The troublesome wing joint

F-106A Delta Dart

Close Up of Turret

Centurion Mk. 3 Korean War

In Progress

P-61 Black Widow and True Details Wheels

Trailer with drum

Pz.Kpfw.38(t) Ausf.S with Fuel Drum Trailer

20 Tripod Straight

USS Midway Pt 3: Flight Deck & Island

35414 rear

Wehrmacht Maultiers

Turret close-up

IDF Merkava Mk IIID

Fuselage halves

B-17G First Impressions

Completed underside

Sukhoi Su-9 (Fishpot)

Port rear quarter

Lockheed F-35B Lightning II

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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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Packaging

FW-190A-F Prop & Spinner VDM-9-12176A Wide Wooden Blades
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Ultracast
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.25

Ultracast has cut out a niche market for itself with propellers. Their latest releases are designed for the Hasegawa Focke Wulf 190A/F.

Late-war Focke Wulfs were often fitted with wider-blade wooden props. This particular model of prop blade has a pointed tip, which is hard to replicate. Until now they have been difficult to find and their shape has not been quite correct. Ultracast has captured the shape perfectly for the first time.

This set is packaged in a small plastic bag secured onto a cardboard backing. The resin is typical Ultracast, molded in a light caramel color and free of blemishes. There are minimal pour blocks, which can be cleaned quickly and easily. Minimal flash is present on the spinner and cooling fans. Clean up of these castings will be easy with a new hobby blade.

Box Art

Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing - Tatiana's Vanship and Fam’s Vespa
Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$54.99

I like sci-fi and weird designs, so this Hasegawa Vanship, from their Creator Works series, was right up my alley. I had never heard of this model, however after a quick Google search, I found out that it’s the “fighter” ship for a hotshot pilot from the 2011 anime series Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing, a follow up to the 2003 anime series, Last Exile. I did find the series on Comcast’s Infinity and watched a couple episodes to try and get some context. Obviously, I need to see the rest of the series but the first few shows were good, so when I get time I’ll finish the rest.

Box Art

Jack Reacher 1970 Chevelle SS
Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
Company
AMT
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.99

Round 2 Models, under the AMT banner, has released a Jack Reacher 1970 Chevelle SS as part of their Silver Screen Machines series of kits. The ’70 Chevelle SS was “borrowed” by the title character, played by Tom Cruise, in the 2012 movie Jack Reacher, and had a blaze of glory during an exciting chase scene. This kit will allow you to build your own 1/25 scale copy of Jack Reacher’s Chevelle.

Engine

You get a 454ci engine that can be built with a single 4-barrel carburetor (LS6) or with a fuel-injected unit. I chose the fuelie option because I liked the way it looked.

Chassis

The chassis features nice detail and crisp engraving. The exhaust pipes and front suspension are molded onto the frame. The differential is separate, along with the shock absorbers. Some careful painting can bring out the exhaust pipe detail quite a bit.

Interior

The interior is just a tub with poor engraving. The dashboard is a fairly crisp though.

Product package

Metal Landing Gear for 1/32 Italeri F-104G/S
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$17.95

Thanks to Ross at SAC for yet another outstanding metal gear set; IPMS USA continues to appreciate the support from your contributions!

This set is, again, a simple drop-in replacement gear the new 1/32 Italeri F-104G/S. The set contains the entire main gear beam as one casting, with a nose gear; both are perfectly cast and directly upgrades the kit parts.

Installation is super easy; use superglue and press the SAC gear in; they fit perfectly, and impress with strength and “peace of mind” with attaching wheels/tires to the axles.

As usual, SAC landing gear are an excellent investment. As the kit plastic is a bit soft, the F-104 nose gear, being of the offset fork variety, will over time flex and you will have the toy-tricycle look to the nose. The main gear probably will also splay out… With SAC metal gear, the problem is solved, as the metal will hold up.

Parts

J7W1 Shinden Landing Gear

Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$16.95

This is the fourth landing gear set that I have reviewed from the folks at Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC), and once again, they have provided an excellent metal option for kit-supplied landing gear. This set is for the first 1/48 scale aircraft released by Zoukei-Mura in the Super Wing Series, the J7W1 Shin Den (kit Super Wing Series 1/48 1). The purpose of this replacement set is to provide stronger landing gear that is adjustable if necessary to obtain proper angles. Even with no previous experience in using white metal parts, this set will provide an upgrade that most modelers will have no issue installing.