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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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
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
The Great War Aviation Society
MSRP
$56.00

Cross & Cockade International is the quarterly publication of a non-profit organization known as The First World War Aviation Historical Society. The UK based organization has been publishing these journals since 1970 with the objective of furthering the study of First World War Aviation History. The first journal of 2014; Volume 45/1 (Spring 2014) features a beautiful cover painting by David Ellwood of a Phoenix P.5 Cork flying boat “Rattling the Rivets of a German U boat. The Phoenix P.5 Cork is the subject of a 19-page feature article that kicks things off, but this quarterly journal, much like all C&CI journals, also covers a variety of other well-researched WWI subjects in a highly professional manner.

Following an Editorial page, the contents includes:

Review Author
Mark Aldrich
Published on
Company
True Details
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$6.99

Over the years of my modeling enjoyment one of the questions I am often asked by fellow modelers is, why did you buy that”? Usually these questions are in reference to a specialty tool (pinvise, punch and die, or hex punch) or specialty item (metal barrel, decals, or resin sets). My standard response has always been the same. This is a hobby and by its nature is supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable. Any item that I see as a way to make it more so is usually worth the price.

This new release from True Details definitely fits that bill perfectly. You get four sets of 16 different styled connectors. For the Ultra detailer, this is the cat’s meow in saving time. Depending on your use and ability, you can drill these out to handle one or several cables. Some of the larger connectors on my sample contained air bubbles but this could work to the builder’s advantage as you don’t have to drill out the connector to accept the cable.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$5.70

One of the most annoying problems I have run into in building aircraft models, almost any type, almost any scale, is losing or ruining the canopy. Windows can be fixed, small parts like wheels or gear legs can be faked in, but the canopy just can’t be fixed after it’s lost, broken or damaged.

And here’s the fix for that problem. A replacement canopy. There are a number of available canopies in 1/72, 1/48 or 1/32, but 1/144??? Uh, no.

The Brengun canopy starts with a classy feature. The aircraft kit it’s meant for is molded into the vac-formed base of the canopy. So this one says “Dragon”.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$7.00

The MiG-17PF was the all weather fighter version of the Fresco. The Fresco D had three 23mm cannons.

This set includes five precision turned brass parts. There is nothing to clean up. Simply drill the hole where the parts go and you are in business.

The highlights of this set are the pitot tubes. They are perfectly formed and even capture that one pitot tube is slightly longer than the other.

The other three parts are the 23mm cannon barrels.

The instructions indicate the proper holes to drill and the proper length of the parts.

This set is like every other Master part I’ve used, simple, effective, and strong. The strength is especially important for the wingtip pitot tubes, which will invariably are subjected to some damage from handling.

Highly recommended

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Published on
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$59.99

Background

Airing in 1978 and 1979, with a brief return in 1980, the original Battlestar Galactica (BSG) television series laid the foundation for a follow-on series of books, games, and reimagined series of television shows chronicling humanity’s struggle to survive after the Twelve Colonies of human civilization were all but wiped out by the treacherous cybernetic Cylons in an attempt to rid the universe of human life. Despite the limited run of the original TV series, BSG has remained a popular franchise among Sci-Fi fans for three-and-a-half decades.

In honor of the 35th anniversary of the original series (TOS), Moebius Models has released a series of kits depicting craft from the 1978 production, with a 1/32 scale replica of the Cylon Raider as the largest of the pieces.