Su-27 Landing Gear (48th scale)

Published: July 2, 2026
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS reviewer corps with a set of 1/48th scale metal landing gear for Great Wall Hobby’s Su-27. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

In the Package

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided.

Review Process

The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for the kit parts as noted:

• Nose Gear: E4, E13, E18, E19, E20, E23, E29,
• RHS Gear: E44, E54, E55, E60, E66, E68, E69, E77, E81, E79,
• LHS Gear: E45, E53, E56, E59, E65, E67, E70, E76, E78, E80,

The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if… more

F-16C 60 Years of Weasels

Published: June 20, 2026
Company: Two Bobs Aviation Graphics

Two Bobs Aviation Graphics has provided the IPMS/USA Reviewer Corps with a wonderful waterslide decal set commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the very first Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) mission, which was flown during the Vietnam War in 1965. This project was code named “Wild Weasel.” This decal set captures the unique paint scheme applied to F-16C Fighting Falcons of the 20th Fighter Wing out of Shaw AFB in South Carolina.

The two F-16C Fighting Falcons markings are for:

• F-16C Block 50P, SN 92-3920 – 20th FW, 60th Anniversary, Shaw AFB, South Carolina, December 2025
• F-16C Block 50, SN 00-0220 – 20th FW, Ops Group Commander, Shaw AFB, South Carolina, December 2025.

In the Package

There is one… more

HU-16A Albatross Landing Gear

Published: May 23, 2026
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS reviewer corps with a set of 1/48^th scale metal landing gear for Trumpeter’s HU-16A Albatross. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

In the Package

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided.

Review Process

The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for the kit parts as noted

• Nose Gear: G12, G19 and G16 (also Metal Nose Strut parts A & B)
• RHS Gear: J19, J26, and K11 (also Metal Right Strut)
• LHS Gear: J16, J21, and K27 (also Metal Left Strut)

Note: The Trumpeter kit does provide some… more

AV-8B Harrier II Plus Landing Gear

Published: May 20, 2026
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS reviewer corps with a set of 1/48^th scale metal landing gear for UMa’s AV-8B Harrier II Plus. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

In The Package

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided.

Review

The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for the kit parts as noted:

• Nose Gear: C1, D20, D21, and D26
• Rear Gear: D9 and D17
• Wingtip Outrigger Gear: D15, D16, D18, and D19

The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if needed. Also, seam lines will need to be cleaned up prior… more

Messerschmitt Bf109G-6 Late Production

Published: May 3, 2026
Company: Tamiya

The kit is enclosed in a top‑opening box (typical of Tamiya), with excellent artwork adorning the package. In addition to the regular plastic sprues, there are poly caps, metal washers, two magnets to allow the engine cowling to be displayed open or closed, and a printed masking sheet for the clear parts (note: the builder must cut these out).

The instructions are well illustrated, easy to follow, and contain 40 steps for assembly. There are also two sheets of painting guides (printed in 1/48 scale) covering five marking options.

For painting reference, Tamiya lists their own paint line, but it is easy to cross‑reference other paint brands online.

The decals are in perfect registry with vibrant colors. Some builders may consider the clear film to be thick, but this is… more

Spooks from the Beach (1) - USMC F-4B/F-4J Phantoms in the Vietnam War

Published: April 21, 2026
Company: AOA Decals

AOA Decals has provided the IPMS/USA Review Corps with a wonderful decal set for Vietnam War-era markings for the US Marine Corps F-4B/F-4J Phantom. This is part one of a two-part set you can purchase from AOA Decals for the Phantom (72-014 & 72-015).

This 1/72 decal sheet covers six USMC F-4 Phantom squadrons during the Vietnam War:

• VMFA – 115 Silver Eagles – Da Nang, South Vietnam, 1970-71, RTAB Nam Phong, Thailand, 1972, and MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, 1971 & 1973-74
• VMFA – 212 Lancers – Dan Nang, South Vietnam, 1972, and MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI, 1972
• VMFA – 232 Red Devils – Chu Lai, South Vietnam, 1969, MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, 1969-70, Da Nang, South Vietnam, 1972, and RTAB Nam Phong, Thailand, 1972-73… more

Stars in the Sky

Published: April 21, 2026
Company: Iliad Design

Iliad Design has provided the IPMS/USA reviewer corps with a wonderful decal set of Hollywood stars who served in the USAAC (WWII) & USMC (Korean War) and the planes they served in.

The following Hollywood stars are:

1. Jimmy Stewart: B-24H Liberator “Male Call”, 703^rd BS, 453^rd BG, .
2. Gene Roddenberry: B-17E Flying Fortress “Yankee Doodle”, 5^th BG, 394^th BS.
3. Selar Shaik Sabu: B-24L Liberator “Janie”, 307^th BG, 424^th BS.
4. Clark Gable: B-17F Flying Fortress “The 8 Ball”, 351^st BG, 350^th BS.
5. Ed McMahon: Cessna L-19 Bird Dog, VMO-6 (USMC, Korean War)

In the Package

There is one decal sheet and two pages of instructions (printed front… more

B-26C Marauder

Published: March 31, 2026
Company: ICM

ICM has reboxed its B-26 line of Marauders and now offers a B-26C variant.

From the instruction’s history, the “B” variant was built in Middle River, MD (near Baltimore), and to expand production capacity during WWII, the “C” variant was built in Omaha, NE. Physically, they look virtually identical.

The other ICM B-26 variants (B, G, & F) have been reviewed by fellow IPMS/USA reviewers and can be viewed at these links:

https://reviews.ipmsusa.org/review/b-26b-marauder

https://reviews.ipmsusa.org/review/b-26b-marauder-0

… more

MiG-35 Fulcrum-F Landing Gear (for 1/48 Hobby Boss)

Published: March 30, 2026
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS Reviewer Corps with a set of 1/48 scale metal landing gear for Hobby Boss’s MiG-35 Fulcrum-F. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided by SAC. The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for parts C8, A31, A29 (nose wheel), C28 (LHS MLG), and C27 (RHS MLG). Note that the oleo parts (D27 & D28) are molded into the main struts. The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if needed. Seam lines will need to be cleaned up prior to painting, just like the plastic kit parts.

For painting, I recommend… more

Su-17M4 Fitter K Landing Gear (Hobby Boss)

Published: March 30, 2026
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS Reviewer Corps with a set of 1/48 scale metal landing gear for Hobby Boss’s Su-17M4 Fitter-K, which will also fit on the Su-17UM3 Fitter-G. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing, and no instructions are provided. The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for parts C2, D12, D13, D32 (nose wheel), E20 & E2 (LHS MLG), and E21 & E1 (RHS MLG) for the Hobby Boss kits. The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if needed. Seam lines will need to be cleaned up prior to painting, just like the plastic kit parts.

For… more