Picture 9

USS Missouri BB-63

Sprues - 2

Sea Vixen FAW 2

Marking scheme 4

P-40N Warhawk

Finished -Side View

Chinese J-11B

Ready for Paint

Churchill Mk. VII

Cockpit area

Avia B.534 Late Model

Assembled 2

F6F-5 Hellcat “Pacific Aces”

The U. S. export version of the kit has clear plastic engine cover parts, should you want to show the engine detail.

De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk VI - Part 1

Paint mask

Ju-87G Dual Combo

Finished model underside

Me-163 Komet

Previous Next

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.

Cover

Israel’s Front Line Armor
Book Author(s)
Ofer Zidon
Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
Wizard Publications (Israel)
MSRP
$49.99

There’s Merkavas and Pumas and Magachs, oh my.

I have been a fan of the Israeli military for many years but have concentrated my interest on the 1967 and 1973 wars. Their ingenuity regarding their armor and aircraft make them more interesting than German Panzers, in my opinion.

This is the first book in a new series by Wizard Publications (Israel) on IDF Armor. Wizard has done many books on the Israel Air Force and it is nice to see them take up the armor side.

This softcover book is full of full color pictures of the modern Israeli armored fighting vehicles starting in the late 80’s on up through 2011. This time frame covers a change in tactics from the wide open killing grounds of the Sinai to the towns of Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. To meet these challenges, the IDF converted its tanks and APCs to more heavily armored vehicles designed for close-in fighting.

Box Art

AMC DH.2
Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Wingnut Wings, Ltd
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$65.00

Model features (taken directly from Wingnut Wings’ website):

Released in October 2012

  • High quality decals for 5 aircraft
  • 166 high quality injection moulded plastic parts
  • 6 photo-etched metal detail parts
  • Highly detailed 17 part 100hp Gnome Monosoupape engine
  • Optional 2 & 4 blade propellers, instrument boards, undercarriage, aileron controls and ammunition stowage
  • Fine in scale rib tape detail
  • full rigging diagrams.

You know what? – it’s all true and you get a lot more.

The Aircraft Manufacturing Company de Havilland 2 (AMC DH.2) first flew in June, 1915, was sent to the front in July for evaluation, and was promptly captured in August. This didn't deter the development, and by February, 1916, they were there to stay. By July, 1917, they were slowly replaced by more modern aircraft but continued to serve well into 1918.

Box Art

The Generals of WW II Era
Review Author
Jack Kennedy
Published on
Company
Master Box Ltd
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$17.50

I have been painting miniatures for over 40 years and have seen some bad and some great. This set of figures depicting important Generals of WW II is one of the best I have ever seen.

It is a set consisting of six Generals, including General George S. Patton, Marshal Georgy Zhukov, General Sugijama Hadjime, General Erich von Manstein, Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, and General Charles deGaulle.

I was totally impressed with the fine casting and how accurate each face was for the particular general. This is something I have rarely seen in my many years of figure painting.

There is a color guide on the back of the box to help the modeler paint each figure accurately. As far as assembly goes, I couldn’t have asked for more. The fit was perfect on each figure without any seam lines to show. It took me about five minutes to assemble each one.

Box Art

Soviet D-30 122mm Howitzer – Early Version
Review Author
David Wrinkle
Published on
Company
Trumpeter
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$28.99

History / Background

The Soviet D-30 (122mm howitzer) entered service with the Russian Army in 1963 as a replacement for the M-30 and M-1942 artillery pieces. Nearly fifty years on, the D-30 is still in active service in over fifty armies today, including the Afghans under supervision of US forces. Unlike a conventional artillery piece that utilizes two trail legs the D-30 uses three, and when deployed, the trails are placed into a very stable configuration separated by 120 degrees. In travel mode, the D-30's rearmost legs fold forward alongside the forward leg, and the entire gun is pulled via the tow ring on the muzzle. With this build, I broke one of my cardinal rules for modeling: avoid equipment made after 1946. Why did I break this rule? For one, the gun has been in service as long as I have been around, and for some strange reason I am attracted to the unconventional three leg configuration.

Box Art

Samurai Warrior
Review Author
Robert Folden
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/16
MSRP
$27.99

Though well known for their various diorama kits, MiniArt also has a long line of 1/16 scale historical figures. One of the latest, and quite possibly the most complex, is their Japanese Samurai Warrior. Being somewhat of a fan of the Samurai culture, I jumped at the opportunity to review MiniArt’s kit. Little did I know just what I was getting into.