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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.
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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 Phil Peterson, IPMS/USA 1st VP.
Perusing the website of Monroe Purdue Studios (MPS), out of Simi Valley CA, will uncover a variety of unusual modeling products, including a growing set of very affordable laser-cut wood and paper Zimmerit sets, among a lot of other interesting items. Visiting their booth at the 2021 Las Vegas IPMS Nationals, I looked at a dozen or so build-ups in various stages of completion, demonstrating the uniqueness of their products. I came home with two sets; one a complete zimmerit set for the 1/35th scale HobbyBoss King Tiger II (the subject of this review), and a 1/35th scale laser-cut wood set for cases of wine (the subject of a separate IPMS review).
Description
The set for the King Tiger is purpose-designed for the HobbyBoss (Henschel Turret) kit, but also closely fits the Tamiya kit as well, parts of which I used for this review since I do not own the HobbyBoss offering.
Tiger Werke Resin’s latest entry making modelers life easier is the “Glu-Budy”. As with almost all their products, the Glu-Budy is cast in a light gray, urethane resin and requires neither assembly nor painting. [However, you do have to take it out of the box. :)]
This lightweight resin glue/paint holder will help eliminate that dreaded problem of the errant tipping of your modeling supplies. The “Glu-Budy is sized for square bottled modeling supplies (glue, panel line accent colors, decal solutions, etc.) from various providers (Tamiya, Mr. Hobby, etc.) This item has one square orifice and another round one sized for 10ml paints or other finishing supplies (Testor's, AK Interactive, etc.)
Tiger Werke Resin also has another Glu-Budy (#35227) that features two square receptacles should one prefer. Anyone (that would be all of us) who has ever tipped over a bottle of glue or paint can appreciate the utility of either Glu-Budy. You may want several....
Let’s face it, British aircraft are pretty standard as far as camouflage goes, however, they sometimes exercised some individualism in personal aircraft. This release from Foxbot decals deals with just that.
Inside of the resealable baggie, is a single sheet of 8.5 x 11 heavy stock paper folded in half to provide some protection. The instructions are printed in full color and feature the profile view for six aircraft. On the backside of the instructions are stencils and the color callouts using FS numbers, Humbrol, Model Master and AKAN paints. The plan view is also shown with both the A and B scheme.
The Il-2 Sturmovik is THE iconic Russian aircraft for me. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t maneuverable, but it was a deadly ground attack aircraft. It could take a lot of punishment and was produced on larger numbers than any other aircraft in history. So you know it had to have some colorful markings. Well thanks to Foxbot we have some examples to add to our collections.
Packaged in a standard ziplock baggie, the decals and instructions are protected from moisture. The instructions are printed on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of high-quality paper folded in half. This provides strength to protect the decals from bending. They are printed in full color and feature EIGHT aircraft, two single seaters, three modified single seaters with the gunner in the exposed back, and three of the later model with the enclosed rear gun position. So, there is something here for every modeler.