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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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Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
July 16, 2010
Company
Academy Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$13.99

And now.. Something completely different!

I volunteered for this kit without knowing anything about it, never seen one nor heard of it. I am glad I did, this has got to be one of the most enjoyable models I have ever built, and what makes it so nice I can PLAY with it!

The kit comes package in a nice sturdy box with each tree in a separate package. There are 2 parts tree, a motor and a shaft. The instructions are quite adequate for assembly. There are no painting or decal instruction because neither are required. You do get an operating insert that is helpful. The plastic is brown with a wood grain pattern.

Review Author
Joe Staudt
Published on
January 15, 2010
Company
Johnny Lightning
Scale
1/24

Batman has been around in comic book form since the 1940’s, and while he may not be able to fly or swing from spider webs of his own making, he has always had one thing that very few of the other superheroes have had: a really cool ride.

Playing Mantis (which owns both Johnny Lightning and Polar Lights) is coming out with a whole batcave-load of Batman-related vehicle kits in various scales and media. One of the first to come out is the die-cast 1960’s Batmobile in 1/24th scale. This is NOT the Batmobile from the TV show that we all know so well, but the Batmobile from the comic book. It is similar in many respects to the TV car, but it has some major differences.

Review Author
Mark Andrews
Published on
January 15, 2010
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/12
MSRP
$36.00

“The missile with a man in it!” is the way the F-104 Starfighter by Lockheed was described. Mach 2 speed and very high altitude was just a couple of the remarkable aircraft’s abilities. Even after marking it’s 50th anniversary in February 2004, there are a few left with the Italian air forces. They will all be retired by the end of 2004.

Review Author
John R. Lee
Published on
January 15, 2010
Company
Hasegawa
MSRP
$12.95

I was happy to see Hasegawa reissue these kits as I have several of the "Eggplanes" but not the F-14. The kit comes in a sturdy top opening box - great for holding the parts as you work on the model. There are twenty-eight Gray plastic parts and one crystal clear canopy for the F-14 Tomcat and a colorful decal sheet with two schemes. The canopy is loose in the box allowing it to be scratched up a bit, but a little polishing and a dip in Future took care of that problem. Considering this is a humorous kit I was surprised to see a four-piece instrument panel on the decal sheet. There is a plastic nose weight included but I did add a few grams of extra weight to the nose of the F-14 to be on the safe side.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
January 15, 2010
Company
Polar Lights
Scale
1/1000
MSRP
$12.99

Space, the final frontier…..these are the voyages… Whoops, digressing already. To most people, these words are very familiar as they are the opening of the original Star Trek TV show. Polar Lights has come out with a nice snap together kit of the original USS Enterprise. The kit is loaded with options and is targeted for both kids and the causal builder. There are over 50 pieces made from clear and white styrene along with a very comprehensive decals sheet and stickers. You can make four versions of the Enterprise from the kit. First, the ship as was seen in most 78 episodes of the series. Second, the first pilot version, third, the second pilot version and lastly Mirror Universe show. The main differences are the nacelles and the decals. There are three separate sets of warp nacelles to get this done and the instructions are very clear on what goes where for each version. The difference between the second pilot version and the Mirror Universe is decals.