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.

Book Author(s)
Ray Rimell
Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
Company
Albatros Productions, Ltd.
MSRP
$33.00

This is the seventh, and latest, in Albatros’ series of “Windsock Centenary WW1 Modeling Specials,” each of which is dedicated to building a specific Wingnut Wings kit (or kits).

The booklet itself is done to very high publication standards, featuring 64 full-color, glossy pages within covers of slightly thicker stock.

In keeping with the format of the series, this book covers a very detailed, step by step build of WNW’s Sopwith Dolphin, as well as a more condensed build of the WNW Pfalz D.IIIA. There are also many period photos, color profiles, rigging diagrams, a section covering aftermarket sets and a bibliography.

The contents are as follows:

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$97.95

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.

Eduard is a company that has truly come of age. They seem to go from one success to another, and there is not a part of their range I have not used or tried. In this case, I have the “BIG ED” set for the new ICM HE-111H3, and it fills a major niche.

Thanks to Eduard and the IPMS USA team for joining forces to make sure I have this set on my workbench!

In the “Big Ed” format, Eduard provides one each of the following photoetch frets:

Review Author
Charles Landrum
Published on
Company
Amigo Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$27.65

Amigo Models is a relatively new company in Russia which has been producing resin aftermarket accessories for modern Russian aircraft in multiple scales. They are perhaps best known for detailed replacement exhaust nozzles. I first became aware of them when they offered a highly detailed replacement set of maneuverable nozzles for the Kittyhawk 1/48 Su-35.

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:

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.