Reviews of products for scale aircraft models.

Review Author
James Corley
Published on
Company
Yellow-Wings Decals
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$13.95

The Kingfisher was the result of a competition in the late 1930s to replace the SOC Seagull, a biplane battleship & cruiser scout plane. The new airplane was a radical improvement over the SOC in performance and maintainability. The aircraft proved so popular with both the aircrews and shipboard crews that its immediate replacement, the SO3C Seamew, was often left behind due to "maintenance issues", and the OS2U & SOC served far longer than the Bureau of Aeronautics wanted, with most of the aviation-capable ships still using them at the end of the war.

The decals provided give the builder the option to build one of several Kingfishers:

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Res-Im
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$7.66

A new company to me; Resin Improvements (RES IM)… THANKS VERY MUCH Lukas for sending IPMS USA this wheel and tire set to review, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for trusting me to use them on my model….

This is a well-executed improvement over the Eduard Mig-21 kit wheels and tires. Three fully-assembled wheels and tires! The wheels are extremely well done with fine details. Bolts, brakes and associated wheel bits are there.

The improvement over the basic kit items is welcome. The kit tires are injection molded in two halves in plastic, and the wheels are separate items in the Eduard set. I personally like the separate wheels and hubs as I can get a clean, clear paint job if I am careful while cementing them into place. The Res IM wheels and tires offer a simpler solution but you have to be careful painting them.

Review Author
David Wrinkle
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$62.99

The Ki-67 was a very robust aircraft, able to withstand heavy battle damage and employed good defensive armament. Its high maneuverability allowed it to carry out dive bombing attacks and escape from a low level. Japanese troops nicknamed it the "Flying Dragon," while the Allies gave it the code-name "Peggy." This limited edition kit features resin upper panel and drop tank parts, side panel parts and three marking options to represent the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force's 14th Flight Regiment in August 1945.

Book Author(s)
Author: James D’Angina, Illustrator: Adam Tooby
Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$19.00

There is no question that the Mitsubishi A6M Zero is one of the most famous and recognizable aircraft of the Second World War. From its early days of domination over the skies, to the end of the conflict where the once seemingly invincible aircraft was relegated to Kamikaze missions; the Reisen saw service throughout the war in Japanese Naval Air Force service.

Author James D’Angina tells the story of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero in Osprey Publishing’s Air Vanguard #19. Chapters are broken down as follows:

Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$35.00

A new release from Casemate Publishing, this set of 16 full color posters is just what every aircraft modeler and enthusiast will want for the Hobby Cave, office, or wall. Each poster is 11in x 17in and features a different aircraft. Thirteen of the posters feature aircraft from World War II while the remaining three posters feature post war jets.

Aircraft list:

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Advanced Modeling
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.45

Advanced Modeling, based in Chelyabinsk Russia, has jumped in to help 1/72 (and 1/48 as well as 1/32) model builders of modern Russian aircraft that include the Su-24M, Su-25TM, Su-25SM, Su-30MKI, Su-30MKK, Su-32, MiG-27K, and MiG-29SMT. This new release provides two KAB-500Kr 500kg TV guided bombs consisting of four grey resin parts and two clear resin parts. It also includes a photoetched fret consisting of two pieces for the rear end of the bombs and a well done waterslide decal sheet with black stencil markings.

Notable is the re-sealable packaging that Advanced Modeling uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. Painting instructions are included with the instruction sheet, in this case calling out FS 26473 grey. The resin parts are well cast with no air-bubbles or any casting errors that I could spot on any of the resin parts.

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Advanced Modeling
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.95

Advanced Modeling, based in Chelyabinsk Russia, has jumped in to help 1/72 (and 1/48 as well as 1/32) model builders of modern Russian aircraft that include the Su-24M, Su-25TM, Su-25SM, Su-30MKI, Su-30MKK, Su-32, MiG-27K, and MiG-29SMT. This new release provides two KAB-500L 500kg laser guided bombs consisting of six resin parts. It also includes a photoetched fret consisting of two pieces for the rear end of the bombs and a well done waterslide decal sheet with black stencil markings.

Notable is the re-sealable packaging that Advanced Modeling uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. Painting instructions are included with the instruction sheet, in this case calling out FS 26473 grey. The resin parts are well cast with no air-bubbles or any casting errors that I could spot on any of the resin parts.

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$18.00

Brengun has provided another great uncommon model a 1947 production Soviet Pulse Jet missile based on the German V-1.

The kit contains

  • 1 sprues molded in hard, light tan styrene
  • 1 instruction booklet.

Construction

This build starts the twin pulse jet engines which do require a little bit of attention with filler when complete. Construction moves on to the missile body and again a little bit of iller is required. Wing and tail assembly was straight forward and I utilized a jig were aligned correctly as the attachment locations are very shallow. The final stage of the missile assembly is to attach of the pulse jet engines to the body and expect no surprises with this step. The missile cart assembly went together very easily. The kit includes details of two color schemes and I chose to finish the kit in the the Black version as I love Black!

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Res-Im
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$9.43

A new company to me: Resin Improvements (RES IM)… THANKS VERY MUCH Lukas for sending IPMS USA this wheel and tire set to review, and thanks also to IPMS USA leadership for trusting me to use them on my model….

This is a very simple set for the Trumpeter 1/32 SU-25 kit. Three fully-assembled wheels and tires for the kit! The wheels are extremely well done, with deep radial treads on the main tires, and extremely well done wheel details. Bolts, brakes and associated wheel bits are there.

The improvement over the basic kit items is extreme; the kit wheels are injection molded plastic and, although detailed, do not come up to the same level as the RES IM parts. Also, the vinyl tires are a very loose fit on the plastic kit wheels, and hollow to boot, so that means over time you will have flat tires unless you fill them with a plastic ring or some other method to keep the “flat” from occuring

Review Author
Rob Benson
Published on
Company
Hypersonic Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$10.00

Many thanks to Hypersonic Models and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me to review this excellent engine exhaust enhancement set for the EA-6B kits by Kinetic and Italeri. Hypersonic Models (HM) is a new contributor to the IPMS Reviewer system and is based in the UK, with a Facebook presence established 17 JUL 12. The operation is a one-man show, focused on well-researched products generated from quality CAD artwork and 3D- printed molds. HM has a specialty offering of modern-jet resin accessories, decals, canopy masks and reference drawings, with an X-15 emphasis.