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
Fred Amos
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$8.50

The latest release from Quick Boost is a complete set of resin exhaust tubes for the 1/32 scale A6M5 Tamiya kit. Once again the quality of the molding is flawless, no bubbles, or pin holes and the only flash is between pipes where there are more than one. I strongly suspect this is intentional for added strength while being shipped and handled. The resin is the light blond color we have become accustomed to. And of course the ends of the pipes are hollow.

As can be seen in the photos of the packaging, each pipe is numbered and each number is referenced to the Tamiya part number that the part replaces.

If you have or anticipate getting a Tamiya 1/32 A6M5, you will want these exhausts to enhance the detail of the kit engine.

I can highly recommend this set.

Review Author
Ed Kinney
Published on
Company
Bingo Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$22.00

On the heels of their earlier releases, Bingo Decals has released an all new sheet that includes selected markings from VAW-120 “Greyhawks” and VAW 117 "Wallbangers".

Printed by Micro Scale, these are of the same excellent quality as those previously reviewed on this site. This particular sheet contains markings for 5 aircraft and 2 of them are the “salad shooter” style prop blades. They come nicely packaged in a large see through envelope and are exceptionally well done. I couldn’t help but notice that the pricing of the sheets with respect to the size and complexity vary. Still, in all, they are well worth the price of admission.

Most highly recommended.

Many thanks to Steve Ognibene of Bingo Decals for the review samples.

Review Author
Ryan Harden
Published on
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$85.00

The BAC Lightning was Britain’s first and last supersonic interceptor. This Mach 2 jet was in service for nearly 30 years with its retirement in 1988. The Lightning’s clean lines and unique over and under engine arrangement make it a must have for any modern jet collection.

Eduard’s new kit of the Lightning is from their Limited Edition series and contains essentially EVERYTHING the modeler needs to build a stunning replica right from the box. All that the would-be 1/48 Lightning builder needs to add is paint, glue, and time.

Striking box art adorns the sturdy and rather tight opening box, an Eduard hallmark. Cracking the lid open reveals (8) sprue trees, (1) large decal sheet, (2) photo etch frets, (1) canopy Mask, and a nice resin seat from their new Brassin line. A multi lingual instruction sheet and a fold out full color painting guide are provided, offering the modeler a choice of (4) paint schemes.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Academy Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$169.95

Modelers rejoice! Finally, a 2-seat F-16 in 1/32nd scale! Academy comes to the table with an F-16I Sufa. The Sufa (Storm) is the Israeli Air Forces advanced tactical aircraft based on the Block 52 F-16’s. Visual differences between standard F-16’s and the Sufa include the addition of avionics in an enhanced spine and conformal fuel tanks.

On to the kit. Many of the kits parts are shared with Academy’s first release. I know some modelers had issues with the cockpit/coaming and nose on the first kit and Academy has listened and addressed those issues.

Review Author
Bart Cusumano
Published on
Company
Xuron Corporation
MSRP
$23.99

Let me start out by saying that I am a photo etch (PE) addict. Yes, that’s right - if there’s a model I’m preparing to build and there’s any type of PE available for it, I will buy it and I will use it. I just can’t seem to help it. OK, I feel better getting that off of my chest. I just love PE detail parts and what they do for the scale appearance of my models. However, I have always struggled with removal of the parts from the frets, not only in making a clean cut, but in not damaging or bending the PE part being removed. I’ve tried about every PE part removal technique known to model-building man (or woman) and have never been totally happy with any of them. So when given the opportunity to review this new PE scissor from Xuron, I jumped at the chance.