Finished right

F-15E Strike Eagle

Wing assembly

F-14A Tomcat

Resin parts

PBK-500U 500Kg Unified Gliding Cluster Bomb

Instrument panels

USN F-4J VF-96 'Showtime 100'

Parts and pieces

Deck Crew Aircraft Maintenance

Finished

Spitfire Mk.XVI Bubbletop with Late Wings Overtree

Ready for decals

Sukhoi Su-30MKK Flanker G

Complete

F-104A/C

Markings

Ki-46III, Command/Recon Plane Hyakushiki (Dinah)

Decals

Battlestar Galactica Pegasus

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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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Box art

Vietnam Cavalry Trooper
Review Author
Ned Ricks
Published on
Company
Werners Wings
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$16.00

History

In the early 1960s, the US Army’s Howze Board recommended testing new forms of mobility to make the soldier “free from the tyranny of terrain.” The result was the 11th Air Assault Division, to be rechristened the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and sent to Vietnam in 1965. One of the elements of the airmobile division was the Air Cav -- 1st Squadron (Air), 9th Cavalry, whose personnel paid tribute to their heritage by wearing black Stetson cavalry hats. Instead of horses or half tracks, the squadron used helicopters to scout for and fight the enemy. This figure represents one of those aviators.

Package

Steel Barrels
Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
Company
Hauler
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$8.68

Hauler, a small company out of Czechoslovakia, continues to add to its list of quality aftermarket and modeling supply products; this time with a package of four 50 gallon steel barrels in 1/35th scale.

The package contains a single baggie containing four barrels mounted on backing blocks. No stencils and/or decals are included. The barrels are single-piece affairs, eliminating the need to remove that pesky seam line found on standard two-part barrels included in many armor kits.

The barrels are attached at one end to the backing block, and while the attachment is significant, the rim of the barrel keeps things pretty much in place during removal. A lot of resin dust is produced during this process, and unless you plan to carefully sand the cut end and scribe detail into it, you are going to lose the use of that end of the barrel on your model or diorama.

Box & Jig

Adjustable Angle Gluing Jig
Review Author
Rob Benson
Published on
Company
UMM-USA
MSRP
$28.95

Thank you to Unique Master Models (UMM) for generously providing an excellent tool for “field testing.” Thank you as well to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for letting me be an evaluator.

The jig is akin to an adjustable protractor with a range of 0 to 180 degrees. The base plate is metallic blue metal with white, etched tick marks and numbers marked in 1 degree increments. A polished bar is screwed to the base plate at the zero position and an adjustable or positionable bar with a set screw can be locked between 0 and 180 degrees. Both plates are 3/16 in thick and project up from the base plate about 7/16 in. I checked the indicated angles on the jig with other tools and the angles match the precision of the jig, in other words, the angles on the jig are pretty darn good! The setscrew on the positionable plate held well and did not slip when the jig was dropped from about 5 feet onto a carpeted floor.

Big Ed

Blenheim Mk I Detail Set
Review Author
Ron Bell
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$64.95

The Aircraft

The Bristol Blenheim was a fast day bomber designed for the RAF in the early to mid thirties. In its day, it was a fast, excellent aircraft. Unfortunately, its day was past when WWIl broke out. It was hopelessly outclassed by most modern fighters and was shot down in droves when un-escorted. It was quickly relegated to night intruder and naval strike missions and usage in less threatening environments. Despite attempts to upgrade it with new engines and other changes, it's performance remained sub-par and it was phased out as soon as was practicable.

The Set

This is one of Eduard's "Big Ed" sets that bundle all their PE sets and masks for a given kit in one package. In this case it consists of their exterior, interior, landing flaps and bomb bay PE sets as well as the mask set for the clear parts. If you bought them separately, they would cost a total of around $90, so you do save $25 buying them this way.

Mask

AH-1Z Canopy Mask
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.95

I hate masking canopies. It always takes so long and it is not as much fun as the rest of the build. That is the primary reason to buy canopy masks.

The latest offering from Eduard is for the Kitty Hawk AH-1Z. Accurately cut from Kabuki tape, which I think is the best masking material out there, this set provides outlining for the side canopy sections. Each individual panel is constructed from two pieces of masking material which are then filled in with masking fluid. The overhead panels are actually single piece masks which is nice. The other parts that you are provided are for the turret clear parts.

These will fit and make the whole process of canopy masking a non-event. They will save you time and give you accurate crisp outlines with minimal work.

Highly recommended