Pinned Upper Leg Joints Added

XP-1937 Coastal Reconnaissance, Attack and Battery Scout - C.R.A.B.S.

Finished 4

VEF Irbitis I-16

Finished Figures - Rear

German Elite Infantry Eastern Front, WWII Era

Completed model - top

Stinson Reliant SR-9

Strut detail

T-38A Talon 'Holloman AFB' (Premium Edition)

Assembled figure 2

ATTACK! 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry, 89th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers

15

Lamborghini Countach LP500S

Complete 3

8.8cm PaK-43 Waffentrager

Left

Douglas DC-3

Construction details 6

StuG.III Ausf.G Late December 1944

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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.

Package

Hellcat Fuel Tank
Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$6.25

This little accessory is an add-on for the older 1/144 Hellcat kits. It contains two resin fuel tanks, plus a PE fret with the extra mounting hardware you don’t find on kits from the 20th Century.

I started out the project with the Platz 1/144 Hellcat. But after I assembled the Platz fuel tank, I decided that it was pretty close in appearance to the Brengun, so I went to a less detailed kit. In this case, I had a choice between the Revell F6F5 and the AHM F6F5. I chose the AHM kit for no other reason than it was the easiest to find in my stash.

I built the kit, painted it and applied decals before installing the fuel tank. I also painted the tank as I built the kit. I left the prop and landing gear off the plane until the tank was installed.

Package

Fw 190A Control Surfaces

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.50

Aires has come out with a nice upgrade for the Eduard Fw 190A series of kits with their horizontal control surfaces set. The Aires parts allow you to alter the position of the elevators and provide improved stabilizer to elevator detail. There are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new Aires replacements. I’ve included photos of both the Eduard and the Aires horizontal surfaces inserted in the Eduard fuselage. The gap on the bottom view is artificial as both the Eduard and the Aires parts are leaning up.

Aires has molded the stabilizer and elevator perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The Aires stabilizer and elevator are supplied on a single resin sprue with thin resin attachments to the parts that should minimize any cleanup.

Box Top

British FRS 1 Sea Harrier
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$33.00

First: Sincere thanks to Lucky Model for sending us this most excellent kit, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for once again believing in my ability to deliver within a deadline….

OK so almost to the year I have the FRS 1 kit in hand; it really is great to have a new, accurate and easy to build Sea Harrier (SHAR) on hand. Let’s begin…

The basic kit is the same as the FR 2; in the box, there are more external stores, and a decal sheet to be savored. If you really want to build every SHAR you have the decals to do it. Check out the scan… Cartograf manufactured, CROSSDELTA designed. VERY WELL DONE!

Like last year, it was pleasant to have minimal aftermarket to deal with and have a great result. This time, instead of metal gear, I found a Martin Baker Mk 10 seat appropriate for the SHAR, and did the slight modifications to fit. The basic cockpit is more than sufficient for a closed canopy, but the resin seat sealed the deal.

Package

A-4B Skyhawk Control Stick
Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$5.00

Like many Aires/Quickboost sets, this set is a drop in replacement for the kit supplied control stick for the Airfix A-4B/P Skyhawk. The set actually includes 3 sticks, so you will have enough for three single-seat Skyhawks or a single-seater and a TA-4 two-seater.

The stick is nicely detailed and paints up very well. While the resin is not flimsy, be careful in handling the stick once it is removed from the pour stub as I managed to snap one of mine in two and had to repair it with superglue.

Tool kit

Xuron Cutters
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Xuron Corporation
MSRP
$38.00

Xuron offers an excellent set of hobby tools, cleverly disguised as ‘Field Service Tools’ for electricians and technicians. This set is presented in a fabric pouch, which has three pockets for the tools, and two additional pockets to store a ruler, a set of files, picks, scribers, and other small hand tools.
Xuron’s description of the product: “The tri-fold pouch includes a Model 410T Micro-Shear® Flush Cutter with a refined tip for access into restricted areas, Model 440 Mini-Scissor for slitting cable jacketing, and the Model 450 Tweezer-Nose pliers for tightening pins, forming connectors or holding wires.”

For the hobbyist it might be more beneficial to identify the tools in this fashion: The Model 440 Mini-Scissor can be used to snip PE parts from the carriers, as well as those tiny plastic parts from their carriers without damage to the parts.