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.

Box Art

ERA-3B Skywarrior, Part 3
Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
Company
Trumpeter
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$99.95

This is the third and final installment, “Full Build,” of Trumpeter’s Douglas ERA-3B 1/48th scale variant to be released by Trumpeter in 2016. The plane depicts the US Navy, VAQ-33 ‘Firebirds’, ERA-3B, 104/GD BuNo. 146447. The ERA-3B variant was converted from the RA-3B variant as an electronic aggressor aircraft serving with the VAQ-33 and VAQ-34.

This was a full model build straight out of the box with no aftermarket accessories added. The model was based upon the US Navy, VAQ-33 ‘Firebirds’ plane as seen on page 49 in the A-3 Skywarrior in Action Book, Jim Sullivan, Aircraft Number 148, Squadron/Signal Publications. Sullivan’s depiction of the picture states that this plane is sitting on the flight line at NAS Oceana Virginia on 12 May 1977.

Front Page

Stearman PT-17 Decals
Review Author
David Wrinkle
Published on
Company
Iliad Design
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.00

I’m a sucker for oddities and non-standard schemes when it comes to finishing my model aircraft. I saw the Iliad designs offering for Stearman PT-17 airframes and thought this is the set for me. I was pleasantly surprised to see Iliad design proved a full set of five decal options. So you have five kits in your stash? You’re covered in this one set. Along with a very nice color representation of the each aircraft scheme Iliad Design goes the extra mile to describe any non-standard colors or more specifically non-stand color shades. Each scheme as one would expect come with a short description of each aircraft.

Box Art

sWS w/2cm Flakvierling 38 Halftrack
Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
Company
Bronco Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$69.99

Following right on the heels of their Schwere Wehrmachtschlepper (sWS) IR-Searchlight halftrack, Bronco Models has now offered the same wide-tracked vehicle sporting a four-barreled 2cm Flakvierling anti-aircraft gun.

Like the one before, this ‘new’ kit is actually a reissue of the high-quality Great Wall (Lion Roar) kit from a few years back. Aside from the box art and the color of the plastic, the main difference between the two kits is that Bronco includes a complete engine assembly. At some point GW introduced these parts as an aftermarket set you had to purchase separately for their sWS kits. Bronco brings everything together into another solid offering, with more to come.

Cover

Spitfire The Legend Lives On
Book Author(s)
John Dibbs & Tony Holmes
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$45.00

March of 2016 marks the 80th birthday of the Spitfire design. Like its American counterpart the P-51, the Spitfire is the most numerous survivor of its country’s WWII fighters both on display and flying! As the years go by we lose more and more of those who were there and flew these machines in the last great global conflict. Soon they all will have passed into history. Their machines though will live on to tell the story.

Each of the Spitfires discussed in this book has a service history. Whether found behind a hangar, unearthed or recovered from crash sites on land and in the sea, they have been lovingly rebuilt. Some seemingly from only a few remaining usable parts.

We are given a beautiful, large book equally at home in the library or on the coffee table! We are given the histories of these survivors. This is accompanied by both photos of the restored aircraft as well as photos of said aircraft in service.

Cover

German AFV Database
Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Model Art
MSRP
$20.17

This magazine is a listing of 1/35 scale plastic model kits for German armored fighting vehicles (AFV). Most kits are shown on one page with the manufacturer and name of the kit, plus the name of the modeler that built the sample model.

The text is mostly in Japanese, but the manufacturer, model name, and model are all listed in English also. This makes it easy to thumb through the photographs and identify the kit manufacturer. The models are all beautifully done and the color photographs illustrate the models very nicely. Some of the kits are not shown as built examples but rather photographs of the box art and sprues. There are also a few reference photos of the original vehicles.

An introductory section shows detail photos of assembly and painting of an AFV Club Schwerer Panzerspahwagen Sd. Kfz. 232, and a Dragon Tiger I.

The book includes the following sections