Clear sprue for canopy and lenses for assorted lights

CM.170 Magister

In the process of gluing

M-109A2 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (DOHER)

F-18 Left Front

F-4J Phantom II & F/A-18F Super Hornet "Jolly Rogers" (2 kits) Limited Edition

Deck parts

U-Boat Type IX C (U-505 late)

Cylinders- you can see the pistons and connections

Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Nick) Part 1

Finished model

Macchi M.5

Sparrow

McDonnell Douglass F-4C Phantom II

Sprue

Chinese Navy Type 052D Missile Destroyer Changsha

Top view

A-26B-15 Invader

Assembling Wheels - Finished

Tiger I Ausf. H2 7.5cm Kwk 42

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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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Product Picture

Building the Wingnut Wings Junkers D.1
Book Author(s)
Rimell, Ray
Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
Company
Albatros Productions, Ltd.
MSRP
$35.00

This is the sixth, and latest, in Albatros’ series of “Windsock Centenary WW1 Modeling Specials,” each dedicated to building specific Wingnut Wings Kits

The booklet itself is done to very high publication standards, featuring 44 full-color, glossy pages within covers of slightly thicker stock.

In keeping with the format of the series, this book covers a step by step build of WNW’s latest release, the Junkers D.1. There are also scale plans, a collection of photos from a special archive, and a nice appendix.

Front Cover

Focke Wulf Jet Fighters
Book Author(s)
Justo Miranda
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
Company
Fonthill Media
MSRP
$45.00

Justo Miranda is well known for his books on Luftwaffe paper projects and designs, having published many soft cover and hard cover books on these subjects. His background as a tech drawer and advisor to the Spanish Air Force Museum have aided in the quality of his books.

This book covers the jet fighter designs of Kurt Tank and Focke-Wulf. It is divided into 29 chapters covering the jet designs that were proposed in WWII and beyond by the company and Mr. Tank.

Focke Wulf, producers of the superb Fw-190 and its derivatives were probably “saved” by their decision to go with a radial engine design thus not being in direct competition with the favored Messerschmitt Company for inline engines since by winning the 1936 fighter competition meant it had first priority for advanced inline engines.

Package

MiG-15UTI PE Set
Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$9.95

This is the photoetch upgrade set for Eduard’s 1/144 MiG-15 UTI kit, stock number 4444.

The PE fret contains parts for the cockpit, undercarriage doors, wing fences and antennas.

The PE is done concurrently with the kit build, as the tiny parts in the cockpit are just too small to manage while the parts are mounted inside the fuselage. The cockpit upgrade consists of instrument panels, control sticks, side consoles, and seat belts.

The additions to the cockpit make it stand out and look really good.

I did not use the wing fences. I just don’t have the skill with the glue to make these look convincing. I have done this before with other kits, and the bottoms of the fences always look blobby, with areas not well connected.

On to page 2 of the instructions.

Box front

MiG-15UTI
Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$24.95

The Aircraft

The MiG-15UTI is the two seat trainer variant of the MiG-15 fighter from the Korean War. It has been produced by the USSR, Czechoslovakia (S103), Poland(Lim-2), China (JJ-2 / Shenyang FT-2). The MiG-15 UTI has been used by a lot of countries, including the United States, which uses it as a test pilot trainer for foreign students. The Eduard instructions provides 8 sets of markings, 2 Czech, and one each from USSR, Finland, Indonesia, Syria, Iraq and Algeria.

The Kit

The kit contains two complete UTIs. The fuselage top and wing are one piece, with the fuselage bottom separate. This sure makes it easy to get the wing sweep and angle correct. There is a cockpit and a canopy mask, which is marvelous. The vertical tail and horizontal stabilizers are three separate parts.

Front Cover

US Flush-deck Destroyers 1916-1945
Book Author(s)
Mark Lardas
Review Author
Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$24.00

Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the review copy!

Mark Lardas is a real “rocket scientist” who has worked on Space Shuttle analytics and navigation. He is also an accomplished author with at least ten books on naval topics, and a model maker as well. See his website for more details (www.marklardas.com).

New Vanguard 259 covers the large number of WW I era US Navy destroyers known as the flush-deckers and four-pipers, another overlooked topic. Like other Osprey books, this issue is 48 pages (not counting the front/back covers) – enough for an excellent synopsis of design, characteristics and historical highlights of these warship classes.