Finished Model with Ruler for Scale

Bussing-NAG 2 cm KwK 38

Right Side Landing Gear

Sikorsky CH-54A Tarhe with Universal Military Pod

Finished Right Front

P-3A Orion

Top View

Let L-410UVP-E "Turbolet" Over Europe

9

Fierce Battle: American Civil War

Wings mounted

Avia B.534 Quattro Combo

Gun bay

F6F-5 Hellcat, Part 1

Above

F4F-4 Wildcat

Figure Left Side

US Navy Pilot (50’s)

Gloster 13

Gloster Gladiator Mk.1

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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.

Product Picture

Battle of Berlin (April 1945) T-34-85, King Tiger Kit
Review Author
Will Kuhrt
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$79.78

Thank you to Phil and to Bill for all the work that you do!

First Impression

This ICM offering is a bundle of two of previous releases: the T-34-85 Soviet Medium Tank kit No. 35367 issued March, 2018 and the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B. King Tiger with Henschel Turret kit No. 35363 released July, 2016. The kits are separately packaged. The King Tiger has eight light-gray crisply molded sprues and a set of vinyl tracks. The T-34-85 consists of five dark-green sprues, one clear sprue, a set of vinyl tracks and individually packaged body halves. Two decal sheets are provided. The King Tiger versions are: PzKpfw.IV Ausf.B s.Pz.Abt. Feldhernhalle, Hungary, March 1945; PzKpfw.IV Ausf.B s.Pz.Abt.

Product Picture

B-29/B-50 Superfortress, Vol. 2: Post-World War II and Korea
Book Author(s)
David Doyle
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
David Doyle Books
MSRP
$19.99

David Doyle's book on the B-29/B-50 Superfortress is one of the latest entries in the 'Legends of Warfare' series with entries in Ground, Naval, and Aviation. The is Volume 2 that follows David Doyle’s earlier work, B-29 Superfortress, Vol. 1: Boeing XB-29 through B-29B in World War II, that was released on April 20, 2020. The Legends of Warfare series has expanded rapidly since its 2017 debut in the market with now over 50 titles released. This hard cover series covers a wide variety of monographs at a good price point.

Product Picture

British WWII Uniforms
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$11.00

The AMMO website listing for this set of AMMO paints includes this description; “The AMMO range of acrylic paints for figures has been designed to make your painting sessions a more enjoyable experience thanks to the speed and simplicity of use. This set includes 4 colours for painting the infantry uniforms widely used by British troops during WWII. The colours have been selected through rigorous research of period uniforms, allowing you to accurately paint the base tones of uniforms, add highlights, and enhance details.”

The four colors included in this set are AMMO F-504 Yellow Green, F-545 British Brown, F-546 Ochre Brown, and F-547 Pale Earth.

Scroll down until you see the Quick Tips Logo and click on it. An image of that logo accompanies this review. A pdf will open and can be downloaded. This pdf provides detailed “Tips”, in English and Spanish, to employ a combination of airbrushing and hand-painting to achieve the desired result.

Box Art

Cessna O-2A Skymaster
Review Author
David Horn
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$54.00

Aircraft and History

The O-2A Skymaster, known as “Oscar Deuce” is a small twin engine aircraft used primarily as a Forward air controller (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS). The USAF starting using the O-2 in 1967 in the Vietnam War as a replacement for the O-1 Bird Dog. With just a few years service, the O-2 was intended to be replaced by the OV-10 Bronco but the O-2 remained in service, primarily for night operations.

The USAF requested Cessna to make a military version of its 337 Super Skymaster with “hardpoints” under the wings, additional windows for observers and new cabin arrangement. A unique feature of the Skymaster is the engine arrangement. Unlike traditional twin-engine aircraft with engines on each wing, the Skymaster has one in the nose and another on the rear fuselage. This arrangement allows centerline thrust so if one engine loses power, aircraft control (in yaw) is minimal if any at all which is a significant safety advantage.

Package

O-2A Skymaster Landing Gear (ICM)
Review Author
David Horn
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) manufactures white metal landing gear that is a direct replacement for a kit’s plastic landing gear. The metal landing gear offer greater strength over the kit parts as well as having most of the mold lines removed. At times the metal will be bent out of shape but that is easily corrected by bending it back to the correct shape.

This set includes four parts; main gear, nose gear, oleo strut for nose gear, and nose gear bay. SAC gear does require some clean-up for the rare cases there are still seam lines. You many also sand and prime the struts to remove some of the rough texture that appears in some areas. Installing the new gear requires CA glue or non-traditional modeling adhesives. SAC recommends that the gear is for experienced modelers that are used to working with metal gear.