Right rear

Sd.Kfz.6 Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen

Parts

Type 95 Light Tank "Ha-Go" Early Production

LEDs

Titanic & LED Set

Top View

Hot Rod Hydro

Chassis & Engine

U.S. Armoured Bulldozer

Detail Closeup 5

Universal Carrier Mk.II

Left rear

Waffentrager 88mm PAK-43

Left side nose

Sea King HAR. Mk 5 “Ark Royal”

8

USAAF P-51 "North Africa"

T54B Hull Interior

T-54B Early Production Soviet Medium Tank

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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

F-104G/S Starfighter Airbrakes
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$21.50

Thanks to Aires for providing their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for providing it to me to review.

Once more Aires improves an already great kit; in this case, the 1/32 Italeri F-104G receives an upgrade in the form of improved speed brakes.

A grand total of eight parts are provided: two speed brakes (or speed boards, or air brakes, depending on your background), two fuselage wells to place them in, two actuating rods, and two brace frame assemblies.

In the side by side comparison, Italeri has provided an acceptable speed brake well and boards. Aires has taken the kit parts, and raised the detail bar. There are rivets incorporated in the well, the frames are more delicate, and the speed brakes themselves appear to be a bit more delicate.

Package

F-104G/S Starfighter Control Lever
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$6.50

Thanks to Aires/Quickboost for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way.

Quickboost has earned (rightfully) a reputation for providing just a bit more detail on a given area of a model; seats, cowlings, engines, can all be improved drastically with their parts. This is also the case with this set - control levers for the New Italeri F-104G/S.

One pour stub holds six parts: three control column boots/bases, and three control columns with much improved detail on the grip assembly. Room for error or second kits.

Box Art

Surfite with Figure
Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$29.95

There was no flash on this kit with lots of chrome parts.

Engine

Eighteen pieces make up the little 4 banger engine that is very well detailed with all the parts fitting extremely well.

Interior

The interior is a one piece tub that the steering column gets glued into. Very basic.

Body

The body is really small. I mean tiny, but it’s molded very well. I painted the body with HOK chrome yellow.

Chassis

The chassis glues together in 4 pieces and then the tiny little chrome parts get glued to it. Some of those chrome parts are extremely small and that made it difficult for me to put together.

Included in the kit are the tiki hut that is extremely well engraved. I used several different colors in an attempt to make the palm leaves come alive. The “Big Daddy” figure was pre-painted by Revell. The decal sheet has several Rat Fink decals that can be added to the figure.

Package

B-29 Antennas and AN/APQ-13 Radomes
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$8.80

Thanks to Brengun for providing this upgrade set for the Academy B-29; and to IPMS USA for sending it to me to review!

This is a very simple set which is designed for the Academy 1/72 B-29, but could also be adapted to the Airfix B-29.

Consisting of two resin Radomes, and a fret of PE antenas, this will go a long way towards improving the plastic items in the kit.

First, the Radomes. The AN/APQ-13 antenna fit were used on some B-29’s early on; the later “bathtub” radome is in the kit, and you need to check your sources before you commit to installing these radomes. The resin is flawless, with easy to remove Pour stubs. The only thing you will need to do is hold a sheet of sandpaper over the assembled model fuselage, and sand the appropriate curve into the mating surface of the radomes before installing with epoxy or superglue. Very easy.

Book Cover

The British Army in Afghanistan 2006-14 / Task Force Helmand
Book Author(s)
Leigh Neville
Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$18.95

Operation Herrick is what the British Army labeled their deployments to Afghanistan in support of the US and other NATO nations.

This 64 page soft cover book takes a look at the deployments to the Helmand Province which is the largest of the 34 provinces that make up Afghanistan. It is also one of the more dangerous areas with a lot of action taking place in the Green Zone, an agricultural area along the Helmand River.