Details

AH-1G Cobra "US Marines/Navy"

Misc Image 6

Mirage IIIR/RS

Seehund Sprue

K-Verbande Midget Submarines

Bottom Assembly

Kawasaki KI45KAI Nick Limited Edition

Left rear

Fiat G.50bis Freccia “Regia Aeronautica”

Lots of small parts

Light Tank M24 Chaffee

Image 8

F-86K Sabre Dog “NATO” All Weather Fighter

Finished Model - Left Front Quarter

Pz.Bef.Wg.III Ausf.J w/Schurzen

Resin parts

German Luftwaffe Pilot WWII with Life Vest

Cockpit closeup

Lockheed U-2C

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

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-19P & PM MiG-21F-13
Book Author(s)
Lechosław Musiałkowski
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$25.00

Lechosław Musiałkowski has written two additional books for MMP: Polish Wings 19: Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-17 & Polish Versions (2015) along with Bomber Aircraft of 305 Squadron(2014). In addition, he has authored numerous monographs in Polish (Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej series), covering the B-25 Mitchell, Catalina, C-47, Boston (Havoc), etc.

A native of Krakow Poland, Janusz Swiatlon is an aviation history enthusiast and military modeler. He has retired from the Polish military after serving with the 6th Airborne Brigade. He has a long history of being published as an illustrator and author for many magazines and books from publishing houses as Osprey, Kagero, AF Editores, Chevron, and Mushroom Model Publications.

Box Art

Supermarine Walrus Landing Gear (Airfix)
Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.95

A newer addition to Scale Aircraft Conversions ever-expanding line of metal landing gear is this set for the Airfix 1/48 scale Supermarine Walrus.

Like most of SAC’s sets, this is meant as a drop-fit replacement for the kit’s plastic landing gear. The set comprises of both main gear legs and the tailwheel (with accompanying fairing). All are made of sturdy, white metal.

I could see no appreciable difference in the detail between the kit items and those in this set. They look to be almost exactly the same. If anything, I believe the SAC details were a bit softer than the kit items.

I will say the SAC gear is considerably stronger than the kit plastic. The Walrus is a big and somewhat hefty model, so the additional strength might come in handy. I haven’t heard of any issues with the Airfix landing gear, but that is really the only advantage over the plastic parts that I can see in this set.

Product Picture

L-29 Ejection Seats
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$20.00

The Czechoslovakian Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin (NATO code Maya) became the standard jet trainer for the Warsaw Pact Air Forces. First flight was on April 5, 1959. Two-thirds of the over 3,000 aircraft manufactured have served with the Soviet Air Force as its standard basic, intermediate, and weapons platform trainer. The L-29 has seen combat in several wars, notably the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the Nigerian Civil War in the sixties. Many have been sold to the private sector with some performing in airshows and air races.

This set is specifically designed for the AMK 1/48 L-29 kit. Of course it will work in the Eduard kit as well since Eduard used the AMK molds for Eduard’s enhanced release. I don’t have the earlier Planet Models resin kit, but I’m sure these seats will dress it up as well.

Product Picture

AN/ALQ-131 Countermeasures Pod
Review Author
Rob Booth
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.95

Chances are, if you model aircraft in any of the major scales you are well familiar with Eduard. Their product range varies from simple photo-etched enhancement frets to multi-media kits, conversion sets, and accessories which are amongst the finest in the hobby. Their products may be purchased online through www.eduard.com. I have built a few of their kits, and have used many of their accessories over the years. I am even a card-carrying member of the Bunny Fighter Club, which provided me a carrot-themed 1/48 Mig-21 and allows me a modest discount when buying direct. Check the website, and it will make sense.

Product Picture

Su-33 Flanker D Landing Gear (Zvezda)

Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$13.95

This set is designed for Zvezda’s new tool Su-33 that was released in 2016. The set consists of three parts, the central portion of the nose gear strut and both main gear struts. The nose strut is a drop-in replacement for part C59, the central nose strut and its retraction arm. On the other hand the main gear struts replace several parts as the casting reflects the main gear struts (C81 & C82) with their respective side brace connector (C77 and C78) and an actuator (C74 & C75) already attached. On my set there is a small triangular connection cast between the center of the actuator and the main gear strut, which I assumed was supposed to be there as a brace, but after checking several online photographs of the Su-33 main gear; I discovered that it should not be there, so I will need to remove it.