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
Doug Cole
Published on
Company
Atlantis Model Company
Scale
1:24
MSRP
$29.99

This review covers Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen’s Rear Engine Dragster kit. It’s a 1:24 Scale kit from Atlantis Models #M7529. Rescued from the scrap heap by Atlantis and re-released in 2024 it hasn’t been seen in decades. It’s not for the average builder, but with some forehand knowledge, it’s not that hard to get this nostalgic model on your shelf.

Tom “The Mongoose” McEwan was half of a tag team with partner Don "the Snake" Prudhomme that’s been called The Greatest Rivalry in Drag Racing. Known for his endless promotion, Tom ushered in a new era for motor sports when he got a sponsorship deal with Mattel’s “Hot Wheels” franchise. Aside from being NHRA winners this put the team in the hands, and minds, of nearly every boy in America. It was a stroke of marketing genius - bringing non-automotive sponsors into the sport.

Book Author(s)
Dariusz Karnas
Review Author
Tomasz Menert
Published on
Company
Stratus
MSRP
$8.88

The PZL-104 Wilga is a high-wing cantilever short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) monoplane utility aircraft that features an all-aluminum construction.The Wilga has been widely used in civil aviation. It often performed other duties, such as touring, observation, glider towing, and parachute training. In Poland, where the type was designed and produced, it was a staple airplane in the Aero Clubs tasked with flight training. The aircraft was also used by the Polish military. Over 1000 Wilgas were produced until 2006. Unfortunately, no background information or history of the PZL-104 Wilga 35A is provided in the two publications.

Book Author(s)
Ilya Milyukov
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

The Soviet War in Afghanistan 1979–1989 is a part of Helion and Company’s Asia@War series, No. 50 (HEL 1820). This is not a typical @War series book and is not easy to read due to the author’s incredible research and presentation of facts. It is not written in a narrative format, nor does he shy away from the reality of war and the atrocities this particular war was known. In a rare departure from the almost 200 books in the @War series, an Editorial Note is included before the Introduction. It is so uncommon that a part of the note is highlighted here to put this book in perspective.

Review Author
Steven J. Corvi
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$103.99

The Martin B-26 Marauder was a twin-engine light bomber which entered U.S. Army Air Forces service in 1941. 5,000 airframes were built, and the aircraft was used in all theaters of operations for the U.S. during World War II. The Martin B-26 was a medium altitude [10,000 to 15,000 feet] bomber with the lowest loss rate of any Allied bomber! Many Allied air forces flew the Marauder including; U.S., British, Free French, Australian, South African and Canadian in combat. At the conclusion of World War II, B-26 crews had flown more than 110,000 operational sorties and had dropped about 150,000 tons of bombs on the enemy. The Martin B-26 was declared obsolete by the United States Air Force in 1948, but few had even been airworthy by this late date. The B-26 designation was transferred to the Douglas A-26 in June 1948 after the Martin bomber was withdrawn from USAF service.

Book Author(s)
Michael John Claringbould
Review Author
James Kelley
Published on
Company
Avonmore Books
MSRP
$36.95

With the newest addition to the “Pacific Profiles” series, Michael John Claringbould has done it again. A subject matter expert on all things Pacific air war, he brings to us a treasure trove of the B-25 Mitchell series in the WWII Pacific theatre. The Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate WWII profiles of Allied and Japanese aircraft which served throughout Australia, New Guinea the South Pacific. ThisVolume 14 covers those B-25, PBJ & F-10 Mitchell models which served in these theatres from March 1942 until the end of the war. Mitchells served a total of 21 USAAF bomber and reconnaissance squadrons, plus others were operated by the USMC, RAAF and NEIAF.