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.

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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 John Noack, IPMS/USA 1st VP.

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

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
CB Model Products
MSRP
$45.00

This latest tool from CB Model Products is one of the best yet. This high precision punch and die set consists of 12 hardened steel punches and a clear acrylic/metal guide plate assembly. There is a desiccant included to help keep the rust off the metal parts. These pieces are contained in a compact plastic case with a nice hint and procedure sheet.

The steel punches are machined with a slight angle. These punches are designed to be used on up .030 styrene. The punches come in .040”, .051”, .058”, .069”, .080”, .088”, .101”, .110”, .119”, .127”, .140” and .151”. That should take care of most needs in 1/72, 1/48, 1/32, and 1/35th scales. You may want to wipe the parts down with some WD-40 and a rag to preserve these delicate parts for the long term.

Review Author
Phil Pignataro
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$36.99

The EA-18G Growler is the US Navy’s newest ECM aircraft, replacing the venerable Grumman EA-6B Prowler. Now in service with several squadrons, the EA-18G provides our military forces the latest hardware for electronic warfare. Boeing modified the basic two-seat FA-18F Super Hornet for the ECM mission by adding numerous antenna, sensors, and stores, and by removing offensive items such as the 20mm cannon. To produce a model of this machine, Hasegawa essentially did the same. They took their basic FA-18F Super Hornet kit and added sprues with all the relevant pieces to produce the G model.

Review Author
Roger Carrano
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$4.25

As mentioned in a previous review, Trumpeter’s new kit of the 1/32 A-4 Skyhawk is one of the better kits that Trumpeter has recently come out with, and what Quickboost did for the Air Scoops of Trumpeter’s A-4 kit is what Quickboost also did for the upgrade of the antennas for the A-4 kit.

Quickboost’s antennas kit consists of five different types of antennas in a light grey resin and can also easily be “picked” off of the sprue and sanded so as not to hurt the design of the part. The antennas are so precise and real looking that they do enhance the look of the model. However they are very, very fragile and should be glued to the kit as one of the last parts to assemble, especially if there will be a lot of handling before completion.

Review Author
Roger Carrano
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$4.25

Trumpeter’s new kit of the 1/32 A-4 Skyhawk is one of the better kits that Trumpeter has recently come out with. However, as with all kits from all the makers of fine hobby kits, there is always room for improvement. In this case Quickboost has come out with an upgrade for Trumpeter’s air scoops.

Quickboost’s kit consists of three different types of scoops and one set of pitot tubes in a light grey resin and can be easily be “picked” off of the sprue and sanded so as not to hurt the design of the part. These are so precise and real-looking that they easily enhance the look of the aircraft kit.

I would definitely recommend this upgrade not only for how well they look but also for the price. They are definitely worth it and they won’t break the bank, either, and the best part is that any modeler at any skill level will have no problem attaching these to the kit. CA glue is necessary.

Review Author
Tom Moon
Published on
Company
Bronco Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$42.95

This kit is a representation of the British Army’s attempt to mount the 25 pdr Field gun on the Valentine chassis to create a self-propelled gun. The need was created by the fluid nature of the North Africa battles. This stopgap design served the British Army till replaced by the American M7 Priest and the Canadian Sexton.

Box Contents

Sprues and decals