Finished pair

Spitfire Mk. XVI Dual Combo

Finished

AH-1G Cobra "US Marines/Navy"

Chassis

Scania R730 Truck “The Griffin”

Base chassis

VBL Milan

Sprue 3

Kawanishi H8K2 Type 2 Flying Boat Model 12

Osprey Nose Close Up

MV-22B Osprey

Completed chassis 2

Arnie Beswick's "The Super Judge" 1969 Pontiac GTO Funny Car

Under construction.

Battle of Britain – Ready for Battle Gift Set

Sales Rep

Gladiator

Completed figure

The Game 'O'

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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

C-124 Landing Gear
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$14.98

Thanks once again to SAC for providing IPMS USA the opportunity to review one from their prolific product line…and IPMS/USA for allowing my ham-fisted efforts to continue with the reviewer corps!

This is almost a no-brainer. Roden’s C-124 is an excellent kit. Short-run issues aside, it looks and carries itself like “Ol’ Shaky.” Ask Bondo Phil about his time with the ‘124 – to have crewed (and survived) those birds, even when you knew about plug fouling, engine fires, and general issues on early large aircraft, was a testament to their strong lower gastro-intestial system.

The nickname unfortunately translates to its “sit” on the ground. Even in this minute scale, Roden has engineered the gear to look correct in appearance and substance – and in plastic, it’s just not enough. The nose gear in particular will fail over time. So, what to do?

Parts Packaging

UC-78/T-50 Landing Gear
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$16.99

Thanks to SAC for providing IPMS USA the opportunity to review one of their prolific product line…and IPMS USA for letting me take a gander!

First and up front, this is not a build review. That is because there are no more Special Hobby UC-78/T-50’s out there to purchase! (And, no, I am not paying e-bay collector prices for a kit that I would not normally build.) I thought this gear went to a build on another aircraft called a T-50, which is a Korean trainer jet. I’m working that review right now…and an excellent kit it is.

Box Art

Mosquito Mk IV Royal Canadian Air Force
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$23.99

Thanks once again to our friends from Revell in Elk Grove, IL, who continue their program of re-releasing some of the best 1/48 models out there! Your efforts are truly appreciated by us old guys…good to see this one back.

Yes, this is the venerable Monogram kit, re-released under the Revell banner. Consisting of 125 parts, this was as good as it got back in 1966 when it was first released. In the box, the changes are new decals and a generic instruction sheet. What has not changed is the model itself; it still holds its own with the newer releases from other companies, with the exception of interior details! Box art is a bit of cut/paste; looks a lot like a Korean village below that is exploding in volcanic fashion.

Box Art

J35S Draken Finnish Special
Review Author
Bill Kluge
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$56.99

The Hasegawa quarter-inch scale Draken kit has been around for several years now, released in the markings of all of the European countries that flew it, including a number of special anniversary schemes for Swedish, Danish, and Austrian aircraft to commemorate the aircraft’s decades of service. This kit provides decals for the Finnish anniversary scheme to highlight the aircraft’s 28 years with Finland’s Ilmavoimat.

The kit itself is a relatively simple and easy build, with a fairly low parts count compared to many Hasegawa kits. One of the nicer aspects of this “special” kit is that, with the exception of decals and weapons, all the parts are included to build a Finnish Draken at any time of its service with the Finnish Air Force. That includes extra antenna, optional gun ports for dual cannon-armed aircraft, parts for late model aircraft with rear fuselage flare dispensers, and an optional chin mounted IR seeker.

Box Art

Wessex UH.5
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$62.00

The Wessex family of helicopters has always been popular among modelers. There has been only one kit in 1/48 before and it has been out of production for a few decades, so this newly molded kit is certainly creating some positive ripples in the modeler community!

Italeri brings a brand-new mold of the Wessex UH.5. Surface detail is good, with most of the detail being recessed, but in some areas –where it should be – it is actually raised detail. The kit includes 4 sprues, nylon mesh for the intakes, and a small photoetch fret for cockpit detail plus some external detail, too. Clear parts are very transparent, but a bit thick. Decals are glossy and allow you to finish your model in 4 different finishes, either in Royal Air Force or Royal Navy service.