Painting parts

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

Tank detail

Italian Tanks & Semoventi M-13/40 M-14/41 M-40/41

Cockpit parts

F-4B Phantom, Part 1 - Wow!

Sprue sample

T-90A Russian Main Battle Tank

Turret detail

British Mk.VI Crusader Mk.III - Cruiser Tank

Ready for Decals and Weathering

T-28D Trojan

Finished

X-15A-2 White Ablative Coating

Finished

FIAT G.50 bis/AS "Freccia"

Front Axle

Kenworth W-900 Conventional

Space Wolf Decal Sheet

Space Wolf SW-190

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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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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

Sd.Kfz. 142 Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. C/D
Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$79.99

Dragon Models offers a complete lineup of the Sd.Kfz.142 Sturmgeschütz family tree in 1/35 scale. The subject of this review is the Sd.Kfz. 142 III Ausf, C/D, an upgraded offering from their ‘Smart Kit’ series.

The ‘Sd.Kfz.’ in the name, short for ‘Sonderkraftfahrzeug’, identifies the vehicle as a ‘special purpose vehicle’, and the Sturmgeschütz (StuG) was Germany's most produced armored fighting vehicle during World War II.

The StuG was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III tank, replacing the turret with a fixed superstructure mounting a more powerful gun. Initially intended as a mobile, armored light gun for direct-fire support for infantry, the StuG III was continually modified, and widely employed as an assault gun as well as a tank destroyer.

Box Top

Bf-109F Royal Class
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$145.00

The pinnacle of the Eduard product line is the Royal Class series. The particular boxing features two complete Bf-109F kits, one with square wheels wells and one with round ones. Two clear plastic sprues round out the plastic parts. Brassin wheels, tail wheels and exhausts are the resin pieces included. Two pre-painted photo etch frets are included along with six brass frets. The one fret contains the parts necessary to do the F-1 variant of Werner’s Mölders, the first time this variant has been modeled. Then there are three frets for the exhaust shrouds. A single mask set includes the masks necessary for both models. Of course there are marking options, 14 of them to be exact.

Book cover

OV-10 Bronco: Designed for Counterinsurgency and the Vietnam War
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Fort Worth Aviation Museum
MSRP
$6.95

Thanks to Mr. Ashby Shoop for providing me a copy of this booklet during it’s development, and the Fort Worth Aviation museum for sending a finished E-copy to me to review after purchase.

If you are looking for a quick reference on the OV-10, the Folks at the Fort Worth aviation Museum have a new document which provides an excellent, concise history of the aircraft. Included are development and early history of what the requirement is that led to the Bronco, who worked on it, and the history of how the aircraft evolved. The majority of the book focuses on Marine air and navy use; Air Force operations are touched on but not in detail.

Package Contents

Bf-109F Propeller EARLY
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.95

The Eduard Bf-109F kit is a beautiful feat of engineering and looks every bit the part of a Freidrich. But what if you want to add a little bit of detail? Something outside the norm? That is where the Brassin range comes in.

There were three different types of props that were used on the Bf-109F. The Early type of prop was the VDM 9-11207. This type of propeller was used on the Bf-109F-1 and F-2s. This set depicts this prop arrangement.

This particular offering is a realistically thin and proper shaped propeller blades. There are seven resin parts and two small photo etch pieces included in the set. They are packaged in a vacuform blister pack with Styrofoam pieces to protect the pieces during transit. The resin is light grey with no blemishes or bubbles anywhere.

Package

Sikorski JRS-1 Upgrade Set
Review Author
Rob Benson
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$19.95

Thank you to the great folks at Eduard for releasing an elegant upgrade set to enhance their kit of a unique Sikorsky flying boat. Thank you also to the IPMS Reviewer Corps staff members who do the hard work in getting us kits to review, the reviews posted, and the news spread to the world.

The Sikorsky JRS-1, or S-43, is similar in appearance to the famous Pan Am Clipper, the S-42. I did not know that several of these planes survived the Pearl Harbor attack, and went in search of the Japanese fleet immediately afterward. This upgrade is very nice supplement to the base kit.

Overall Summary

The upgrade parts are all on a thin brass etched fret 2.75 x 3.25 inches in size. A color instruction and accurate placement guide accompanies the parts. Additional details for the cockpit and exterior are included. Fold lines are etched, allowing very precise forming of even the smallest handles and other small details.