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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
Ed Kinney
Published on
August 9, 2011
Company
Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements
Scale
1/24 and 1/32
MSRP
$12.70

The latest releases to come across my modeling bench for review are some beautiful cockpit placards in two scales for Luftwaffe aircraft. In my humble opinion, these will go a long way to making an otherwise “plain Jane” cockpit come to life. The sheets include general warnings, notices, manufacturer dataplates, primary instructions and radio labeling. They are in beautiful register, very thin, and must be trimmed from the backing sheet one at a time. They are identical except for scale. I am sure that once you try these and see the spectacular results, you’ll become a fan of these fine products. Visit their website to see these and other fine products.

Most highly recommended.

Review Author
Tom Moon
Published on
August 9, 2011
Company
Zvezda
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$44.95

The L-4500 German Heavy Truck was a design caused by the shortage of metals during 1943. To reduce the amount of metal used in fabrication, the following design changes were made: the front fenders were made of sheet metal, the cabin was made of plywood on a wooden frame, and the front and rear bumpers were eliminated. These modifications stayed in production through the end of the war.

Step 1- 6. These steps direct the building of the engine. Even if you do not plan to open the hood to show the engine, you will need to at least include the main body along with parts C41 and C27 (lower pan), as it and the drive shaft that attaches to it are visible from the side. If you intend to use the mechanic figure as part of a diorama and show the hood open, you will need to do surgery to open the hood and finish the engine.

Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
August 9, 2011
Company
Revell, Inc.
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$22.95

The Panzerspahwagen Sd. Kfz. 232 was one of many various types of vehicles with eight-wheel drive and eight-wheel steering used by armored reconnaissance units of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. These armored vehicles were used in many campaigns in Africa and Europe during World War 2. The Sd. Kfz. 232 was noted for its medium range wireless set and frame antenna. This type of antenna was used until 1942 when it was replaced by a single pole antenna. Sd. Kfz. 232s were usually armed with a 2cm KwK 30 L/55 auto cannon capable of firing at a rate of 280 rounds a minute and a 7.92mm machine gun, both mounted in a single turret. A crew of four was typical. The commander and gunner sat in the turret, the driver sat at the front, and a secondary driver was emplaced in the rear of the hull. Powered by a 155 hp 8-cyl gasoline engine with a range of 186 miles and a top speed of 53 mph, it is easy to see why it was one of Rommel’s best long-range recon vehicles.

Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
August 9, 2011
Company
Lifelike Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$20.00

Lifelike Decals has long been known for their high quality, limited edition decal releases. The decals come in the customary clear plastic zip bag, and inside you will find two full color, single sided pages with color callouts, decal placement guides, references, and a ton of historical information on each aircraft covered. Not to mention the decals themselves. This release contains one standard size decal sheet with markings for five WWII Imperial Japanese Army Ki-84 Hayate “Frank” fighters. Decals are perfectly printed, clear, and in register.

**Just a note to the buyer – when you’re doing a search to purchase these, you may see some decals labeled for the “Japanese Edition” and some for the “English Edition”. The difference here is the language of the instructions. If you don’t read Japanese and are interested in getting the wealth of historical data written about each aircraft, be sure to look for the English one!

Review Author
Gary Telecsan
Published on
August 9, 2011
Company
Model Art
MSRP
$12.00

The August offering from Model Art Modeling Magazine starts off with 44 pages of photos and text (in Japanese, with an occasional English subtitle) dedicated to the F6F Hellcat, with reviews of Eduard, Hobby Boss, and Monogram kits, among others, from 1/144th scale up to 1/48th. A wealth of close-up photos showing trouble spots and finished kits is available for aficionados of this aircraft.

Next comes 5 pages of information about Japanese Navy destroyers, illustrating differences from 1933 through 1945 with photos of 1/700 kits for illustration. This is followed by several pages of walk-around detail shots of a JASDF H-21, very useful for modelers of this subject. This appears to be a monthly feature, the H-21 being August.