Finished Model - Body Opened - Rear View

Tommy Grove Mustang Funny Car

Right 1

The Baron and his Funfdecker Fokker

Front

FW-190A-5 OVERTREE

Finished

A-25A-5-CS Shrike

Finish

Mitsubishi A6M3/3a ZERO FIGHTER Model 22 (ZEKE)

Resin Parts

FIAT G.50 bis/AS "Freccia"

Front view

Russian Medium Tank T-55

Lower right front

88mm L71 Flak 41 Anti-Aircraft Gun with crew

Finished, With Rails & PE

Flower Class Corvette Spiraea

Finished Kit

Sea Hurricane Mk IIc

Previous Next

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

Lancaster Mk.1B - Part 2 of 3
Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
Company
HK Models Co.
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$349.99

Welcome back! Last time we had just completed the interior and internal framework, front end and cockpit of the big 1/32nd Scale HKM Lancaster Mk.IB. This second installment will bring the engines, wings, fuselage, bomb bay and wheel-wells together, leaving the final assembly and finish for the last segment of this three-part review.

Work is going along smoothly, with just a few exceptions here and there. While I had a few problems here and there, the overall build is simple and straightforward, and the fit is excellent. Let’s get back to work!

Product Picture

HMS M1 Submarine
Review Author
John Noack
Published on
Company
OKB Grigorov
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$19.00

HMS Submarine M.1 was an innovative but ill-fated attempt to overcome the poor performance and high per-shot cost of contemporary torpedoes. The unique solution was to add a 12-inch Mark IX gun, initially intended for battleship use. The gun was to be fired at a flat trajectory on the surface, or even at periscope depth (!) through use of a simple bead gunsight. 3 of the 4 M-class vessels that were ordered were actually completed, but operational results were poor at best. To reload, the sub had to surface, and it has been reported that the Royal Navy was reluctant to risk the possibility of German replication of this concept. M1, the first in the class, did not see wartime service, and sadly was lost in a collision with a Swedish transport vessel in 1925, and was discovered again in 1999, reported in a BBC television documentary airing the next year.

Product Picture

South African Air Force Fighter Colors Vol.1 East Africa Campaign 1940-1942
Book Author(s)
Piet van Schalkwyk and William Marshall
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
Company
Model Centrum Progress
MSRP
$48.96

This is volume one in a three volume set to cover the SAAF in WWII. This volume covers the East African Campaign with the following two volumes to cover North Africa and Malta as well as Sicily, Italy and the Balkans! The SAAF was sent to protect the Sudan and Kenya early on in the war from the Italians and their 200,000 troops and some 400 aircraft. The SAAF 1, 2 and 3 squadrons were equipped with mostly obsolete bi-plane aircraft such as the Gauntlet, Gladiator and Fury with which to counter any Italian attack. These were augmented by a few fabric winged and wooden propeller equipped Hurricane Mk Is. Later on these units joined by 4 Squadron that brought its Curtiss Mohawk fighters and Gladiators.

Product Picture

F-5E Tiger II Landing Gear (KH)
Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$19.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions has been providing replacement gear for a wide range of aircraft models for some time now, and the quality of their products is, by now, unquestioned. This new product for the Kitty Hawk Range of F-5E Tiger II models in 1/32nd scale is no exception.

Comprised of ten pieces in cleanly-molded white metal, this kit is designed to directly replace most of the major components of all three landing gear, including hydraulic rams and oleo scissors. Examining the pieces next to the kit-provided gear, they appear to be exacting replicas of the originals, although some of the finicky assembly work of the plastic items has already been done for you, as well as the filling in of a few rather awkward pin marks.

Product Picture

Yokosuka MXY7 OHKA Model 22
Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$13.50

Brengun has released a few different kits of the Ohka and in several scales. This is the latest which is the Model 22 and in 1/72 scale. This was a purpose built rocket powered Kamikaze attack aircraft. It was used against allied ships towards the end of world war two.

In the box is:

  • 1 light grey sprues
  • 1 clear sprue
  • 1 decal sheet
  • 11 x resin parts
  • 1 instruction booklet

The sprue is well molded with very little flash and great detail. The resin parts are to allow you to make the three aircraft wooden stands used to support the aircraft ready for fitting to the carrier aircraft.

Construction

First is the construction of the cockpit the one half of the fuselage which is well detailed for the scale. I did add some more detail to the instrument panel as it needs some to give it more realism.