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 Perry
Published on
Company
GPM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$14.50

This kit represents the famous Sherman tank. I am not a Sherman tank expert but the title of the kit says it is an M4A3 version. I don't know if that's accurate, but who am I to argue.

The model comes in A4 book size and is hand drawn with some computer drawn revised parts. Instructions are provided in English, German and Polish with 4.5 pages of construction illustrations. The model was printed in olive green but not all parts are the same shade. Different pages were printed with different shades of green which results in the fenders, mantlet and appliqué armor being slightly darker. Even though there are some color issues, the built tank looks good and the printed texture (faded paint and shading) add immensely to the end result.

Review Author
Rick Bellanger
Published on
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
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
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
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.