Screws and Bolts

Harley Davidson FLSTFB Fat Boy Lo - Part 1

11

P-40E Warhawk Royal Class Dual Combo

Exhaust area 2

F4D-1 Skyray Part 2 – The Build

Decals

MiG-21bis

Left Front View

Japanese Airfield Fire Extinguisher

Vertical Stabs & Fuselage Top

USMC F/A 18D

Decals Left Side

Tempest Mk V Series 2

Construction

ZіL-131 AFU with DShKM

4

German Type G4 Partisanenwagen

Flight deck

USS Intrepid - Part 4

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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.

Parts Package

P-38 Lightning Air Intakes
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

The Product

My sample arrived packaged in the familiar orange-topped poly sleeve with the typical card insert. After close inspection of the parts, I found them to be perfect. These little beauties are just what the doctor ordered. They’re a drop-in replacement for the kit parts. They were easily detached from the pour block and cleaned up with a few swipes from my trusty sanding stick. How easy is that?

The Bottom Line

I recommend these babies to anyone wanting to enhance his P-38 build. Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review these nice little castings.

Box Art

Kawasaki I-GO-1 Otsu Ki-148
Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
AZ Model
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$18.00

History Brief

Designed in 1944 by Kawasaki, the Ki-148 was a World War II Japanese guided air-to-surface missile. In a nutshell, it was a radio-controlled bomb powered by a rocket engine capable producing 330lbs of thrust for up to 80 seconds. Approximately 180 were built. Luckily, none saw service by war’s end.

The Product

My sample arrived in a somewhat flimsy box. The box top featured a helpful rendering of the missile. On the reverse side, three decal options were presented, with the latter two being what-ifs. The plastic is a short run offering and lacks the finesse of standard production run kits. The kit includes plastic for one missile and one trolley cart. Also included are one small photo-etch fret, an instruction sheet, and a small decal sheet.

Box Art

F-16C Fighting Falcon "Tiger Meet 2012"
Review Author
David Horn
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$65.00

Aircraft and History

NATO Tiger Meets started around 1961 with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and grew into a large multinational military exercise over the years. The aircraft that participate usually sport distinctive tiger stripe markings and unique tail art. The model depicted is a Turkish Air Force F-16C (Block 50), 192 squadron “ Filo,“ which became a member of NATO Tiger society in 1980. The last F-16C version produced is the block 50/52 aircraft (block 50 GE engine and block 52 Pratt & Whitney engine). Turkey has operated F-16’s since 1987, starting with the block 30, and as of 1996 Turkey received block 50 Vipers.

Cover

Ki-27 ‘Nate’ Aces
Book Author(s)
Nicholas Millman
Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$22.95

Volume 103 in Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series details the interesting story of the Nakajima’s Ki-27 and the pilots who prevailed while flying the little fighter. The “Nate,” as it became known to most Westerners, contributed to a prevailing myth among aviation experts during the early years of WWII that Japanese aircraft were almost impossible to best in a dogfight. The nimble aircraft was fast enough and agile enough to give well-trained Japanese pilots the edge over almost any adversary as quickly as the fighter could be supplied to the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF).

Box Art

Curtiss F11C-2 Hawk
Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
RS Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$29.95

History

The Curtiss F11C-2 was one of the last of the Curtiss Hawk series of biplane fighters that began with the F6C-1 and P-1 series of 1925. Although later models used different wings and powerplants, the F11C series reverted back to the tapered wing. While the later F11C-1 had a metal wing, the F11C-2 wings were wooden. Power was provided by a 575 hp. Wright R-1820-78 radial engine using a two bladed metal prop. Known as the Goshawk in service, only 29 production F11C-2’s were built during 1933, and they were all issued to VF-1B, who operated them off the USS Saratoga along with some Boeing F4B-3s. In 1934, all of the F11C-2’s were upgraded, the most notable improvement being a raised turtledeck behind the cockpit and a small sliding canopy which partially covered the cockpit. These planes were known as BFC-2’s and they were considered to be a dual-purpose aircraft, fulfilling both the fighter and dive bomber roles.