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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
Allan Murrell
Published on
June 23, 2021
Company
Fly Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$89.83

When I was offered the opportunity to review this kit, I jumped at the chance. Growing up in the UK, the Wessex was a familiar sight at airshows and at Airports. The kit looks great and when you open the box the size and amount of detail is fantastic!

In the box is:

  • 7 x light grey sprues
  • 2 x clear sprues
  • 2 x Photoetched details parts
  • 1 printed paper set of seats and seat belts
  • 1 decal sheet
  • 1 instruction booklet
  • A lot of resin parts!

All the sprues are extremely well molded with super fine details. The plastic is a little softer than I like. A big drawback is the sprues have no part numbers on them so you have to keep turn back to the front of the instruction manual to ensure you are getting the right part from the right sprue!

Review Author
Clarence Wentzel
Published on
May 31, 2016
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$39.99

Background

This is a kit of the fighter plane “Space Wolf” flown by the space pirate, Captain Harlock from the adventure filled world of Leiji Matsumoto. Originally created in 1977 for a manga TV series, Captain Harlock has appeared in various film and TV shows, most recently a 2013 feature film, “Space Pirate Captain Harlock”. For his interspace travel, Captain uses a mother ship named Arcadia. A number of these Space Wolf fighter planes are carried by the Arcadia for protection and offense.

The Space Wolf is a space fighter plane capable of operating in either atmosphere or space conditions. It is armed by two 75 mm pulse laser cannons mounted in the front cowling and two Vulcan cannons in each wing. It appears that jet or rocket thrust can be directed to the tips of the wings and canards to provide control in high altitude or space conditions. The ventral fin is extended during flight but folds forward for storage during landing.

Review Author
Mike Lamm
Published on
February 3, 2020
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$31.99

Italeri’s Infantry on Board kit is comprised of 10 of figures posed and equipped to assault the beaches on D-Day. In fact, this kit is comprised of a couple of the figure sprues from Italeri’s repackaged Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP) kit #6524, which was released in 2014.

The kit includes 4 sprues of light grey styrene, with 2 of the sprues making up the figures, and the other 2 sprues making up the weapons and equipment. In actuality, the figure sprues are identical to each other, with the recommended poses being the only difference. The equipment sprues are identical too, with two sprues of the same equipment.

Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
May 27, 2016
Company
Trumpeter
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$99.95

This is the third and final installment, “Full Build,” of Trumpeter’s Douglas ERA-3B 1/48th scale variant to be released by Trumpeter in 2016. The plane depicts the US Navy, VAQ-33 ‘Firebirds’, ERA-3B, 104/GD BuNo. 146447. The ERA-3B variant was converted from the RA-3B variant as an electronic aggressor aircraft serving with the VAQ-33 and VAQ-34.

This was a full model build straight out of the box with no aftermarket accessories added. The model was based upon the US Navy, VAQ-33 ‘Firebirds’ plane as seen on page 49 in the A-3 Skywarrior in Action Book, Jim Sullivan, Aircraft Number 148, Squadron/Signal Publications. Sullivan’s depiction of the picture states that this plane is sitting on the flight line at NAS Oceana Virginia on 12 May 1977.

Review Author
David Wrinkle
Published on
February 10, 2020
Company
Iliad Design
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.00

I’m a sucker for oddities and non-standard schemes when it comes to finishing my model aircraft. I saw the Iliad designs offering for Stearman PT-17 airframes and thought this is the set for me. I was pleasantly surprised to see Iliad design proved a full set of five decal options. So you have five kits in your stash? You’re covered in this one set. Along with a very nice color representation of the each aircraft scheme Iliad Design goes the extra mile to describe any non-standard colors or more specifically non-stand color shades. Each scheme as one would expect come with a short description of each aircraft.