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.

Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$16.49

AMT and Round 2 are known for their automotive kits and have been for a very, very long time. To add to their cars, here’s some really nice tires as part of their "Custom and Competition" line. Anybody building a muscle car from the ‘60’s needs a set of these puppies. You get 4 F60 x 15 and 4 L60 x 15 tires. There are no wheels in the accessory pack. I just put some Cragar SS wheels for the pic.

And here’s a problem/issue I found. Round 2 does not have the tires shown on their website. Several aftermarket outlets have the tires available from their websites. Regardless, these are great additions to any muscle car and are recommended.

My thanks to round 2 Models for the review sample.

Book Author(s)
Charles Strafrace
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Guideline Publications
MSRP
$24.00

If you have never have had the chance to review one of Guidelines Warpaint series, here’s a brief description. First they provide a complete and detailed history of the subject including a complete production list of air frames, squadrons which used the planes along with a list of serial numbers and codes, and a comprehensive specification list covering the technical aspects of the plane. With this they have the historians covered. Secondly, they have 1:72nd scale multiple view plans. Also included are detail pictures, pages of superb color camouflage drawings, and photography in color and black and white. There is also a list of kits, decals, and accessory list. Modelers are covered too.

Review Author
Keith Gervasi
Published on
Company
Airfix
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.99

History

During the early years of the Second World War the Dornier Do17 was one of the Luftwaffe’s most important medium bombers. Developed during the early 1930s, first as a mail plane then as a reconnaissance bomber, the Dornier was nicknamed ‘the flying pencil’, due to its very thin tapering fuselage. While early versions used inline engines, the iconic and most widely used Z variant used Bramo radial engines, and featured a re-designed cockpit area, with the intention of providing more space and defensive capabilities for the crew. However this was not wholly successful; its small crew area and lack of power operated turrets making it easy prey for allied fighters.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.95

Thanks again to our prolific IPMS supporter, Ross at SAC, and to IPMS leadership for providing this set for review.

This set simply replaces the main and tail gear on the Airfix 1/48 new release (2014) Spitfire Mk I and Mk V.

BUT wait, there’s more! Included in this set are two different versions of the spine-mounted Radio aerial post, and the underwing Pitot tube. Very nice, and good use of a small set’s versatility, particularly since there is not much to this set as far as metal volume. Might as well amortize costs, and this does it.

Notice on the stock kit that the main gear is in two parts; the upper strut and pivot assembly, along with the uplock arm, which attaches to the trunnion pivot points, and then later in the build, the lower shock strut. Why was this done? So you could install the fragile gear later, while working on the rest of the model, without cleaning off the gear with gorilla hands. Smart engineering.

Review Author
Joe LoMusio
Published on
Company
Master Box Ltd
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$21.00

Master Box has joined the parade of World War One subjects, commemorating the centennial of the Great War, by providing this set of British Infantry from the time around the Battle of the Somme in 1916. During these centennial years of the Great War (1914 -1918), we are seeing numerous WWI subjects especially aircraft and armor hit the market in record numbers. Aerodrome ground crews, tank crews and infantry will provide modelers with the opportunity to create some dynamic dioramas of this important conflict.