Sprue

German Tankmen

Finished model main gear

P-39K/N

Side view

1957 Chevy Belair Convertible

Sprue - 1

Italian Light Civilian Car (Open Top)

Finished Model - Grill Closeup

1927 Ford "Black Widow" Hot Rod

Left-front view of finished model

Mig 21MF Overtrees

Cockpit

A-4M Skyhawk

Finished Right Front

Spitfire Mk. XVI Bubbletop, Profipak Edition

Left Rear Winch, Landing Gear Leg and Pipe Work

Sikorsky CH-54A Tarhe with Universal Military Pod

Finished Topside

Chinese J-11B

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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.

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.

Cover page

Southeast Asia Intruders (1)
Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
Company
AOA Decals
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$22.00

AOA Decals has provided IPMS/USA reviewer corps with a wonderful decal set for Vietnam War era markings for US Marine Corps A-6A, A-6B, and KA-6D Intruders. The rollout of this decal sheet coincides with the 2023 release of the 1/72 scale Trumpeter A-6A Intruder.

This 1/72 decal sheet covers all four USMC A-6 Intruder squadrons during the Vietnam War:

  • VMA(AW)-224 Bengals - USS Coral Sea (1971-72)
  • VMA(AW)-225 Vikings - Da Nang, South Vietnam (1969-71)
  • VMA(AW)-242 Batmen - Da Nang, South Vietnam (1966-70)
  • VMA(AW)-533 Hawks - Chu Lai, South Vietnam (1967-69) & Nam Phong (“The Rose Garden”), Thailand (1972-73)

This set also includes markings for MERs, fuel tanks, and crew helmets.In addition, it includes special Easter 1970 bomb graffiti for VMA(AW)-225 and there are reference pictures to show the look of the ordnance and decal placement.

Book Cover

F-80 Shooting Star in Detail and Scale
Book Author(s)
Bert Kinzey; Art by Rock Roszak
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
Company
Detail & Scale, Inc.
MSRP
$21.99

Detail & Scale publications should be well known to all but the newest to our hobby. They have a long history of publishing well-written and documented, photo-rich books covering all the variants and details as well as model kits available.

This is volume twenty in their new series of publications. The book is 102 pages long with 250 photos of which approximately 180 are in color, and 12 aircraft color profiles.

The book is laid out in the standard D&S format. Beginning with the introduction followed by a well-written history of the aircraft. Next, there is a history of each of the variants built(excluding the T-33 which is a book unto itself) and the F-80 in the Korean War.

Package

AGM-84D Harpoon, AGM-88 HARM, AIM120C AMRAAM, AIM-9L/M Sidewinder Missile Sets
Review Author
Chris Martin
Published on
Company
Fab Scale
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$18.50

Summary

These highly detailed missiles would make a great addition to any of today’s super detailed models. The text on the labels is legible with magnification. There is minimal construction, but be prepared to spend a lot of time applying the numerous small decals.

Background

The following are excerpts from the website. The description for the AGM-84D is from https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-84.html

The AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) is a new generation air-to-air missile. It has an all-weather, beyond-visual-range capability and is scheduled to be operational beyond 2000.The AMRAAM is being procured for the Air Force, U.S. Navy and America's allies.

Cover

U.S. Battleships 1939-45
Book Author(s)
Ingo Bauernfeind
Review Author
Mr. Tom Dunford
Published on
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$49.95

I would like to thank Casemate for my advance copy of this book, and to the IPMS Reviewer Corps to be able to provide this review.

Foreword / Introduction

The book covers battleship development with emphasis on US battleships and their operations in World War (WW) II. Only one chapter deals specifically to the WWII period 1939-45 listed in the title, but the stage is set for US battleships in WWII. Each successive US battleship class contributes to the awesome battleship armada the US put to war 1939-45. The book also follows US battleships following WWII (the cold war). Each successive class battleship is described in terms of: gun armament, armor, protection, displacement, propulsion and significant operational history.

Chapter 1: Pre-dreadnought Era

These were considered ‘pre-dreadnought’ since they generally had a mix of larger gun sizes.

For example: