Interior

De Lorean - Back to the Future Part II

T34 Upper Hull

Battle of Berlin (April 1945) T-34-85, King Tiger Kit

Forward view

Be-6 Madge

9

US Helicopter Pilots (Vietnam War)

Flaps and aileron hinge details before assembly.

PBM-5A Mariner

2

2022 Corvette Stingray Z51 Coupe

Finished right

F-15E Strike Eagle

Sprues 1

Sd.Kfz.10 Ausf.A w/5cm PaK 38

Cockpit

F6F-5 Hellcat, Part 1

Detail 2

Mitsubishi A6M5a Zero Type 52 Koh Fighter-Bomber

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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.

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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.

Box Front

Rescue Wings UH-60J & U-125A Combination Kit
Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
Company
Platz
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$24.50

Rescue Wings is a Japanese anime cartoon known for its realistic portrayal of the Japan Air Self Defense Force’s (JASDF) Air Rescue Wing, in particular the Komatsu Rescue Squadron. The basic plot involves a helicopter pilot’s (2nd Lieutenant Uchida Kazuhiro) assignment to the JASDF Komatsu Air Base. This initial series ran for 12 episodes (an additional episode added to the DVD release) and was followed by two manga series and a live-action film. They were created with the full cooperation of the Air Rescue Wing.

U-125A

This fixed wing aircraft is based on the British Aerospace’s twin-engine Bae 125-800 private jet. These aircraft are modified for the search-and-rescue with large observation windows, a marker flare ejection system, a droppable liferaft, and an emergency equipment dropping system.

Package

AGM-114 Hellfire
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Hauler
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$19.00

Hauler-Brengun is well known as a supplier of high-quality aftermarket detail parts for aircraft, as well as other subjects. Many of these aftermarket items are resin, P.E., or a combination of the two mediums. In this “inbox” review, we will look at the quality of the parts, decals, and P.E. parts as well as the packaging and kit instructions.

Marketed under the “Brengun” label, this review looks at the Brengun BRL32037 AGM-114 Hellfire Missile. There are 8 Hellfires in this product including PE parts and decals for those eight missiles. The missiles are packaged in a small zip-lock baggie, as is the single sheet of P.E. parts. The kit instructions, printed on a small sheet of paper, and the decals are boxed underneath the missile parts. The sturdy cardboard box is about 3 inches by 3 inches and about ¾ inch deep.

Package

C-130 Tires and Brakes

Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$16.50

The Lockheed C-130 is a versatile aircraft. In production since 1954, the C-130J is the latest in a long line of models. The landing gear was designed for rough field operations, with large, low pressure main landing gear tires and a pair of low-pressure nose wheel tires. The original brake design was for a single disk (like in a modern car) and has been upgraded to a multi-disk unit. The brakes look the same once mounted onto the gear’s axle.

The kit comes with 10 pieces molded in grey resin, and is meant for the 1/48 Testors/Italeri C-130 kit. There are many fine details with the castings. A nice touch is the “Goodyear” emblems and the valve stems and groove lines molded into the tires to represent the spaces between the treads. The only disappointment I found was with the brakes – I wish the back of the main landing gear tires was “hollow” so that the brake details would sit inside, just like on the real aircraft.

Packaging

C-130 J Engine Nacelles
Review Author
Ben Morton
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$24.00

Attack Squadron from Poland had been producing some lovely resin kits and aftermarket items. Due to circumstances and the decision by their parent company (Arma Hobby) to get out of the resin business, their products started disappearing from the market place. Enter Brengun/Hauler and their check book. It would seem that Brengun/Hauler have purchased most, if not all, of Attack Squadron's molds and have been re-issuing those items ever sense.

One of these re-issued after-market offerings is a set of 1:48 scale resin replacement engine nacelles for Italeri's C-130 model. Theses replacement bits will allow you to build a Roll Royce engined C-130 J. Each nacelle comes as a outer shell with a separate front, spinner, and a small resin plug with two antennas and an exhaust deflector. These small bits have a pouring channel/bubble trap still attached so check your references and make sure you don't remove the wrong thing.

Packaging

Wheels for C-46 Commando
Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
Plusmodel
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$8.57

PlusModel was established in 1990 in the Czech Republic. Their product range is primarily made up of 1/35th scale resin kits, conversion sets, and accessories which are vacuum cast from polyurethane resin.

A new addition to their line is a set of resin wheels for the 1/72 Williams Brothers C-46 Commando kit. Each wheel is individually cast along with an outside hub cover, and a tail wheel, on casting blocks. The tires are appropriately flattened, but the tail wheel is independent of the support assembly. Some minor surgery of those kit parts will be necessary.