they are of this vinyl type of material, they are much stiffer, but do allow you to place them fairly easily. However, it became a task to remove them without popping the glass out. There is a two part mask for the windshield that allows for a depiction of a dirty windshield that has been wiped clean by the windshield wipers. This worked very well and does make the weathering process easier.

Kitset packaging

Photo Etch for Trumpeter Voroshilovets Tractor
Review Author
Tom Moon
Published on
October 1, 2011
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$32.95

Page 1 has the replacement of the front bumper after removing the plastic one. You will need a PE bending tool as the replacement part is several inches long. This step also replaces the rear fender support with a PE U channel. A bending tool would be helpful here. There are replacement foot petals, but I did not use them. They are deep in the cabin and are hard to see unless you leave the doors open. There are two front grill add-ons that look very good. The final item on this page is the addition of PE chains to the towing bolts. I did not place them on until very late in the build, as these have a tendency to pop off during handling.

Box Art

Valentine MK.VI Canadian Built: Early Production
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
September 30, 2011
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$75.00

History Brief:

Vickers-Armstrongs privately designed the Valentine. Based on the A-10 Cruiser tank it was submitted to the War Office on Feb 10 1938. The development team matched the lower weight of a cruiser tank to the suspension and transmission of the A10 heavy cruiser, with the superior armor of an infantry tank. The new design was easier to produce and cost less than the older Matilda tanks. The first Valentines used a gasoline engine with conventional steering. The Mark II used a diesel version of the engine while the Mark IV and later variants GMC diesels.

Cover

French Aircraft 1939 - 1942
Book Author(s)
Dominique Breffort and André Breffort
Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
September 30, 2011
Company
Histoire and Collections
MSRP
$39.95

If you have an interest in French military aircraft in service at the onset of WW II but have no reference books on the subject, this book is a must. If you have an interest in the subject and have reference books, you will probably want this book, too. This work covers France’s combat aircraft – fighters, bombers, reconnaissance and observation types – that were in service with the Armée de l’Air from 1939 until 1942. The FORWARD sets the stage and explains the purpose of the book by stating, “It is a general overview of the machines, either made in France or bought abroad and used by the Armée de l’Air between September 1939, when the Second World War started, and November 1942 when French military aviation which the Armistice convention had finally authorized to continue was disbanded.”

Box Art

German Destroyer Z-31 Smart Kit
Review Author
Bill Kluge
Published on
September 29, 2011
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/350
MSRP
$59.95

The Ship:

Known officially as the Type 36A class (and by the Allies as the Narvik class), these vessels were Germany’s attempt to improve their individual destroyer’s firepower to compensate for their smaller numbers. To do this, these ships carried 5.9” (150mm) main guns, a caliber usually found on light cruisers. These weapons had no AA capability, as well as having the undesirable effect of weighing the ship down by the bow. Z-31 was designed to carry a twin mount forward, but it wasn’t until late in her life that these were mounted. This model represents the ship in the 1943-44 period with a single mount forward. She was also equipped to carry mines, and many of the class had more success in that role than in any other. By the end of hostilities, several of the class had been lost to surface or air attack, but Z-31 survived to be turned over to France as a war prize.

The Kit: