Right rear quarter view

Polikarpov I-16 Type 24

Finished model

C-54D Skymaster

Sample Sprue

Model T 1913 Speedster with American Sport Car Drivers

Engine mounted on stand

Mirage III E/R

Misc Image 8

Austro-Hungarian Burstyn Motorgeschütz 1912

Countach engine assembly

Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole

Dash detail

German 3.7cm Pak 35/36 auf Pz.Kpfw 35R[f]

landing gear in flight

P-39Q Airacobra

Complete 4

German Military Car 170V 1937

7 o'clock View

USN F/A-18E VFA-143 Pukin Dogs

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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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Package

XB-70 Photoetch Detail Set
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$26.60

Thanks once again to Brengun for providing a copy of one of their sets for IPMS USA to review;

Brengun continue to address projects which we never thought would be handled in a lifetime; in this case, it’s the venerable AMT/Italeri XB-70. Thanks to Dick “Monty” Montgomery for hand-carrying the set to the nationals for me as well.

OK, how many of you have seen one of these built? Next question: How many actually BUILT the kit? I was commissioned back in 1995 by Harters Hobby house to build one for the shop in Belleville, IL. In payment I got my own copy of the kit to build. Don’t know if the place is still there, but I know it was an interesting build.

Front Page

North American P-51 Mustang Pt.5 "Big Beautiful Doll" Special
Review Author
Timothy Gidcumb
Published on
Company
Lifelike Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.98

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission.

Packaging

Bf-109G-6 Photoetch (Zvezda)
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$22.95

I found it unique that Eduard, who produces what can be argued as the best G-6 in 1/48th scale, would produce a set for its prime competitor the Zvezda Bf-109G-6. But not being slighted Eduard has done just that. An update set for the Zvezda kit.

The Zvezda kit features a completely exposed engine, should you choose to display it that way. Having built Zvezda’s Bf-109Fs I can say that the fit or the G-6 is also incredible as is the detail. I elected to show mine off once I built it up with the Eduard parts.

This set features two frets of photoetch. One is pre-painted and the other is brass. The pre-painted one is designed primarily for the cockpit. The instrument panel is a thing of beauty. The dials can be read which is much better than I can paint.

PE Fret

WWII Luftwaffe Fighter STEEL Seatbelt
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$7.95

The one thing that is a visual interest in a cockpit are the seatbelts and shoulder harnesses. Regardless of what type of aircraft the first thing you see when you look inside the cockpit are the seatbelts.

Eduard has been trying to perfect the use of photo etch seatbelts from the very beginning. Their latest efforts are really nice. This fret includes enough seatbelts for FOUR single engine Luftwaffe aircraft. The STEEL seatbelts are very thin and bendable. The fret is .002 thick and realistically pre-painted. The paint is shaded and looks very realistic. I was able to bend them without the paint coming off which can sometimes be an issue with thicker belts.

If there is a downside, it is that the belts are only painted on one side, but depending on how you bend them they won’t be an issue.

Decal Set

Syrian Sukois Decals
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Twobobs Aviation Graphics
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.00

The Russians design some very interesting aircraft. Two of these aircraft are the Su-34 Fullback and the Su-24 Fencer. The Su-34 is a side-by-side fighter/ground attack aircraft developed from the Su-27. There is nothing small about either one of these aircraft.

TwoBobs has a reputation for representing some very interesting paint schemes and these are no different.

The instructions are printed on two high quality pages with full color drawings on all sides. The first page covers the Su-34s. Full profiles are provided for the two paint schemes and then partial profiles where the changes exist. The backside shows the top and bottom views. This will prove invaluable with the complex paint scheme of the blues.