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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.

Review Author
Mike Lamm
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$16.99

MiniArt is a Ukrainian company specializing in 1/35 figures and some vehicle kits. The figures tend to be packaged in groups with unique poses or unusual subjects. Over the years, they have become one of the leaders in injection molded figures, and more recently, they have started issuing sets of modern military figures.

This kit is one of their newer releases and features figures to be posed with modern German AFVs. The kit includes five figures in various poses, and includes a female crew member representing many modern armies that have women serving in combat roles. The four male figures are posed in a standing position that is meant to be posed in the turret hatch of the vehicle. The female figure is posed sitting.

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$17.95

This is a white metal landing gear set is to for the Modelcollect 1/72 B2-2A Spirit aircraft.

The white metal parts are good but I found that the kit parts had a better defined details. They are an acceptable replacement for the already well details kit parts. The advantage is these white metal parts will provide more strength and last longer than the kit parts.

The parts include the main two gear struts which replace part numberA27, Front strut which replaces part number C29 and support strut which replaces part number C32.

The parts are well cast; you do need to sand off the few cast seams and metal pour points. The main struts were a little twisted and needed strengthening to allow the correct installation. The parts were a perfect fit to the existing mount and were easy to assemble. The only issue I did have, was getting the main landing gear lights part number A21 to adhere to the white metal.

Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$24.95

This is a review of the Revell ’80 Jeep Honcho “Ice Patrol” kit.

Engine

There was little flash on the engine parts but there is also very little detail. You get just a very basic engine with a way oversize fanbelt.

Interior

Only faint engraving can be seen on the door panels making it very difficult to detail paint. The kit does have 2 different decals for the gauge cluster.

Body

The body went together pretty well. The rear portion of the box is a separate piece that I didn’t care for, but it fit very well. You get a choice with decals in either blue tone or orange. My choice was the blue to go along with the Tru-Color metallic bright Atlantic Blue paint. The inside of the box was painted with Rustoleum texture paint for a spray in bedliner look.

The kit comes with a toolbox, 2 gas cans and a snowmobile. Once assembled, the sled won’t fit in the box of the truck with the tailgate up.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/18
MSRP
$21.95

IPMS/USA thanks Ross and his Team at SAC for supporting the IPMS USA reviewer corps with one more of many monthly releases of extremely useful and well thought out landing gear additions for the modeling crowd out here in the modeling world. And thanks to IPMS leadership for sending it to me to be reviewed.

This review is for the SAC landing gear released for the unbelievably huge FW-190A-5 released this past fall.

Another simple strengthening opportunity for a heavy kit, with my usual admonition to use metal gear for larger models. Larger models put more stress on plastic than metal.

Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
Guideline Publications
MSRP
$6.64

I have read Scale Aircraft Modelling (SAM) on and off for many years which is possible because this is the 39th year it has been in production. It is an English publication and, as the name implies, covers aircraft modeling. Normally I purchase my copy at a local bookstore but this issue came directly from the publisher so let’s take a look and see what is in store.

There are 88 pages counting the inside and outside of the front and rear covers. Not sure what those are counted but have noticed this in other magazines. There is also 8 pages numbered separately in the middle of the magazine with no explanation.

One of the first things I noticed is the cover, duh, which has a nice painting of a Bachem Natter in flight. There are also a few pictures of some of the articles inside.