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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
Don Norton
Published on
Company
Plusmodel
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$4.99

Plus Model has made a living providing us with little odds and ends of resin to liven up our modeling projects, and this is just such an item. From their Easy Line, the six pieces in the poly bag require minimum work. Molded in gray resin are a table top, 4 legs, and a 3-legged stool. The table is like a kitchen table, with drawers for utensils. It would seem a better choice for a seat would be kitchen chairs, but these are available as a separate kit.

The stool in my sample had all three legs bent over, like someone had taken the stool out of the mold and popped it right in the bag. Looked like a spider that had been stepped on. This would be my first challenge, and after sawing off the resin plug from the stool top, I held the stool under some hot water from the tap. Like a miracle, the legs softened and they straightened out.

The table legs were not a tight fit, so I used 5-minute epoxy. This gave some wiggle room to make sure all legs were aligned.

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.

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.

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.

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.