Rear

Bristol F.2B Fighter (ProfiPack edition)

Model Picture

Russian 9K37M1 BUK

Rear view

English Electric Canberra B(i).6/B.20

Finished 1

King TIger Tank (Henschel Turret) Sd.Kfz.182

3

B-17F Flying Fortress

Finished 1

Vickers Vildebeest Mk. III

Turret Left

5IDF Shot'Kal Dalet with Battering Ram

Completed 9

1941 Ford Custom Woody

Detail 3 - in the original glorious black & white

The Bride of Frankenstein

Cowling Parts

F6F-5 Hellcat, Part 2

Previous Next

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.

Box art

F-15C Idaho Air National Guard
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$17.95

IPMS USA appreciates Revell USA sending us this model, and I also give the nod to our leadership within the reviewer corps for forwarding me the kit to review.

A personal note concerning the actual aircraft: To use an Eagle painted on an Eagle, what a great recruiting tool!!! Eye-catching and unique, interesting markings, and even this older version F-15C is still a viable Air Superiority weapon. When I first saw it I was skeptical, but having built this kit, I found the scheme rather well thought-out and not overbearing. Not just another gray airplane.

Product picture

Seatbelts Luftwaffe WWII Fighters STEEL
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.

Box Art

CM.170 Magister
Review Author
Tyler Shepard
Published on
Company
Avantgarde Model Kits
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$50.36

The Kit

When you open the Box you find all the sprues nicely individually bagged in resealing bags. Over to the side there is a cardboard cutout that holds a very nice plastic case containing all of the white metal parts. These parts consist of replacement main wing spar, tail spar, landing gear, guns, ammo belts, and a couple other replacement bits. Also included are nose weights. With the sprues they have included a full clear sprue which is just the same as Sprue A so you can do a Skeleton view of the fuselage. Under all of the sprues you find a small fret of Photo Etch for seat belts, air brakes, and landing gear door latches and a very large decal sheet that gives you the option for 5 different markings options:

Front cover

Luftwaffe Emergency Fighters
Book Author(s)
Robert Forsyth
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$20.00

Robert Forsyth, born in Berkshire, England, has studied the history and operations of the Luftwaffe since his school days. Based in East Sussex with his wife, he runs an aviation and military publishing business full-time. He has written articles for the magazines Aeroplane, Aviation News, FlyPast, and The Aviation Historian, and is a member of the Editorial Board of the latter publication. He is the author of several hardbound books, including: JV 44 – The Galland Circus (1996), Battle over Bavaria – The B-26 versus the German Jets (Classic, 1998), Mistel – German Composite Aircraft and Operations 1942-1945 (Classic, 2001), Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerikabomber (Classic, 2006, with Eddie Creek); He 162 Volksjäger (Classic, 2009, with Eddie Creek); Heinkel He 111 (Crecy, 2014); Junkers Ju 52 (Specialty Press. 2015, with Eddie Creek).

Box art

Macchi Mc. 205 "Veltro"
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$34.99

Italeri has released a boxing of the very good 1/48 Hasegawa Mc. 205, which is enhanced by a super decal sheet for 6 different camouflages. Not only that, but the decal sheet includes “smoke rings”! I believe this is the first time that “smoke rings” are included as part of a regular boxing.

Like most airplanes models construction starts with the cockpit and this is no exception. The plastic parts are capable of delivering a convincing “front office” if care is taken during painting. The instrument panel faces are provided as decals and they certainly enhance the look of the panel as the pictures show. I decided to add a set of Eduard Photo-Etch Italian Seatbelts (Steel) to round up the cockpit. It would have been nice to see at least a decal to reproduce the seatbelt.