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.

Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
July 4, 2011
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$21.50

The Product:

The Aires set arrived in the standard blister pack we all have come to recognize. Secured in place with a small foam block accompanied with the familiar blue instruction sheet, the resin parts are highly detailed and somewhat delicate. My sample was flawless and bubble free. The set contains parts for both gun bays including the guns, ammo cans, feed chutes and multi part cover doors.

The Bottom line:

Book Author(s)
Michael Machat
Review Author
Phil Pignataro
Published on
July 3, 2011
Company
Specialty Press
MSRP
$32.95

The Republic Rainbow has been a long-time favorite aircraft of mine. I grew up on Long Island, not far from Farmingdale where Republic is located, and my father worked there for twenty-five years. Even without that close association, I would still appreciate the sleek lines and tremendous performance of this machine. Mike Machat with his new hardcover book puts a spotlight on post-war aviation and on this interesting aircraft.

Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
October 9, 2021
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$5.95

Quickboost’s line of after market exhaust options just keeps on growing. The latest addition is for the Hasegawa JU88 A-4. It is up to their usual standards; molded in a cream colored resin, smooth, seamless and bubble free. One thing of note is that they are really easy to remove from the mold block with just a few passes of the hobby saw. Another plus is that the exhausts are bored out, which would be a real pain if you tried to do it on the kit part.

The exhausts that come in the Hasegawa kit look alright and would make an acceptable model but the Quickboost replacements are superior because of how they are bored out which makes for more realism, especially in a photo. These exhausts are very easy to install, and they just fit right in. They will also work well with any other JU88 A-4 kit as long as the kit part is close to looking like the Hasegawa assembly.

Review Author
Michael Novosad
Published on
November 30, 2021
Company
Afterburner Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$20.00

Background

Three modelers form the talents behind Afterburner Decals. Geoff Martin, Burtonsville, Maryland; Scott Brown, Houston, Texas; and Shawn Hull, Las Vegas, Nevada. They started this business though their love of US Military jet aircraft and the lack of decals for contemporary and past markings. In addition, Shawn Hull runs shull24.com resin accessories for modern jets.

One of their goals and founding principles is to listen to their customers and give them what they want. They do not consider themselves to be "experts", but rather are willing to rely on the people that they know to provide inspiration and guidance on appealing topics. The vast majority of references are provided from outside resources.

Review Author
Roger Carrano
Published on
July 1, 2011
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$36.95

In Eduard’s ordinary fashion, they once again bring to life the cockpit of the AV-8B with the Night Attack interior. They have incorporated in their Photo Etch, new side panels with small boxes of instruments and throttles that resemble the real thing. Colored placards are placed around the cockpit to bring out true realism and a small sheet of film is used for the clear screen over some of the instruments readouts. Colored pieces for the instruments are also provided to apply over the panel for exact realism. There are also a lot of other small gadgets to add to the cockpit, such as mirrors and handles, and they are easy to fold and put in place.