Assembly

F-104A/C

Port side

USS Intrepid - Part 4

Weapons load

A-6E Intruder

Finished model

Zwillingssockel 36 WWII German Anti-aircraft Machine gun Mount

With the Airfix 1/76 kit

British Matador Truck

Front left view

B-17E, F, and Early G: Part II - The Finished Model

Engine assembly for Kettenkraftrad

Sd.Kfz. 2 Kleines Kettenkraftrad Typ HK 101

Finished

Hyundai Santa Fe

Right rear

Bf-109E-3 and Detail Sets

Left rear

F9F-2 Panther

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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.

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Book Cover

V1 Flying Bomb Aces
Book Author(s)
Andrew Thomas
Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$22.95

One of Osprey’s latest in the “Aircraft of the Aces” series is number 113, covering Allied pilots that shot down 5 or more V1 Flying Bombs.

This book opens with the words of the first pilot to shoot down a V1 (Flt Lt John Musgrove, in a night-fighter Mosquito) on June 16, 1944. Within minutes, 3 more V1s would be shot down that evening by other members of the same Mosquito squadron. After this exciting opening page, the reader is then guided chronologically through the story of the V1 campaign, starting with the development of the “Buzz Bomb” itself and culminating with the last V1 shot down on 28 March 1945.

Parts Fret

Waist and Tail Gunner Compartment Details for HK B-17
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$30.00

… MORE on of our long review of Eduard PE parts for the HK B-17 kit… thanks to Eduard for providing us these sets…!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The waist section on this set contains several similar panels and gauges for the crew oxygen and intercom system. Ammunition feed chutes are provided for both waist weapons, as are crosshair gunsights, and an unusual modification in the form of spent ammo casing bags for the waist guns. These, by the way, are supposed to be installed with the CURVED section toward the fuselage sides… I must have been distracted.

The Auxiliary power unit is detailed up with placards, and various bits and pieces. You will have to work to see this on the completed model, unless you open the crew access door on the right side of the aircraft.

PE Fret

Bomb Bay Details for HK B-17
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$30.00

Next step in our long review of Eduard PE parts for the HK B-17 kit. Ongoing thanks to Eduard for providing us these sets… !

Having opened one other B-17 many years ago in 1/48th, using the Paragon resin flap and bomb bay sets, I vowed not to do that ever again, not due to the fault of the parts, but because it made it extremely difficult to move the model around. Here I am again, with an even LARGER model… But it’s worth it in the end!

This upgrade seriously improves the appearance of the kit parts by having you replace the sidewalls with PE sheet, and styrene truss bracing. Added afterwards are Gussets with excellent rivet detail. What that does is brings the detail level over the top… it just looks a lot better in this scale. The catwalk has improved rails and sides as well. Additional placards and bulkhead details are added, and in the end (it does take a while) everything comes together.

BF109E Cover

Messerschmitt Bf-109E, The Blitzkrieg Fighter
Book Author(s)
Marek J. Murawski and Jakub Plewka
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Kagero Publishing
MSRP
$29.95

Bf-109E is the most recent addition in Kagero’s Monographs Special series. The Casemate information sheet that accompanied the book states that, “This new book gives not only a thorough insight in the development, variants, technical features and camouflage of the “Emil”, but also an excellent overview of the aircraft’s service with the Luftwaffe.” True words!

Modelers vary in their focus for information regarding a subject being modeled, and this publication addresses most, if not all, of those areas of interest.

The text begins with comprehensive coverage of the Bf-109E variants. Detailed black and white images show the characteristics and design differences which separate one “Emil” variant from the next. In these 34 pages, the modeler will find much useful and detailed information that will significantly impact the authenticity of the “E” variant being modeled.

Box Art

MV-22B Osprey
Review Author
Ben Guenther
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$49.99

Hasegawa has produced the first production model of the Osprey VTOL transport in 1/72 scale, the MV-22B. In 1988, Italeri came out with a kit (# 175) of the preproduction version, which was designated at that time the V-22A (later to be changed to MV-22A). It would be very difficult to modify the MV-22A into the "B" model. Thankfully, modelers do not have that problem now due to Hasegawa's latest release. This article will not go into the long history of VTOL aircraft or into the difficult development of the Osprey that can be found in other sources. (such as The Dream Machine: the untold history of the notorious V-22 Osprey by Richard Whittle, 2010).