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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.

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Review Author
Ken Prager
Published on
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$33.00

The Boeing AH-64-D Longbow is a twin-turbo shaft attack helicopter with a nose mounted target acquisition and night vision systems which makes it incredibly destructive. Longbow-equipped Apaches can locate up to 256 targets simultaneously within 50 km; the fire control radar is able to crush the enemy beyond sight range.

Upon opening the box, I found there to be 4 sprue's - 3 grey and 1 clear. Also included were the instructions for five different markings and stencils plus a decal sheet. The first thing I always do is to remove the clear sprue and pour future over them. This will stop a lot of problems later. Inspecting the rest of the grey sprue's I found no sink holes on the outside of the parts, but there were a few on the inside that were not going to be seen at final display.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/530
MSRP
$26.95

History

The Oriskany (CV34 ) was an Essex class carrier, laid down on May 1, 1944, and launched on October 13, 1945. She was too late for World War II, and construction was suspended in 1946. Construction was restarted in 1950. Oriskany was commissioned on September 25. 1950. She was built as a straight deck carrier, and served in the Korean War.

Oriskany went to San Francisco in 1956 for a complete refit. The wooden deck was removed and a new aluminum angled deck installed. The hydraulic catapults were replaced with more powerful steam catapults. Oriskany was recommissioned in 1959.

Oriskany served off Vietnam for six cruises. Her most famous pilot was Lt Cdr John McCain, who was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967, and was a POW until 1973. John McCain is now senator from Arizona.

Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$10.00

History

Developed in parallel with the AX program which eventually led to the A-10 Thunderbolt II the General Electric GAU-8 "Avenger" was designed as a tank killer. The seven-barrel 30 mm cannon can fire over 3000 rounds a minute. When coupled with depleted uranium cored ammunition this weapon can penetrate most known armor. During my time in the USAF I was posted with the 23rd TAC who flew the shark mouthed A-10s of Flying Tiger fame. Part of my duties required maintenance visits to the firing range where I got to see these weapons awesome power first hand. A number of model companies have produced the A-10 in 1/48 scale and while the airframes are very good in most cases the gun is a solid piece without hollow barrels. Scratch building a GAU-8 is certainly possible but not necessary with this masterpiece of an aftermarket set.

Review Author
Timothy Gidcumb
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.95

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Eduard’s BRASSIN Hamilton Standard Propeller for the new 1/48 Airfix P-51D kit. One of the first things to notice with this product is the excellent presentation of the packaging with the familiar clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card.

The set contains:

  • Grey resin components (7 pieces)
  • Etched brass part (1plus spares)
  • A resin assembly jig

Upon removal of the components from the package you will notice the great level of detail with the inside of both the spinner front and back-plate boasting some great touches. The blades are great and the shape on these are perfect. The set also comes with a jig to help with location of the blades and is also nice to help hold the assembly if you want to drill a hole in the center for the prop to spin,