Sail and apendages

Project 661 Anchar (NATO reporting name Papa class)

Completed 4

Russian Self-Propelled Gun SU-152 (KV-14)

Finished model

USN F-4J VF-84 "Jolly Rogers"

Sprue Sample

MK I "Female" British Tank, Somme Battle Period, 1916

Empty Gun Bay

Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Nick) Part 2 - Cockpit and Fuselage

Assembly

British 2-Ton 4X2 Ambulance

Main Rotor Accessories and Plumbing

Sikorsky CH-54A Tarhe with Universal Military Pod

Finished aircraft, above

Aichi B7A2 Attack Bomber Ryusei Kai (Grace)

18

Convair B-36D/F/H/J Peacemaker

Finished- Back Left Quarter

MB Military Vehicle

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.

Parts Package

AIM-9L/M/N Sidewinder Seeker Head Covers with RBF tags (early)
Review Author
Andy Renshaw
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.00

If you enjoy modeling your aircraft parked, loaded, and tagged, then this set is for you. Aerobonus, a child company of Aires, has released a set of seeker head covers with Remove Before Flight (RBF) tags for early model AIM-9 Sidewinders.

In the Box

The hanging bag with enclosed card backing comes with a single resin pour stub, in a light yellow color, with six covers. The light yellow resin is a perfect color for the actual covers, so no painting is needed. Casting is perfect, with crisp detail as we would expect from anything done by Aires. RBF tags are on a printed pre-cut, self-adhesive material. A small piece of fine wire is also included.

Parts Package

F-94C Starfire Landing Gear
Review Author
Jack Kennedy
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.95

I was recently given the new 1/48 Kitty Hawk F-94C Starfire to review. I think this is a very nice kit, especially considering that it is the first release by this company. When looking at the parts I was impressed by the detail of the landing gear.

No sooner had this kit hit the market, when Scale Aircraft Conversions released a metal landing gear that not only adds weight to the nose of the aircraft but also corrects a minor error in the kit landing gear.

The kit landing gear, while very nice, represents the legs at full compression. This is not correct. SAC has chosen to represent them as the real aircraft sits, which will alter the stance of the kit. The oleos are not fully compressed and look just right.

I have consulted some photos I have of the F-94C as seen at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson and the one at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio, and they both have the oleos extended slightly but not fully. The SAC L/G legs are spot on.

Parts Package

US Wheel Chocks, WWII
Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Profimodeller
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$7.69

With the release of all the World War Two US aircraft in this scale, it didn't take long for aftermarket companies to step in and start producing detail sets. Profimodeller is one of these and they have come up with some really nice stuff. The wheel chock set is a nice addition and will work great when I display the new HK Models B-25 on a base.

I went to Profimodeller's website and found it quite easy to use. They are very helpful in answering questions and quick to respond (note the time difference, you are dealing with Czechoslovakia). I used Pay Pal for payment and received my goodies in a week.

This will be a "First Look" type review. I will be building a B-25 and incorporate the set in the build, but it's going to take a while.

The chocks are made of resin. You get enough pieces to build two sets of chocks. You get a bar, and the chocks are adjustable and slip on the bar. This set will really dress any WWII US airplane that they are used for.

Product

Sprue Cutter
Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
UMM-USA
MSRP
$12.99

I have used many sprue cutters from a lot of different companies, all with different designs, for many years, and this is the first time I have tried this design. I was a little skeptical at first, but these have turned out to be quite nice.

The tweezer design is nice and easy to hold. The ergonomic design makes them very user-friendly. I love the way the head is shaped, the extension of the cutting head making it easy to fit into tight spots. The cutting heads are very sharp, so beware.

As for using, just put the head against the part you want to cut off and squeeze. You get a nice clean cut with very little cleanup afterwards. This works great for small parts. When it comes to the larger ones, you really have to squeeze, and I mean squeeze, hard. I had to resort to my other cutters for these.

Parts Package

B-25J Mitchell Top Turret Detail Set
Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
Company
Profimodeller
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$5.00

With the release of HK Models’ 1/32nd B-25, it didn't take longer for the aftermarket companies to step in and start producing detail sets. Profimodeller is one of these, and they have come up with some really nice stuff. So far, they have released 9 different detail sets and all at a very reasonable cost. I have ordered the additional sets from Profimodeller's website and found it quite easy to use. They are very helpful in answering questions and quick to respond (please note the time difference, you are dealing with Czechoslovakia). I used Pay Pal for payment and received my goodies in a week.

This will be a "First Look" type review. I will be building a B-25 and incorporating the set in the build, but it's going to take a while.