Welcome to the IPMS/USA Reviews site!

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.

IPMS/USA Members: We encourage you to submit reviews, both here and to the Journal. To volunteer for membership in the IPMS/USA "Reviewers Corps" and submit your own reviews, please read the Guidelines For Submitting Product Reviews.

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 John Noack, IPMS/USA 1st VP.

To learn more about IPMS/USA, please see our About Us page.

Cover

Model Art Modeling Magazine, #846, June 2012
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Model Art
MSRP
$14.00

For those who are familiar with Model Art Modeling Magazine, it never disappoints and the June 2012 issue is not an exception. The quality of the images and the wide range of subject matter covered is a hallmark for this magazine. Keep in mind that the publication is printed in Japanese but, as we all know, “a single picture is worth one thousand words” regardless of the language.

This issue begins with a stunning diorama entitled, “Mogami’s Broken Beak”. Using a Tamiya Mikuma, a Pitroad Akashi (Repair Ship), a Fujimi kit of a Japanese naval special auxiliary tanker, and a Hasegawa Japanese sub, this diorama shows a very busy day in the life of the repair crews and their vessels as they struggled to repair the damaged Mogami. This diorama is absolutely fantastic!

Box Art

Corvette C5-R Le Mans 2003
Review Author
Mark D. Anderson
Published on
Company
Revell, Inc.
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.95

2003 marked the 50th anniversary of the Corvette. It also was the first challenge to Corvette Racing's two years of dominance in their class. Prodrive chose to enter their Ferraris in the full ALMS season as well and, although they were not strong early in the season, they managed to win the last four events of the season, including Petit Le Mans. Corvette Racing was, however, able to secure their third championship by a mere four points over the Prodrive team. The Ferraris would strike another blow, though, as they managed to end Corvette Racing's Le Mans streak, an event in which Corvette Racing celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Corvette.

Airbrush

Badger Renegade Krome Airbrush
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Badger Airbrush Company
MSRP
$189.95

From time to time, one gets the opportunity to review a finely crafted and indispensable item such as an airbrush. Badger recently provided a copy of the “Renegade Krome,” along with an assortment of Badger acrylic paint to IPMS/USA, and it, indeed, is an excellent airbrush.

First, there is a treasure trove of information on the Badger website about the Krome, including an informative and excellent video. To view this video, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JBaqBK1kU4&feature=youtu.be

Cover

SciFi & Fantasy Modeller Vol. 25
Review Author
Dave Steingass
Published on
Company
Happy Medium Press
MSRP
$29.95

This is the first issue of SciFi and Fantasy Modeller I have had the privilege to review. Since first seeing the review in the IPMS/USA Journal on Happy Medium's “The Steampunk Modeller” and getting my hands on this issue, I have subscribed to the publication and purchased “The Steampunk Modeller” vols. 1 and the upcoming vol. 2, as well as the special issue “Exercises in Iimagination and Scratchbuilding” . You could say I have become a fan.

This issue is 98 pages in full color, and includes 13 articles within those pages. The largest and most important article is, of course, the cover story about Moebius' new 29" long movie version of the Seaview submarine from the 1961 film “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.” There are actually 2 articles in this issue about the Seaview sub, the second being about the making of the Moebius kit based on the filming miniature from the television series of the same name, but more on those articles when we get to them.

Parts Package

PV-1 Ventura Cockpit
Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
True Details
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$18.99

Outstanding detail, great support of the plastic modeling community, etc… all apply to Squadron Mail order and MMD distributors. We at IPMS/USA appreciate and thank you for providing us items to review!

When I purchased the Revell Ventura kit, I thought, “wow, a decent, out of box build even I can sink the ol’ teeth into…” I did not know that True Details was working to upgrade the kit…and, with this cockpit, the detail level went up.

The major items replaced are the instrument panel, throttle/fuel mixture quadrant panel, the basic floorboard, back bulkhead, seats, and middle “island” instrument and switch panel. There are also two side fuselage panels that replace the truly understated sidewall detail in the cockpit. Several kit parts are required: the seat legs for the right-hand seat, control wheel arms to attach the control yokes, and the lower steps to the forward fuselage.