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
Andrew Birkbeck
Published on
October 25, 2011
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$14.50

Over the years, model companies haven’t exactly been falling over each other to produce WW2 Japanese military vehicles in the smaller scales: 1/72nd or 1/76th. Hasegawa produced a couple of trucks in their 72nd scale series many years ago, while Airfix produced a Type 97 “Chi-Ha” decades ago in 76th scale. For the time the Airfix kit wasn’t a bad little model, bar the rubberized plastic tracks which nothing seemed to glue together. So it was a happy surprise to discover that Dragon Models was producing not one, but two 72nd scale IJA tanks in their “Armor Pro” series, a Type 95 “Ha-Go” light tank, and the subject of this review, a Type 97 “Chi-Ha” medium tank.

Review Author
Dan Mackay
Published on
October 24, 2011
Company
Zvezda
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$5.00

The German 20-mm anti-aircraft gun with crew Flak 38 is part of Zvezda’s “Art of Tactics” war-gaming series. You get 20 dark gray flexible plastic pieces with minimal flash; you also get a game card with games stats for the “Art of Tactics” game. The instructions are very well illustrated with four sequences of assembly; even though there is no number sequence you should have no problem figuring out what goes where. The detail is exceptional and the best I’ve seen in this scale for the Flak 38. The two crew figures are up to Zvezda’s usual high standard and have little flash. The kit is designed for snap assembly and can easily be assembled with no glue.

Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
October 24, 2011
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$62.00

History

JV44 was a special jet fighter unit, a sort of “Dream Team”, created right at the end of the war by Gen. Adolf Galland, after he was demoted during the final months of the war for being outspoken against the incompetency of the Hermann Goring and the Luftwaffe’s highest leadership. Galland was able to gather some of the highest scoring Luftwaffe aces, including Heinz Bar, Gerhard Barkhorn, Walter Krupinski, Gunther Lutzow, Johannes Steinhoff, Heinrich Brucker, and Heinz Sachsenburg, all Knight’s Cross holders, and others, who then received rudimentary training on this revolutionary aircraft before flying combat missions. The basic purpose of the unit, and the motivation of the men involved, was to prove to the Luftwaffe leadership, that the ME-262, when used properly, could have helped to regain Luftwaffe air supremacy during the latter stages of the war, when other leaders, notably HItler and Peltz, wanted to use the ME-262 as a bomber.

Review Author
Chad Richmond
Published on
September 21, 2021
Company
Skunk Models Workshop
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$59.99

Part 1

For years I have had the desire to build a U.S. Coast Guard MH-60J, but just couldn’t convince myself to buy all of the resin conversion parts needed or, God forbid, do some real modeling and do some scratch building. A very good friend of mine, Dave Riley, was a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard at the Coast Guard Aviation Center in Mobile, before a mysterious bacterial infection turned him into a quad amputee. He took me through the aviation facility and I got to crawl all over the MH-60’s with my camera blazing away. I now knew I had to model one of these unique helicopters with its bright blue interior and red bags and baskets filling every bit of the interior. Along comes Skunk Model Workshop with an HH-60J. The fact that it is a re-boxed Italeri HH-60 with some new trees thrown in makes no difference; it’s all there. Well, almost.

Review Author
Chad Richmond
Published on
October 23, 2011
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$11.50

Aires Stabilators are made for any of the Academy 1/48th scale F-15E kits. They are a one-for-one replacement for Academy kits, but can also be used on Revell kits. They are perfectly cast in a light tan resin, and require no cleanup, except on the mounting stubs, which are also cast slightly larger than the hole on the fuselage. There are very few differences between the kit parts and the Aires parts, except for panel lines and shapes. Two horizontal panel lines that are present on the kit stabilators are missing on the Aires castings, one of which should be present, by all drawings and pictures I have looked at. In looking at my references and walk around photos, the shape of the stiffener at the root of the stabilator is incorrect, and should just be a rivet pattern, not a separate panel. I cannot find any reference photos that show it to be a raised panel, as it is cast. But, the quality of the casting, the shape and the dimensions are great.