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.

Review Author
Jarrod Booth
Published on
March 11, 2024
Company
Special Hobby
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$110.00

The Westland Whirlwind was a twin-engine fighter/bomber built for the Royal Air Force. It was conceived shortly before WW2 broke out and went into service almost immediately. It was an aircraft not readily mentioned that fought gallantly through the Battle of Britain and the other campaigns in Europe. The aircraft suffered from what many consider an underrated Rolls Royce engine. Although I have also read the propellors were to blame for poor upper altitude performance. Nevertheless, the Whirlwind could out turn the BF-109 and was formidable with its four Hispano 20 mm cannons in the nose. It was also a marvel of engineering in its construction and innovative designs. Unfortunately, all but one airframe was removed from service in 1943 and scrapped.

Book Author(s)
Robert Forsyth and Eddie J. Creek
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
March 9, 2024
Company
Classic Publications
MSRP
$57.95

The He-162 Volksjaeger has long been a popular model subject with great kits in all popular scales from Tamiya to Revell to Trimaster. It is an interesting plane and now we have an excellent book documenting the development to deployment to the end of the small jet fighter. Written by Robert Forsyth and Eddie J. Creek, this is a wonderful book with great profiles, pictures and information on the He-162.

The chapter breakdown is as follows:

Book Author(s)
Michael E. Weaver
Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
March 9, 2024
Company
Texas Tech University Press
MSRP
$49.95

Air War in Vietnam is not your typical “chronological order” book. It is more of an in-depth study of the Vietnam Air War, which makes for some very interesting reading. Rather than have a chronological timeline of events (as is typically the case with historical books), the author has arranged his book based on studies of various individual aspects of the air war.

This book has 612 total pages, of which 413 are the main text of the book. There are relatively few illustrations and maps in relation to the text, with a total of 36 illustrations sprinkled throughout the book. Footnotes comprise 155 pages, and the extensive index is 24 pages.

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
March 8, 2024
Company
Detail & Wonder
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$38.85

A new set of 3D printed F/A-18E/F Super Hornet exhaust nozzles (early version) in 1/48th scale are provided by Detail & Wonder Studios for Hasegawa and Meng Kits.

Note: There is no official website for Detail & Wonder Studios, but a Facebook page is available.

In the Package and Product Notes

There are two (2) 3D-printed exhaust nozzles inside a small but very sturdy black box. Each nozzle is individually enclosed in a plastic Ziploc bag and cushioned with a foam insert. These are drop-in replacements for the Hasegawa and Meng kits.

The printed resolution of the nozzle is immaculate and there are NO visible build-up layers. There is a lot of fine detail throughout the entire nozzle and some contrast color weathering will make them pop during the finishing stage.

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
March 8, 2024
Company
Detail & Wonder
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$38.95

A new set of 3D printed F/A-18E/F Super Hornet exhaust nozzles (late version) in 1/48th scale are provided by Detail & Wonder Studios for Hasegawa and Meng Kits.

Note: There is no official website for Detail & Wonder Studios, but a Facebook page is available.

In the Package and Product Notes

There are two (2) 3D-printed exhaust nozzles inside a small but very sturdy black box. Each nozzle is individually enclosed in a plastic Ziploc bag and cushioned with a foam insert. These are drop-in replacements for the Hasegawa and Meng kits.

The printed resolution of the nozzle is immaculate and there are NO visible build-up layers. There is a lot of fine detail throughout the entire nozzle and some contrast color weathering will make them pop during the finishing stage.