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.

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Review Author
Michael Reeves
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1:35
MSRP
$92.99

ICM has been releasing quality kits, figure sets, and recently paints to support their vast library of releases. This one is a mouthful - the G917T Truppenluftschutzwagen, a 3-ton truck with a 2cm Flak 38 in the bed. This was an effective weapon for closeup air defense but could also target lightly armored ground threats as well.

What’s Inside the Box

You get essentially two kits in one with six light gray and one clear sprue for the truck and 5 light gray sprues for the flak 38. The truck sprues should look familiar as they share a lineage with kit # 35413 from 2013. Details are pretty crisp, although there are ejector sink marks on the bottom surface of the truck bed and inside some of the cab details. There are two decal sheets - one for the flak 38 and one for the two schemes for the truck.

Book Author(s)
Stefan Draminski
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
Company
Kagero Publishing
MSRP
$15.34

This is a nice compact publication filled with scale drawings of the various versions of the Ta-152. Accompanying these drawings are six color profiles and one over/under color profile. A nice edition is a decal sheet for two different Ta-152s in 1/48 and 1/72.

This is a nice, inexpensive book detailing the specifications and differences between the model C and model H variants. The addition of decals in two of the major scales is a genuinely nice touch. I can recommend this to anyone with an interest in Focke-Wulf aircraft. I thank Kagero for the review item and IPMS/USA for the opportunity.

Review Author
Steve Zajac
Published on
Company
Kagero Publishing
MSRP
$15.15

This book, covering the SBD Douglas Dauntless, is #13 (of 19 published to date) of a reference series devoted to famous WWII aircraft. It is published by Kagero Publishing (Poland). The book begins with excellent WWII era black and white cockpit pictures of the pilot's cockpit, though there are no pictures of the gunner's area. Next comes 4 pages of color paintings of a US Navy SBD-3 (USS Yorktown, Battle of Midway 1942), a USAAF A-24B, two late 1940's French navy SBD-5s, a US Navy SBD-5 (USS Lexington, 1945), a Mexican AF SBD-5 (1944), and finally a yellow wings US Marine SBD-1(1940).

Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
Company
Yahu Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$6.99

Introduction to Yahu

Founded in Poland in 2013, Yahu Model is well-known for their high-quality, pre-painted photo-etched instrument panels. They offer a range of other products as well, including seatbelts, cockpit detail sets, and various enhancements for aircraft and vehicles.

About the Photo-Etch Set

The YML3504 set replicates the Scammell Pioneer’s dashboard and includes the winch placard. With pre-colored details, it makes achieving a realistic look straightforward and easy.

Comparison to the Actual Dashboard

This set provides an excellent representation of the actual Scammell Pioneer dashboard, capturing the look and layout with remarkable accuracy. While the package placard indicates compatibility with both IBG and Thunder Models kits, research and reference checks reveal that the panel is undersized for the Thunder Models dashboard and does not provide a proper fit.

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
Company
Special Hobby
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$36.00

Special Hobby has provided the 1/72nd scale DeHavilland 98 Mosquito NF Mk. XXX “Night Predator” for review. The Mk. XXX was the first night fighter Mosquito variant with Merlin two-stage compressor engines.

Looking at Scalemates.com, this is a brand-new mold for 2025. The decal sheet represents six markings for the following: