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.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$19.95

Extreme appreciation from IPMS USA goes to Eduard for their having once again provided a sample copy of a long-awaited product, the Triple Ejector Rack, and the usual wave of thanks to the IPMS USA leadership for ensuring I received it!

This set contains 50 parts for five TER’s; the resin bodies, Sway braces with ejector pins, TER hanging lugs to put them on the aircraft carrying beams, and PE Switch plates to put in the hollow end of the TER itself. To finish, you are also provided with a small decal sheet.

Detail on this set is, as usual, almost incomprehensible. Every rivet, joint, screw and bolt is on the set.

Review Author
Tim Wilding
Published on
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$39.99

History

The T17 Staghound Mark I armored car was designed in the United States based on British specifications at the beginning of World War II. The British were looking for a wheeled reconnaissance vehicle with a high level of armor, well-armed and highly mobile. Chevrolet started production in late 1942 and a total of 3000 units were produced. British and Polish units started fielding this vehicle in the spring of 1943 in the Italian Campaign. The Staghound was used by many different counties during the post war era up into the late 1970s.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$12.95

Continuing our appreciation from IPMS USA goes to Eduard for their having once again provided a sample copy of a long-awaited product, the SNIPER Targeting Pod, and the usual wave of thanks to the IPMS USA leadership for ensuring I received it!

This set contains 7 parts for one SNIPER pod: the resin main body, the forward seeker head, three clear windows for the seeker, a mount with sway braces for the pod, the aft mounting brace and interface for later pods, a PE fret with details such as seeker eye vents, and aft plates, and small decal sheet.

Detail on this set is stunning; you can show the pod head stowed or in operation, and every rivet, joint, screw and bolt is on the pod.

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/36

This is not a highly-detailed kit, but can be an entertaining build for both less experienced and more advanced modelers. Less experienced modelers will enjoy the ease of assembly, and can build the kit without painting. More advanced modelers looking for construction equipment will find the kit to be an opportunity for some extreme weathering.

Background

This is the second kit Hasegawa has produced based on the Hitachi tracked excavator. The first was the Double Arm Working Machine Astaco Neo released in 2015 and updated in 2017 with new parts. This new Hitachi Zaxis kit retains the grasping claw from the Double Arm kit, but adds an excavator bucket and dozer blade as additional options.

The Zaxis 135US-6 excavator is used by contractors needing a tight tail-swing radius to work in confined areas around obstacles. The excavator is equipped with an Isuzu engine.

Book Author(s)
Mark Lardas; Illustrated by Paul Wright
Review Author
Rob Benson
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$20.00

Thank you to Osprey Publishing for providing a review copy of their new release, USS Lawrence vs. HMS Detroit, The War of 1812 on the Great Lakes, number 79 in the Duel Series. As always, I appreciate all those in the IPMS Reviewer Corps, whose work is critical to sharing new and exciting modeling products with the world.