Fuselage framing, overhead view

Rumpler C.IV Early

Czech Finished Right Rear

Avia B.534 Early Series Dual Combo

Fuselage Halves

Blue Max Pfalz

Interior Right

sWS 60cm Infrared Searchlight Carrier "Uhu"

Finished Front SideView

MIG-15UTI

Rear of Finished Model

Dominic's 1970 Dodge Charger

Props

Encore USS Olympia Review - Part 1

Completed rig

JGSDF Type73 Heavy Tank Transporter and Type 74 Tank

Cockpit and radiator options

Fokker D.VII (Alb)

Left veiw

Rest on Motorcycle

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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.

To learn more about IPMS/USA, please see our About Us page.

Parts Package

Tents, Tarps and Sherman Deck Equipment
Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
Company
Value Gear
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$11.50
  • Tents & Tarps Set #5, VG-005, $11.50
  • Tents & Tarps Set #11, VG-011, $11.50
  • Sherman Engine Deck Set #4, SH-004, $15.00

Value Gear out of Ireland continues to add to its list of quality aftermarket armor accessories, featuring plastic representations of tents, tarps, backpacks, crates – just about anything you might find piled high on a busy AFV, or anywhere else for that matter.

Their website is intuitive and easy to navigate. The home page describes Value Gear's Goal:

The Value Gear idea is to give model builders (me included) a more useful spares box! Creating and casting sets of Generic/Universal stowage. No helmets no weapons and nothing to keep you from using it in a wooden cart, a chariot, a truck, or a Panther tank. "Any Army, Any Era!" is my motto… the Army lives under canvas!

Package

A-1 Skyraider Pylons for Underwing Stores
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.00

The A-1 Skyraider was known for its ability to carry a “world of hurt” on its underwing pylons. Quickboost has provided a set of pylons for the Tamiya kit that significantly enhance the appearance of an already well-detailed kit. Specifically, the QB parts replace the pylons provided by the Tamiya kit.

Quickboost provides an illustration that clearly indicates the Tamiya kit parts that are replaced by the QB items. QB realizes that some of the parts they provide are very delicate and need additional support in order to arrive on the modeler’s workbench in one piece. QB parts # 5 (sway braces) appear, at first glance, to have “flash” on them. Upon closer inspection you will identify that “flash” as extra support material, protecting the arms of the sway brace. It is not difficult to remove this support material but some caution needs to be exercised in order to prepare the part for placement on the model.

Front Cover

General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark
Book Author(s)
Peter Davies, illustrated by Adam Tooby and Henry Morsehead
Review Author
Mike Van Schoonhoven
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$18.95

The F-111 was originally designed for use by the USAF and the USN, and was meant to be a money saving measure by then Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. This one platform for multi-service use was not well received. One of the biggest problems that both services had was weight. The Navy also wanted it for use with the Phoenix missile. The issues that the USN had with the "Vark" just became to numerous and another famous aircraft was created, the F-14.

Even though the F-111 started out on a rocky road, it would eventually turn a corner through the hard work of the developers & the crews and become one most important aircraft of the Vietnam War and several modern day operations. Australia was the only other country to use the F-111 and had originally intended them to stay in service to the year 2020. Due to increased maintenance issues and fiscal impact, Australia retired the F-111 in 2010.

Package

F-15C Eagle Cockpit Set
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$21.50

Thanks to Aires for this stunning bit of resin; Even though this was a second generation F-15 model from Hasegawa, this kit is over 20 years old and has been in need of an upgrade to the cockpit. Aires provides just what is needed to strengthen the presentation of this model.

Once again it is easy to see the level of detail Aires provides; how they do it is beyond my abilities, but they do. The basic cockpit tub is a phenomenal casting; all the required details are there. The same goes for the avionics bay located aft of the cockpit. As a reminder, this aircraft is pre-MISP (an avionics upgrade to bring AAMRAAM and other capability to the jet), so the black boxes and other bits are appropriate for the Icelandic markings. (If I remember correctly from my time at 17th AF in USAFE, the 56th birds received their jets from the 36th at Bitburg before MISP started; someone correct me if my old memory has faded that much).

Box Art

Sepecat Jaguar Wheels and Paint Masks
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.00

A quick “thank you!” to Aires for providing us with this set; once again the excellence of your products is readily apparent!

This is a very simple swap out for the Hasegawa Jaguar wheels. As you see in the side by side pictures, the outside rim detail is much more refined than the almost 30 year old wheels in the kit. The brake assembly on the back side (which is not on the kit wheels) is just phenomenal for this scale.

The masks are olive green and semi-flexible. My past experience with these masks are that they work very well… when you use them correctly! (Mask the tire, not the wheel.) That may seem obvious, but I’m getting older, ya know.