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.

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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.

To learn more about IPMS/USA, please see our About Us page.

Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
Company
Vargas Scale Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$84.50

Vargas Models, a prolific maker of extraordinary resin, 3-D printed, limited-run armor models is back with another unusual subject; the Fiat 2000 Carro Armata or ‘heavy tank’. The Fiat 2000 was Italy’s first tank ever developed, with the first prototype displayed in mid-1917, and the final production prototype unveiled the following year.

The FIAT 2000 was a substantial vehicle, of comparable dimensions to the British Mark V tanks, and weighing 40 tons as compared to the Mark V's 28 tons, making it ‘technically’ the heaviest tank of World War I, although it never saw combat.

Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
Company
Beemax Model Kits

This set provides upgrades to the Porsche 935 K2 78 LM kit # BX24025 from Beemax. It includes a steel fret of metal parts including screens, wing and air deflectors, window straps and clips, seat belt hardware, brake rotor faces, fuel and oil flaps, windshield wiper and panel hold down pins. A strip of fabric for seat harnesses and turned metal ferules for jack connector and antenna, complete with antenna wire, round out the package.

Book Author(s)
David Doyle
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
Company
David Doyle Books
MSRP
$19.99

David Doyle is well known to historians and modelers alike, with over 200 books to his credit. His Legends of Warfare series covers many of the important machines used in warfare. This latest volume is for the Northrup P-61 Black Widow. The P-61 was the first US purpose designed night fighter. Comparison in size to a medium bomber and with its twin-boom design the P-61 was a very distinctive design and popular with aviation enthusiasts and modelers alike. Monogram Models often said it was their very best selling 1/48 scale model. Hopefully soon the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum will have their P-61 back in the air.

The book is broken down into seven chapters. Chapter one covers the XP and YP-61, Chapter two covers the P-61A, Chapter three the “B” model. Chapter four the “C” model. Chapter five covers the XP-62D. Chapter six covers the XP-61E. The final chapter covers the F-15A Reporter.

Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
Company
Beemax Model Kits
MSRP
$32.00

A presence on the racing scene from 1976 to 1981 when FIA rules changes finished their run, the Porsche 935 series of race cars won about a third of the all the races they entered. This car, a 935 K2 series fielded by the Porsche-Kremer racing team ran the 1978 Le Mans race finishing 25th. Kremer would go on to win Le Mans in 1979 with a 935 K3. These cars were powered by flat six 3 to 3.3 liter twin turbo charged engines producing over 700 hp. Based on the 911 body, numerous aerodynamic improvements made these cars serious contenders.

The Beemax kit is a reissue of a Platz kit. The parts are molded in black, white, clear and chrome. Masks are provided for the glass as are rubber tires and mesh for the rear wing vents. Two styles of wheels are provided as are the brake vent disks used by many 935s. Three decal sheets, detailed instructions and a color decal guide round out the kit. Quality of the parts are top notch as is the fit of the parts.

Book Author(s)
Alan Ranger
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$47.95

Alan Ranger is a former British Royal Engineer, engineer, collector of World War II militaria and original period photographs, and prolific author. Alan started his publishing days with Model Art of Japan and has already authored 25 books in the Camera On series, typically focusing on weapon systems and vehicles.

Camera On Number 27 focuses on the World War II German heavy off-road wheeled passenger soft skinned vehicles – the title is self-explanatory - Schwerer Geländegängiger Personenkraftwagen and Successors, the Horch 108 Type 1, licensed built Ford Type EG, and light truck chassis Steyr 1500 and Mercedes Benz 1500A and S types. The beauty of this book is the photos were taken by German soldiers during their wartime service, not posed and polished propaganda shots.