Right view

F-18 US Naval Aviation Centennial

Finished intake

F4D-1 Skyray Part 2 – The Build

Completed Build

G7101 in German Service with Infantry

12

The Crew of "Stugna-P" Anti-Tank Complex

Completed 4

HMS Sheffield Type 43 Destroyer Batch 1

Left Side

M4A2 Sherman U.S. Marine Corps

Paint

Dogfight Double Gift Set: Nakajima B5N2 "Kate"/Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat

Finished model

P-47D Thunderbolt Razorback

Front through prop

Lagg-3 "Finnish Air Force"

7

RAAF Fighter F/A-18A Hornet NO.77SQ 77th Anniversary

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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.

Box Art

Fw-190A-5/U12 with Gun Pack
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$58.00

I’ve always loved the look of the Fw-190A-5/U12. Designed with two cannon pods containing two cannons each, it’s one mean machine. For those of us who are old enough to remember, we had the Monogram Fw-190 in the ‘70s, and in that kit they included the gun pods. While not totally accurate, it did make an impression on a little red headed kid. I built it with my kid. Fast forward a few years (okay, so more than a few), and we are blessed with accurate Fw-190s all around, but no U12 versions…until now.

Hasegawa’s Fw-190 kits are easy to build and really accurate. Inside this one, there are five sprues of light grey plastic with no flash or blemishes. The panel lines are recessed and display typical Hasegawa fine quality. Amazingly, the parts count is low at 81 pieces. A sprue of clear is also provided. Some poly caps are included for the prop. This makes a very good A-5 version.

Box Art

Sopwith Snipe (late)
Review Author
Jack Kennedy
Published on
Company
Wingnut Wings, Ltd
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$69.00

This is without a doubt the best aircraft kit I have ever built. Wingnut Wings has produced an absolute wonder of a kit in this Sopwith Snipe.

Upon opening the sturdy box, one finds six grey sprues, one clear sprue, and a photo etch fret. In addition, there is a very colorful and complete 23-page book of instructions with color photos and actual WW I photos of several Snipes.

To begin, I assembled the cockpit which consists of over 30 parts, not counting the rigging wires. When complete, this is a real gem that should really be displayed alone. It is a shame that it has to be shut up inside the fuselage as not much can be seen once installed. I hope that Wingnut Wings will produce kits of just their cockpits. The instructions for the cockpit are color drawings and color photos of the real cockpit. Can’t beat that.

Next came the 13-piece engine. This also is a real beauty.

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.