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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
Roger Carrano
Published on
September 15, 2011
Company
Griffon Model
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$12.00

As most of you armor modelers know, Griffon Model has been making photo-etch accessories for just about every aspect of Military Modeling for quite a long time and is regarded as one of the leading manufacturers of photo etch and other aftermarket products. Their name is among the best in the business.

This particular sample is the 3.7cm Ammo Shell Cases (spent shells) for the 3.7cm Flak in 1/35 scale. These are obviously made for adding that extra degree of detail that we modelers strive for to enhance our personal masterpieces.

This package contains sixteen spent shell casings made of brass with that extra margin of detail which shows the engraved circles inherent to this specific type of shell. They are approximately 3/8” long and the machining is amazing. Needless to say, there are no instructions included.

Book Author(s)
Frank V. DeSisto
Review Author
Howie Belkin
Published on
September 15, 2011
Company
Concord Publications Company
MSRP
$19.99

The very popular Concord Armor at War Series has now released PANZER VOR! Volume 5continuing the excellent combination of modeler/author par excellance, Frank V. DeSisto, with parent company Dragon Models as publisher. This edition doesn’t include the author’s bio, but Mr. DeSisto is one of the original founders of AMPS, has been published elsewhere, is a font of knowledge that he readily shares in his books, and as an advanced modeler and professional photographer, chooses photos that will offer great interest to the modeler. Following the format of the previous four volumes, there are 16 color platesby Laurent Lecocq and 175 black and white photos, all with high quality, detailed captions written by a modeler, for modelers.

Review Author
Mike Kellner
Published on
September 14, 2011
Company
Revell, Inc.
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.99

The Albatross was to be a replacement for the Grumman Goose; it began life as the XJR2F-1 Pelican with a Navy designation as the PF-1 and an Air Force designation of SA -16A. The SA-16B – the subject of this kit – was an upgraded machine which had 100 inches added to each wing in two separate plugs. A seventy-inch extension was grafted outboard of each engine nacelle, with a thirty-inch one near the tip. It also had a slightly wider horizontal stabilizer and a taller vertical fin. The B model had a wingspan of 96 feet 8 inches and was 62 feet 10 inches long with an empty weight of 22,883 lbs. It was powered by two Wright 1820-76A-94 engines of 1425 horsepower each, and boasted a speed of 236 MPH, with a range of 3465 miles. At least 19 other countries operated the Albatross besides the United States.

Review Author
Mike Kellner
Published on
September 14, 2011
Company
Platz
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$39.98

The Predator was developed between January, 1994, and June, 1996, as a medium-altitude-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle. The complete Predator system has three components – the air vehicle, the ground control station, and the date dissemination system. One system is made up of 4 RQ-1A air vehicles. Each has a max weight of 2250 pounds, and is powered by a 115-horsepower Rotax engine, so no wonder it needs a 5000-foot runway to take off.

The kit consists of 2 sprues with about 23 finely-molded and flash-free parts with recessed panel lines, and includes a nice decal sheet by Cartograf. To start, I removed the major pieces and was wondering what the pieces of cardboard around the stabilizers were for. Well, be careful – they’re to protect the fine protrusions which stick out of the stabs, which I believe are either counterweights or vibration dampeners.