Close Up of Engine

Kawasaki Ki-45 Ko/Hei Toryu (Nick) - Part 1

Ventral gun bay rib structure before gun installation

The Super Wing Series He 219 Uhu, Fuselage

A clear version of the fuselage sprue has been provided to allow the modeler to build a see-through version of the kit

CM.170 Magister

Forward port view Nose turret and repaired sprung seam(!) - The large radome is very evident.

PBM-5A Mariner

Ready for Decals

ZiL-131 Armed Forces of Ukraine

Finished

HMEE-1 (High Mobility Engineer Excavator)

Canopy masking

Ju-88A-5

Assembly

F-104A/C

Main landing gear construction

ROCAF S-2A/E/G Tracker

Dashboard

Smokey and the Bandit '77 Pontiac Firebird

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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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Front Cover

MiG Alley: The US Air Force in Korea, 1950–53
Book Author(s)
Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$30.00

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver served with the US Navy in Vietnam and has spent thirty years in Hollywood as a screen writer for television and the movie industry. Horror fans will know him as the author for the 1989 cult classic by producer Roger Corman of “The Terror Within” starring George Kennedy, Andrew Stevens, Starr Andreeff, and Terri Treas. Thomas McKelvey Cleaver has also been a published writer for forty years and is known for Fabled Fifteen: The Pacific War Saga of Carrier Air Group 15, The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Group, Aces of the 78th Fighter Group (Aircraft of the Aces 115), F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat Aces of VF-2 (Aircraft of the Aces 125), and an ebook, Air Combat Annals.

Box Top

Ladder for MiG-29
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Plusmodel
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$11.00

Plusmodel is located in the Czech Republic and when you visit the company website you are given the option of an English language version. The links above go to that option.

To get some idea as to what products are offered by plusmodel, select the Catalogue option on the home page. The Catalogue lists hundreds of items that can be used as stand-alone models or items, such as the Ladder being reviewed, to enhance a model. My modeling experience with plusmodel products includes only a dozen or so of the aftermarket-type items, and I have been pleased with each of those items.

Front Cover

Challenger 2
Book Author(s)
Dick Taylor
Review Author
Andrew Birkbeck
Published on
Company
Kagero Publishing
MSRP
$34.95

Kagero Publishing is one of the world’s preeminent publishers of military vehicle and aircraft books aimed at the modeling community. The book under review is from their Photosniper series, and the author, Dick Taylor, is a leading author on British military vehicles. The book is 88 pages in length, with a card cover. The pages measure 8.3” by 11.7”, on glossy paper. All the photos within its covers are color, with good production values. There are also three pages of color profiles, covering 6 different vehicles.

Packaging

Ki-45 Kai Tei Toryu (Nick) Landing Gear
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$18.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions continues their 1/32 scale line of white metal replacement gear with set 32146 for the Zoukei Mura 1/32 Ki-45 Toryu. The set includes 8 well made pieces of white metal that allow replacement of the two main landing gear struts along with a replacement of the tail wheel also.

Inside the package, there are two main gear struts that are not interchangeable so make sure you know which side is left and right. The main gear also includes retraction struts and oleo’s for both sides. The tail wheel includes a nice sturdy strut and separate oleo.

Fortunately, I was building the Zoukei Mura kit and these popped up on the list so I was able to incorporate them into the build. The cleanup was simple. They clean up like plastic gear and removal of a few seam lines was all the was required. They were direct replacements for the kit parts and the metal is stronger.

Box Art

Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Nick) - Finished
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Zoukei-Mura
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$140.00

Zoukei-Mura’s latest release in 1/32 scale is the wonderful Ki-45 Toryu (Nick). This twin engine 2-seat, heavy fighter was used by the Japanese Army in WWII. In Part 2, I finished the cockpit and gunner positions and got the fuselage assembled.

Next off are the wings. Here, you will need to install all the internal workings for the wings. Will they show in the end, no but it is still too cool and too much fun to pass up. I installed the fuel tanks, linkages for the ailerons and then glued the bottom wing onto the structure. It fit perfectly. Don’t forget to drill out the holes on the wing bottoms before sealing up!