Review Author
Randy Robinson
Published on
May 15, 2014
Company
Tamiya
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$92.00

Ferrari has a history of building limited edition supercars based on their Formula One racing technology. Think GTO, F40, F50 and the Enzo. The Ferrari La Ferrari is the latest chapter in this storied tradition. It is, essentially, a 200+ MPH, 963 horsepower, gas/electric Hybrid. With only 499 La Ferrari being built and those being offered to the upper echelon of Ferrari’s clientele, the chances of getting one are kneel to none.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
May 16, 2014
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$7.50

Another excellent turned metal (aluminum this time) pitot assembly from Master Model; IPMS USA sincerely appreciates the support of Master Model, who continue to provide first-class products to improve our kits!

Another in a long line of simple upgrades; you can see in the photos the kit item is thicker and “chunky” compared to Master Model’s replacement. You will need to remove the kit tube from the mounting boss, drill a hole, and install. It can’t be easier than that! Use superglue or epoxy to attach; the fit is perfect and doesn’t need anything else. And there is the excellent instruction sheet with actual drill dimensions and “how to put this on” for those who have never used aftermarket like this… a quality addition all around, and the cost is reasonable for the strength of the new tube.

Book Author(s)
Stephen Bull
Review Author
Andrew Birkbeck
Published on
May 16, 2014
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$18.95

August 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of mankind’s first cataclysmic world war, the disaster that shaped the world as we know it today. According to a recent article I read, there have been over 25,000 books and scholarly articles written on the “war to end all wars.” Here we have a review of one more.

Review Author
Chris Gibson
Published on
May 16, 2014
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$12.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions has a metal landing gear conversion set for just about every aircraft you’d want to build. The Revell 1/72 F-101B Voodoo is no exception. I just happened to have the Revell kit in my stash, so I pulled the model out and retrieved the kit landing gear to compare with the SAC landing gear.

I was surprised by the kit gear. It’s relatively nice, clean, and detailed. The SAC gear is almost exactly the same as the kit gear. The casting on this set was not that clean. There were offset mold lines on all the pieces; it looked like the casting had shifted which caused the mold lines to be very prominent. This meant lots of work to remove the lines to make the gear look good. I have reviewed other SAC 1/72 metal gear and not had the same issues. Maybe it is specific to 1/72 scale due to the small size of the gear making it difficult.

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
May 16, 2014
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$69.00

Part 3 Review – Turret & Final Completion

This is the third, and final, section in a series of reviews covering the MiniArt AEC Mk. II Armoured Car kit. Previously, Part 1 reviewed the kit contents and assembly of the driver’s compartment and Part 2 reviewed the chassis, engine, and exterior. This review covers construction of the turret and final completion of the model. Thanks to Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) for their generosity in providing the review sample of this kit and for their continued support of the IPMS review program.

Introduction

This is an excellent, highly detailed kit. The molding is very crisp with great detail, and the fit is excellent. There are a few difficult areas that will make the kit challenging for less experienced modelers, but it is a complex kit that builds into a fantastic model for more advanced & expert modelers.

Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
May 16, 2014
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$4.00

This is the tenth item that I have reviewed from Master Model, a Polish company that specializes in brass detail parts, typically in the form of gun barrels, antennas, and pitot tubes. This new 72nd scale release is designed for the Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) Kfir (lion cub), and replaces the kit supplied Pitot tube as well as providing an angle of attack (AOA) probe missing from the kit. No kit is mentioned for installing these parts onto, so for comparison purposes, I have put the Testors/Italeri release (kit 630) to use. As with the other releases from Master Model, these parts will dramatically improve the appearance of your plane.

Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
May 16, 2014
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$16.95

This is the fourth landing gear set that I have reviewed from the folks at Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC), and once again, they have provided an excellent metal option for kit-supplied landing gear. This set is for the first 1/48 scale aircraft released by Zoukei-Mura in the Super Wing Series, the J7W1 Shin Den (kit Super Wing Series 1/48 1). The purpose of this replacement set is to provide stronger landing gear that is adjustable if necessary to obtain proper angles. Even with no previous experience in using white metal parts, this set will provide an upgrade that most modelers will have no issue installing.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
May 16, 2014
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$17.95

Thanks to Ross at SAC for yet another outstanding metal gear set; IPMS USA continues to appreciate the support from your contributions!

This set is, again, a simple drop-in replacement gear the new 1/32 Italeri F-104G/S. The set contains the entire main gear beam as one casting, with a nose gear; both are perfectly cast and directly upgrades the kit parts.

Installation is super easy; use superglue and press the SAC gear in; they fit perfectly, and impress with strength and “peace of mind” with attaching wheels/tires to the axles.

As usual, SAC landing gear are an excellent investment. As the kit plastic is a bit soft, the F-104 nose gear, being of the offset fork variety, will over time flex and you will have the toy-tricycle look to the nose. The main gear probably will also splay out… With SAC metal gear, the problem is solved, as the metal will hold up.

Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
May 17, 2014
Company
AMT
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.99

Round 2 Models, under the AMT banner, has released a Jack Reacher 1970 Chevelle SS as part of their Silver Screen Machines series of kits. The ’70 Chevelle SS was “borrowed” by the title character, played by Tom Cruise, in the 2012 movie Jack Reacher, and had a blaze of glory during an exciting chase scene. This kit will allow you to build your own 1/25 scale copy of Jack Reacher’s Chevelle.

Engine

You get a 454ci engine that can be built with a single 4-barrel carburetor (LS6) or with a fuel-injected unit. I chose the fuelie option because I liked the way it looked.

Chassis

The chassis features nice detail and crisp engraving. The exhaust pipes and front suspension are molded onto the frame. The differential is separate, along with the shock absorbers. Some careful painting can bring out the exhaust pipe detail quite a bit.

Interior

The interior is just a tub with poor engraving. The dashboard is a fairly crisp though.

Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
May 17, 2014
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$54.99

I like sci-fi and weird designs, so this Hasegawa Vanship, from their Creator Works series, was right up my alley. I had never heard of this model, however after a quick Google search, I found out that it’s the “fighter” ship for a hotshot pilot from the 2011 anime series Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing, a follow up to the 2003 anime series, Last Exile. I did find the series on Comcast’s Infinity and watched a couple episodes to try and get some context. Obviously, I need to see the rest of the series but the first few shows were good, so when I get time I’ll finish the rest.