Right front

Sd.Kfz.2 Kettenkrad Early Production w/ Infanteriekarren

Construction details 6

StuG.III Ausf.G Late December 1944

Cockpit from Rear

F-106A Delta Dart

Opening the Box

AH-1G Cobra "US Marines/Navy"

Build In-progress

Studebaker US6-U5

Front right

A-6E Intruder

Finished Model

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. F Sd.Kfz 161

Left overhead

Fw-190A-2 Jabo Bunny Fighter Club

Left Front

German Motorcycle & Sidecar

3/4 left-low-stacked

Y.A.R. Air Force "Peace Bell Program" F-5E

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Welcome to IPMS/USA Reviews

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.

Reskit A-10 A/C Ejection Seat

A-10A/C Thunderbolt II Aces II Ejection Seat

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
Company
Reskit
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.00

ResKit has provided the IPMS reviewer corps with a new 3D resin printed Aces II ejection seat for the A-10A/C Thunderbolt II in 1/48th scale.

In the Package and Product Notes

There is one 3D printed resin seat packaged in a small but very sturdy cardboard box. It is printed with a sturdy travel frame along with foam inserts for extra protection. A small decal sheet is provided for the stencils and a well-illustrated instruction sheet for paint and decal placement.

Review Process

Removal of the seat starts with cutting away the protective frame. Then carefully removing the support piers. The printing is so fine at the contact points that no sanding was necessary to clean up any support nubs.

Vampire Landing Gear

Vampire F.3 Landing Gear

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$20.00

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS reviewer corps a set of 1/48th scale metal landing gear for Airfix’s Vampire F.3/FB.5/FB.9. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

In the Package

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided.

Review Process

The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for parts C8, C14, C26 (nose wheel), C29 & C30 (main landing gear for F.3), and C27 & C28 (main landing gear for FB.5/FB.9). The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if needed. Also, seam lines will need to be cleaned up prior to painting just like the plastic kit parts.

When comparing the parts to the instructions, the oleo arms are missing on the SAC parts. So, removing those arms off the kit parts or scratch-building may be necessary.

Book Cover

Skyhookers: An Illustrated History of Hook-On Aircraft and Their Dirigible Motherships
Book Author(s)
William Wolf
Review Author
James Kelley
Published on
Company
Pen and Sword Books Ltd
MSRP
$49.95

William Wolf’s “Skyhookers” is a deeply researched, richly illustrated exploration of one of aviation history’s most ambitious and unusual experiments: launching and recovering fixed‑wing aircraft from giant airships. The book blends technical detail, historical narrative, and rare imagery to tell the story of how the U.S. Navy attempted to fuse lighter‑than‑air craft with early fighter technology.

Package cover

Silver Spitfires
Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
Company
Iliad Design
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.00

Iliad Design has provided IPMS/USA reviewer corps with a wonderful decal set for the WWII Supermarine “Silver” Spitfires in service for the Royal Air Force, USAAF, and RAAF. There is no specific mention of a preferred model company for this decal set.

This 1/48th scale decal sheet covers five schemes:

  1. Spitfire LF IXc, No. 601 Squadron, Italy, 1943.
  2. Spitfire Mk. IXc of Lt. Col. E.P. Allen, XIX TAC, St. Dizier, France, October 1944.
  3. Spitfire Mk. Vc, No. 85 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Pearce, Western Australia, February 1945.
  4. Spitfire Mk. VIII, used as a “hack” by the 307th FS, 1944.
  5. Spitfire LF XVIe of No. 1 (Pilots) Refresher Flying Unit, 1950.

In the Package

There is one decal sheet and one page of instructions (printed front & back). It has all the individual markings and roundels for all five aircraft. Stencils will need to be provided by the kit’s decals or an aftermarket source.

US-R Senior Spanding Landing Gear

U-2R Senior Span Landing Gear

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$19.00

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS reviewer corps a set of 1/48th scale metal landing gear for Hobby Boss’s U-2R “Dragon Lady” Senior Span. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

In the Package

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided.

Review Process

The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for parts E8 (tail wheel), E14 & F22 (nose wheel), and E7 (wingtip “pogo” wheels). The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if needed. Also, seam lines will need to be cleaned up prior to painting just like the plastic kit parts.