Finished

Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle 40th Anniversary Special Marking

left side view from rear

Bf-109G-6

Cockpit 1

MiG-15UTI Soviet Air Force

ICM Aerial Drones assembly 1

US Aerial Target Drones

Finished Rear Bumper

Russian Air Defense Weapon System 96K6 Pantsir-S1

Sprue G SH-60 helo

USS Freedom LCS-1

Deck bow Finished

DKM H Class Battleship

Quarter view

P-8A POSEIDON 'VP-45 PELICANS'

Completed kit 2

A-6E TRAM Intruder, plus Cockpit Detail Set

Finsihed 4

Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Nick) Part 1

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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.

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Product picture

The Marmo Method Modelbuilding Guide #4: How To Make Your Own Decals
Book Author(s)
Richard Marmo
Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
Scale Publications
MSRP
$4.99

First off I am not a big fan of ebooks. Sorry but I am old school and prefer the feel of the paper itself. However, I am a big fan of info on the internet and do have a few ebooks on my Kindle so there is always a chance for me.

That said, Mr. Marmo’s book on making your own decals really interested me as I have a bunch of decals I need to make for certain projects and even though I shelled out for a nice laser color printer and picked up some decal paper I really didn’t know where to start so let’s take a look at what Richard says.

Resin Parts

B-1B External Upgrade Set
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Barracuda Studios
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$15.95

Roy Sutherland has been around for a bit, providing resin details we never knew could exist, but now do because of his commitment to improving basic products. This set is one of four that I used on the new (but old) Revell B-1B… they are in Roy’s “Barracudacast” resin accessories branch of his company. On to the review!

This set is comprised of nine antennas for the most recent upgrades to the B-1;

Preparation is simple; soak for a while in a cleaner like automotive spray tire cleaner (I used “bleach-white”), 409, or whatever, to get rid of the silicone mold lubricant that is inherent in resin casting. Run an old tooth brush over all, rinse fully with water, then allow to dry.

Box Art

German Railway Gun K5(E) "Leopold" w/ Figures
Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$52.99

Background from Hasegawa’s Website

Hitler's fascination with massive armaments is epitomized by Germany's heavy investment in railway guns. "Leopold", one of 25 K5 railway guns made by Krupp for World War II, was a behemoth of a gun. It weighed 240 short tons, fired 560 lb/eleven inch shells, and had to be moved and aimed on specially designed railroad tracks. Once emplaced, the Leopold could fire shells up to forty miles. This limited edition kit features three sets of decals and figures.

SAC Logo

B-1B Landing Gear for Revell Kit
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$24.95

SAC has been around for a few years, and to my mind fills a serious need for models. As kits get more expensive, they have more detail, weigh more, and you have more invested in it. Plastic landing gear is not such a great idea in this case

This set adds structural strength to the huge Revell B-1B. It also prevents the model from taking damage as simply as plastic or resin gear would. And face it, with all the resin I just put on this kit, it needs metal gear

Now, I know many have not or will not build this kit. It’s huge. It has presence. And it’s an accurate rendition of the “Bone” .For the most part. But with work, it looks great when complete. This model is now on display on the overhead desk of my pod in our B-1/B-52 System Program office, and has garnered a lot of attention…

Package

Metal Landing Gear for the Tamiya Mosquito
Review Author
Rob Benson
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$22.95

Many thanks to Mr. Ross MacMillan of Scale Aircraft Conversions and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me to try this neat substitute and replacement set for the Tamiya Mosquito FB. I am delighted to report on another sweet add-on and upgrade.

The white-metal parts arrived in a blister pack, backed by the distinctive SAC company logo. The weight of the parts is very noticeable. All parts are free of sprues with the exception of some main mount bracing. The parts require very little buffing, cleanup and polishing. I did use a Dremel tool to buff some of the parts and brought a very nice natural metal tone to them.