Top view aft

Project 661 Anchar (NATO reporting name Papa class)

Underside

Tim Flock’s 1956 Chrysler 300B

4

Porsche Carrera RSR Turbo

Clear sprue

Kawasaki Ki-100 Type 5 Army Fighter

Left-rear

Joey Logano #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion

Box Art

Nebelwerfer 41 Towed German Rocket Launcher

Cockpit Detail

Yokosuka MXY7 OKHA Model 11

9

HH-60H 'Rescue Hawk'

Finished Model - Stern Closeup

HMS Roberts

Cab Installed

Kenworth W-900 Conventional

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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.

HMS Warspite Book

The Battleship HMS Warspite
Book Author(s)
Witold Koszela
Review Author
Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Published on
Company
Kagero Publishing
MSRP
$23.00

TopDrawings18 is a magnum opus of research and detail. Oddly, but luckily, this older Top Drawings from Kagero Publishing from 2013 was up for review. No complaints, and had to bring out the drool cup again. Kagero's Topdrawings softbacks are legendary for scale modelers. For ship modelers, they are an ultimate reference of appearance at a particular time, or sometimes several timepoints. Glossy color plates from covers and inserts are welcome, but color renditions of more views are found in the hefty companion 3D Drawings books of the same subjects. TopDrawings are specifically handy for scale modeler workbenches. Scale line drawings can be easily resized to fit whatever scale the modeler is building by modern copiers, a boon for scratchbuilding or replacing inaccurate parts.

This TopDrawing of HMS Warspite from WWI to WWII is larger than most, perhaps because of the illustrious career Warspite enjoyed. Even the history is two pages instead of one.

Package

X-15A-2 White Ablative Coating
Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
Company
Special Hobby
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$91.28

The X-15 stands in a unique position in the annals of aviation history as one of the most ambitious projects to ever explore the envelope of aerial performance. Flying a total of 199 missions in only three aircraft, it broke every record in the 1960’s, with a top speed of 4,520 miles an hour (Mach 6.7) and an altitude record of 102, 100 feet – records for a manned aircraft that remain unbroken to this day.

Both aircraft and engine were developed in the mid-1950s but weren’t operational until 1959. Made from a number of heat-resistant alloys and the most advanced developments of its day, the original version used a set of two rockets similar to the Bell X-1 rocket, each with four ventura and delivering 16,000 pounds of thrust. In time, the XLR99 rocket became available, delivering a whopping 57,000 pounds of thrust.

Package

Zimmerit, The Ultimate Modelling Guide
Review Author
Chris Martin
Published on
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
Scale
NA
MSRP
$74.99
  • Book; $74.99
  • Paste; $7.49
  • Applicator Tools; $9.96
  • Panzer Kote Tools, $28.99

A hard-bound, 205 pages, 8½ x 12 inch volume containing six chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 provide historic context, while chapters 3 through 6 are for the modeler.

Chapter 1: Zimmerit: History and Riddles

One word best sums up this chapter ... Wow!

The introduction points out that the interest zimmerit is inversely proportional to its real use. As modelers we all “know” what zimmerit is. An anti-magnetic paste applied to defeat magnetic anti-tank mines. Furthermore we are all familiar with the typical parallel line and waffle patterns. But did you know there were 18 different patterns? And that certain patterns were used exclusively by a single manufacturer?

Bending Handle Set

Three-Piece (3 pc) Bending Handle Set

Review Author
Tom Dunford
Published on
Company
UMM-USA
Scale
N/A
MSRP
$10.96

The UMM three-piece (3 pc) bending handle set are molded in black cured resin for use in bending Photoetch brass, copper, aluminum and other malleable metal sheet. It is intended to avoid scratching the part or bending jig.

These three handles are 90 mm long, 10 mm diameter and are tapered on one end in widths of 4, 5 and 6 mm. The narrow tips allow a specific feature or segment to be bent without disturbing surrounding areas not being bent. The ergonomic handle of each handle is 10 mm diameter with an rounded end opposite the tapered tip. The basic shape of these handles are similar to other UMM hand-held tools such as their earlier reviewed Shanked Reamer ( https://reviews.ipmsusa.org/review/micro-pyramid-shanked-reamer-rm-25mm ).

Loening Amphibian

Loening Amphibian

Book Author(s)
Steve Ginter
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Ginter Books
MSRP
$26.95

Author Steve Ginter is a noted military historian who publishes the Naval Fighter series that was founded in 1980. After graduating from California State University-Northridge, Ginter became a US Navy pilot, serving from 1966 to 1972. Upon leaving the US Navy, Ginter held a series of management positions within the Thrifty Drug chain for the next twenty-one years. In 1996, he became the CEO of Sentai Distributors, where he directed company operations until 2011.