Interior Detail 1

Lysander Mk. III Profipack

Cockpit 1

MiG-15UTI Soviet Air Force

Completed 1

USN F/A-18E VFA-143 Pukin Dogs

Wing top and markings

X-47B Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) - U.S. Navy

Finished 7

Avia BK.534 Czechoslovak Biplane Fighter

Body

Chevy Nova Yenko

Box and painted figures

"Always the First" - Air Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Finished Model

Fw-190A-7

Finished

I.A.R. 81 BoPi "Dive Bomber"

Cockpit tub

F-14A Tomcat “Iranian Air Force” Limited Edition

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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.

Box Art

Ki-21-Ib "Sally" Japanese Heavy Bomber
Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
January 10, 2024
Company
ICM
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$113.00

ICM has provided this great new release for review, in 1/48 scale model of the Ki-21-Ib Sally Japanese Heavy Bomber from the early years of WWII. The Sally first flew in late 1936 and went into production in 1938 with both Mitsubishi who designed it and Nakajima. This version is the second production version and was widely used over China and for bomber crew training in Japan.

  • Six light gray sprues
  • One clear sprue
  • One decal sheet
  • One instruction guide

The detail quality is excellent in every way with this kit.

The assembly is quick and easy.

The assembly starts with left hand side of the main fuselage. There are few ejector pin marks that should be filled/cleaned up on both halves of the fuselage.

Box_Art

WWII German Military Medical Personnel
Review Author
James Kelley
Published on
January 8, 2024
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$24.00

History

In WWII, German Medics were called Sanitäter, or Sani for short. In Wehrmacht, the direct medical care for wounded soldiers on the battlefield was provided by medics who were part of platoons, companies, and battalions. They could be distinguished from ordinary infantrymen by their special medical pouches, additional water flasks, patches, and armbands. They were also able to evacuate the wounded to first aid stations or collection points. Infantry companies also included non-commissioned officers of the medical service, and at the battalion level, a military doctor (Assistenz or Oberarzt) was responsible for centralized medical care. However, it was not possible to carry out serious medical operations in the battalion; this was the responsibility of the divisional medical service, which could also include sanitary convoys that were engaged in the centralized transportation of the wounded.

Bottles

Acrylic Texture Paint
Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
January 8, 2024
Company
Green Stuff World
MSRP
$3.95

Green Stuff World (GSW) is a company based out of Spain. It is specialized in the design and production of tools, paints, and other types of resources for modeling, crafts, and wargames. GSW has provided IPMS-USA two (2) bottles of textured acrylic paint for review.

In the Bottle

The paint is packaged in a 30 ml bottle and comes in Fluorescent Red and Fluorescent Blue. Inside the paint has a consistency of thick paste with granules mixed in to give it texture. It is water based and can be thinned if needed.

Republic F-105

Republic F-105 Thunderchief Peacetime Operations
Book Author(s)
Theo Van Geffen, Gerald Arruda
Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
January 7, 2024
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$25.00

Republic’s F-105 Thunderchief (also known as the Thud) was developed in response to a requirement for a fast, single-seat fighter aircraft capable of carrying an atomic weapon. With an internal bomb bay loaded with an atomic weapon, the F-105 initially stood alert in Europe, under the control of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). A short time later, F-105s sat on alert in the Pacific Air Force (PACAF), stationed in Okinawa and Korea. The F-105 soldiered on for just over a decade after the Vietnam War, before being retired from service.

With 150+ photos spread over 96 pages, this book emphasizes the Thud’s pre-Vietnam and post-Vietnam service. There is a brief development overview of the Thud, and a chapter on the Thud’s service in the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), with squadrons and missions, including the “Victor Alert”, standing nuclear alert.

Product

Mitsubishi A6M Hinomarus Decal Set
Review Author
Bill Kluge
Published on
January 7, 2024
Company
Lifelike Decals
Scale
1:48
MSRP
$10.99

Lifelike Decals has released this sheet of decals for Zero fighters to correct what it describes as erroneous sizing of Hinomarus in some manufacturer’s kits. Their website states:

We noticed that some Zero kits decals etc. do not have correct size Hinomaru marks, so we released “Hinomaru for Zero” sheet separately.

The Hinomarus come it three distinct types - with the white surround (both wide and thin); without the white surround; and with green overpainted surround, with enough Hinomarus for a half dozen different aircraft. The decals are thin, with minimal carry-over of the carrier film (approx. 1mm). They come off the paper quickly, were easy to adjust into place, and reacted well to Solvaset decal softener to conform to surface bumps and panel lines. Printed by Microscale, they are all in perfect register.