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
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Aerobonus
Scale
90mm
MSRP
$20.00

Aires, as part of their Aerobonus line, has started issuing 90mm figures of mascots for popular planes or units. These have included the stinging bee for the Skyraider of VA-176 and the tomcat from VFA-31 for the F-14. They continue this with a mascot for the Mig-21 which is a caricature of a Mig-21 pilot in a full flight suit. I could find no further information about what unit it might represent or what specific pilot is featured.

The Kit

The parts break down is simple - the body and the head. Take your time separating the casting blocks - they are beefy. Once separated, there are some seams on the inner legs that need sanded and you’re ready for some paint. I primed the kit with Alclad gray primer and set it aside to dry.

Review Author
Chris Graeter
Published on
Company
Orochi Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$36.99

History

The M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV) is an American tracked armored reconnaissance vehicle manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments (formerly United Defense) based on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle Family. The M3 CFV is used by heavy armored cavalry units in the U.S. Army.

The M3 Bradley CFV is very similar to the M2 Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) and is fielded with the same powerful two-man 25mm Bushmaster Cannon turret with the coaxial 7.62mm machine gun. It only varies from the M2 in a few subtle ways and by role. The M3 is classified as an armored reconnaissance and scout vehicle and does away with the firing ports found in the M2 series. The M3 also carries more TOW missiles as well as more ammunition for its 25mm and 7.62mm guns.

Review Author
Steve Zajac
Published on
Company
Cyber-Hobby
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$14.95

This kit is a re-boxing of an earlier kit, with a photo etch fret, vinyl tracks, and decals. According to the website: "Cyber-Hobby is well known for its fantastic Orange Box tank and figure set combos in 1/35 scale. These special sets provide updated Dragon kits that have not been available for some time and at competitive prices."

Detail is excellent for this scale, and goes together without any glitches. You get decals for 3 tanks dated 1944-1945 located in Andler, the Eastern Front, and Germany. 2 tanks are three tone camo, one is two tone. The kit went together without a glitch, there's only 8 total steps:

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

Continual thanks to one of our steadfast IPMS supporters, Ross at SAC, and to IPMS leadership for providing the set to me for review. Yes, it’s metal gear time again!

This set is the usual drop-in replacement for the Hasegawa series 1/48 P-40 warhawks. Parts include two main gear struts with torque links integrated, two side braces, retraction arms, and a tail gear. The tail gear is particularly welcome, as it is a typical offset one-arm tail gear, prone to damage from shelf abuse, moving models while dusting, or the occasional home pet attack.

Not much to say: Build the kit, then install the gear when you want. In this case, I assembled the airframe, and installed the gear so the kit would have something to stand on while I painted it. The pictures speak for themselves; the metal gear is a direct replacement for the kit items and fit with no problem.

Review Author
Joe LoMusio
Published on
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.99

The Panzer III Ausf.M was an improvement of the previous J through L versions, with extra superstructure front and mantlet of 20 mm of armor. It also was equipped with fording exhaust which allowed deeper river crossings. The gun was the standard long barrel 50 mm (1.97 in) KwK 39 L60. It also had six 90 mm NbK smoke dischargers, three mounted on each side of the turret. The Ausf.M could also be equipped with protective steel plates, called Schurzen, designed to protect the turret area from enemy anti-tank weapons. Further armor protection were large steel plate skirts suspended from either side of the chassis. A total of 1000 were ordered, but only 250 were completed. The Panzer III Ausf.M took part in the greatest tank battle of all time, the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. It is the Kursk Panzers that are depicted in this Dragon’s 1/72 Armor Pro series.