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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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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.

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Review Author
Sean Glaspell
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$12.95

Background

The recent new mold release by Airfix of the North American P-51D Mustang is a great addition of this iconic aircraft to the modeling community. It is a fine model that that is equal in detail and features to any Pacific Rim company equivalent. With that said, the level of detail is matched with the frailty of some of the parts, namely the landing gear, which poses the difficult situation of thick sprue gates with delicate kits parts for the modeler.

The Product

To the rescue comes mighty Scale Aircraft Conversions! This release from SAC features white metal landing gear for the P-51D Mustang from the Airfix new mold kits. Please note that this landing gear will work on the entire series of new mold Mustangs, both the P-51D/K and Mustang Mk.VI kits.

Review Author
Sean Glaspell
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/9
MSRP
$19.95

Background

In 1979, Ridley Scott introduced moviegoers to a new genre of cinema, the Sci-Fi Horror film. Set on an isolated spaceship, the film’s spook value was enhanced by minimalist glimpses of the alien life form that picked off the crew one by one. In the final confrontation, it was the determination of the female action hero (and her cat) that enabled her to survive the ordeal and eliminate the threat.

MPC originally released a 1/9th scale model of the Alien creature. I bought my first one from the local Sears department store in Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach, back in the day when they carried everything. The legs were immobile, with only head at the neck and the arms at the shoulders articulated. From that kit, I started to learn the skills of cutting, re-positioning, and posing figures.

Review Author
Sean Glaspell
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$6.45

Background

The recent new release by Airfix of the North American P-51D Mustang is a great detail addition to the modeling community for this iconic aircraft.

The Product

This latest release from Quickboost features a complete set of resin Exhaust-Type II exhausts for the P-51D Mustang from the Airfix new mold series of P-51D/K and Mustang Mk.VI kits. The quality of the resin casting is flawless and bubble-free. The tips of the exhaust pipes are hollowed out.

Assembly

These are simple drop-in parts that replace your kits parts. The locating stubs are replicated exactly where the kit’s parts are. Since these parts are made of resin, the modeler will need to use a cyanoacrylate adhesives (CA) super glue. If building with minors, exercise caution.

Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$75.00

History Brief

The Nakajima B6N1 Type 11 attack/torpedo bomber Tenzan, Allied code name “Jill”, was introduced in 1943 as a replacement for the B5N Kate. It was a big improvement over the Kate and, although faster and more maneuverable, it was still no match for the U.S. Navy’s carrier-based fighters. The losses were so great that only one Jill is known to be in existence today.

There were two main production variants of the Jill – the earlier Type 11 and the later Type 12. The Type 11 had the more powerful Mamori Model 11 power plant, a 14-cylinder radial (rated 1870 hp at takeoff), but it proved to be unreliable. The Mamori engine was dropped in favor of the more dependable but considerably weaker Kasei powerplant in the Tenzan Type 12 design.

Review Author
Jim Coatney
Published on
Company
Albatros Productions, Ltd.
MSRP
$11.90

Albatros Productions publications, particularly their Winsdsock Worldwide and Datafiles, are indispensable reference materials for any serious modeler of World War One aircraft, and also for anyone with a deep interest in the history of aviation history.

The May/June 2013 (Vol.29, No.3) issue is their latest release of the Windsock Datafile line. The magazine consists of thirty-four pages (including covers) in medium thickness glossy paper. Other than the back cover and inside back cover, there is no advertising. The rest is all wonderful content. Production quality is excellent.

The cover shows pictures that hints towards the content inside; TVAL’s beautiful new Albatros D.II, a screen shot from the flight simulator Rise of Flight, an image of a 1/24 LVG C.VI, and a newly released resin figure.

Contents include: