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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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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
John Lyons
Published on
June 12, 2011
Company
Hobby Boss
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$48.99

Short History

Land Rover is synonymous to mobility in the British Army as Jeep and Humvee are to the US Army. Land Rover Defender was the main vehicle type for the British Army and the armies of the Commonwealth for many years, and in 1994, Land Rover created a new variant - the Defender XD (eXtra Duty) to replace the older vehicles in service. The XD is powered by a 300Tdi engine and was produced in 90 and 110 inch configurations.

These XD Defenders were called the 'Wolf' and these can be equipped with hard tops or soft tops and where needed, could be fitted with a Weapons Mount Installation Kit (WMIK). WMIK vehicles could carry a 12.7mm (.50 caliber) machine gun on a gun ring in the rear or the MILAN ATGM launcher. Gun mounts for squad weapons are provided for the driver and commander as well.

Review Author
Walt Fink
Published on
June 12, 2011
Company
Revell, Inc.
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$23.00

In the heyday of muscle cars, if the buyer knew what boxes to check on the order form, they could get a rocket right from the factory, in effect doing the much same thing as having Yenko or Baldwin-Motion “improve it” after driving it from the dealer’s lot. This dealer option was abbreviated COPO---Central Office Production Order.

Revell’s re-released their ’69 Nova SS kit in a less-glitzy COPO version, with additional parts for the 427-cubic-inch L-72 V8, and applicable chrome parts as well---the SS chrome parts are still included in the kit.

Book Author(s)
Adam Gołąbek, Illustrated by Marek Radomski
Review Author
Ben Guenther
Published on
June 12, 2011
Company
Stratus
MSRP
$21.00

Polish Wings 12 is part 2 and continues the story of the Mig-29 in Polish service started in Polish Wings 11. This work covers the ex-East German aircraft obtained from the Luftwaffe in 2002. It is a softcover book of 96 pages that includes 226 color photos and 36 drawings (side profiles and 4-views).

Following past format each aircraft is covered individually with photos when in German service and with many more in Polish color schemes. The eighteen single seat Mig-29s are covered extensively in 60 pages. The remainder of the book is devoted to the eight two-seat trainers – Mig-29UB. The last three pages are devoted to cockpit views of these aircraft. Additionally, it is noted on the inside of the front cover that Techmond will be releasing decals (1/32,1/48 & 1/72) for the Mig-29 based on information published in this book in the near future.

Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
June 9, 2011
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$6.95

Quickboost has added the P-51D propeller to their line of resin aircraft accessories. The blades are molded separately from the spinner and a tool is provided for the proper blade pitch during installation. This latest addition is molded in a grayish resin, smooth, seamless and bubble free. One thing of note is that they are easy to remove from the mold block taking only a couple of minutes with a saw blade to remove them.

The package states that it is for the Tamiya kit but it should work with any other P-51D kit. In comparison with the Tamiya kit parts, I don’t really see all that much of a difference in the final product, the difference that does stand out is in the assembly. The Tamiya blades are molded together with the pitch set and will have to have the mold connections removed and sanded down. This can be a little slow and tedious especially when there are 3 of them between the blades, trying not to accidentally cut one off.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
June 9, 2011
Company
Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$7.78

Thanks first to Airscale for providing IPMS USA this product sample…. We sincerely appreciate it!

This is a simple, yet effective upgrade for the huge Airfix Mosquito. Consisting of a small set of instrument and panel decals, and an acetate sheet, the instructions guide you through installation. I unfortunately had sold my Mossie before this upgrade showed up; last week! (The postmark showed Dave Morrissette had put it in the mail back in March!). Lost in transit; a first for me. Guess I’ll be buying another Mossie… Because this would be an excellent upgrade to an already noteworthy kit.