Turret detail

M60A2 Patton

Cannon loading section

M65 "Atomic Annie" Gun with Transporters

9

Jagdpanzer Marder I (Sd.Kfz.135)

Cabin and floor

MV-22B Osprey

Painted bases

FM-1 & FM-2 Wildcat Dual Combo Expert Set

Clear Parts & PE

GAZ-03-30 Ambulance

Completed 3

L1500S German 1.5t 4x2 Cargo Truck

Finished model

Yak-28PP Brewer

Step 24

ICM O-2A (Late Production)

Completed

Soviet Heavy Tank T-100

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.

Front Cover

Pacific Thunder - The US Navy’s Central Pacific Campaign, August 1943 - October 1944
Book Author(s)
Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
Review Author
Michael Reeves
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$18.00

Introduction

This book is a fascinating account of the Central Pacific campaign and one of the most stunning comebacks in naval history when in 14 months the US Navy went from the jaws of defeat at Pearl Harbor to the brink of victory in the Pacific. The book’s emphasis is on carrier operations and on the air groups of the various fighters and dive and torpedo bombers that were instrumental in sending the Japanese fleet to its watery grave and ensure an end to the Pacific Theater of Operations. The chapters include:

Packaging

Brimstone w/AGML III Rack
Review Author
Michael Novosad
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.95

History and Background (thanks to WikiPedia)

Brimstone is an air-launched ground attack missile developed by MBDA for Britain's Royal Air Force. It was originally intended for "fire and forget" use against mass formations of enemy armour, using a millimetric wave (mmW) active radar homing seeker to ensure accuracy even against moving targets. Experience in Afghanistan led to the addition of laser guidance in the dual-mode Brimstone missile, allowing a "spotter" to pick out specific targets when friendly forces or civilians were in the area. The tandem shaped charge warhead is much more effective against modern tanks than older similar weapons such as the AGM-65G Maverick, while the small blast area minimises collateral damage. Three Brimstones are carried on a launcher that occupies a single weapon station, allowing a single aircraft to carry many missiles.

Product Picture

Wellington Mk. Ia/c Landing Flaps

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$32.95

IPMS/USA again thanks the Eduard team for sending us more of their prolific output targeted toward improving already great kits. Thanks to Phil and John for obtaining the sets for the team…

This set for is for the Wellington Mk 1/b Flap and is the now-expected as a norm high-end upgrade to the 2018 release of the new-mold Airfix 1/72 Wellington 1a/c. I consider this an EXPERT level of detail, and I failed BUT read on…

I primer painted the unpainted fret, in retrospect, not smart, as the superglue tended to not bond the paint as well as the actual metal. I don’t have a good option here, as the glare and requirement to cover up the brass color will come up and require priming after the build. Sigh. Of course, if I had not kept having the tweezers wick up the superglue, then the problem would not be there. Maybe Gator glue would be a better option, as you can at least clean up a bit with water!

Product Picture

DC-8 Landing Gear
Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$14.95

The Aircraft

The DC-8 was Douglas’ version of the Boeing 707. I reviewed Minicraft’s DC-8-73 back in 2014.

Unfortunately, sitting on the shelf for 5 years has taken its toll on this model. It’s still quite good looking, and when Phil Peterson, who manages the sending of review items, said there was a landing gear set available, I took it. When I picked up the model from the shelf to see how tough it would be to remove the original gear, one of the main gear legs fell off. OK, SAC to the rescue.

There are also kits of the DC-8 61 and -71. These are pretty much the same kit, with a different fuselage. Minicraft also released their DC-8 63 and -73 as a bagged kit with no decals. The big advantage to this kit is that it has the engines for either the -63 or-73, which the original kits didn’t have.

Product Picture

EA-18G "VAQ-141 Shadowhawks"
Review Author
Camden Koukol
Dave Koukol
Published on
Company
Academy Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$38.50

Background

The Electronic Aircraft (EA) EA-18G Growler is a modified version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet that is used in a naval strike package to jam enemy radar to make the strike package virtually invisible. The EA-18G Growler had its first test flight in August 2006, the later entered service in the U.S. Navy in September 2009. Our Australian allies later adopted the Growler in March of 2015. This aircraft is also able to provide self-defense with AIM-120 medium range air to air missiles, along with the Super Hornet’s speed and maneuverability. With this advanced technology, the Growler blinds the radar and the strike package is able to deliver its weapons with pinpoint accuracy with little or no resistance.