Left Wing Closeup

Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB, Part 3

2

Sidewinder Show Rod by Tom Daniel

Finished model

Messerschmitt Me-262

Color Schemes 3

Avia B. 534 IV. Serie

Clothespins

Supermarine Seafire FR.46

PE & Mask

Focke Wulf FW-190A-8

Cockpit-wing sub-component with photo-etch seatbelts

SSW D.III

Finished Kit 2

T-2 Buckeye "Anniversary Markings"

Top view

Russian Medium Tank T-55

Aft left

A-6E Intruder

Previous Next

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.

Primer & Thinner

AK Interactive Primer and Thinner (60 ml bottles)
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
AK Interactive
MSRP
$10.85

Note on MSRP: Primer is $10.85, Thinner is $8.95.

AK Interactive is clearly one of the specialty brands in the world of modelling. From high quality finishing and weathering products to high quality primers, they are all about “the perfect finish” for your model.

The grey primer is an excellent all-round primer, which provides a smooth coverage to plastic parts and it airbrushes really well. Their thinner, to be used sparingly from my own experience as I had a few runs, improves airbrushing quality and it can be used to thin paints from other brands, like Tamiya, Vallejo or Lifecolor paints. I’ve personally tried with Tamiya and it thinned and improved the flow of the paint like a charm.

A killer paint job starts with a good surface and a good surface finish is prepared for painting by the use of a good primer. Give these products a try and you won’t be disappointed. I know I will be using them in a regular basis.

Box art

U.S.S. Boxer - LHD-4

Review Author
Tom Pope
Published on
Company
Hobby Boss
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$64.99

Introduction

The USS Boxer, LHD-4, is the fourth of the Wasp class amphibious assault ship line. She entered service in 1995 and spent several years deployed to the Western Pacific. After 9/11, the Boxer has deployed to the Persian Gulf several times and recently served as the flagship of Combined Task Force 151, fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia. She participated in the activities surrounding the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips of the container ship Maersk Alabama. After Capt. Phillips was rescued he was taken to the Boxer for medical treatment and rest.

In February 2013, HobbyBoss released a very precise rendition of the USS Boxer in a 1/700th scale kit. I would like to thank MMD/Squadron for providing this kit to IPMS USA for review.

Box Art

Kawasaki C-1 Combo (2 Kits) Limited Edition
Review Author
Mike Van Schoonhoven
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/200
MSRP
$39.99

The Kawasaki C-1 began development in 1966 to replace the JASDF C-46 fleet. It went into service in 1974, and is still serving today.

Before we start, I’ll let you know that this is not a motorcycle kit. It is an aircraft. I am sorry to disappoint, but just wanted to clear the air before I went any farther.

This kit includes two complete aircraft, consisting of four sprues per plane, for a total of eight sprues in the box. On the decal sheet there are enough markings that you can build any two out 25 airframes. You will need to check your references as the instructions call out one airframe in three different schemes. One of the decal options is for a 50th anniversary of the JASDF scheme.

Box Art

The Jetsons Capsule Car

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Polar Lights
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$28.00

Round 2 Models and Polar Lights have re-released The Jetsons Capsule Car with figures. This boxing only includes George Jetson and Astro. The figures are pre-painted and they look very nice. The clear capsule is very transparent and free of scratches due to careful packing. It does have a small “pimple” on the top, probably part of the molding process.

This kit is a snap-together model, and the overall fit and ease of assembly is excellent. If you go OOB, and don’t want to paint it, you could have it ready for display (or playing) in less than 15 minutes.

During assembly I found a few minor gaps in the capsule car ‘fins.’ It was a matter of 10 minutes with putty and sanding sticks to take care of them. I decided to paint the interior and exterior of the capsule car, as well as the moon base. The overall breakdown of the kit made painting very easy with minimal masking.

Box Top

T-90A Russian Main Battle Tank
Review Author
Anthony Tvaryanas
Published on
Company
Meng Model
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$79.99

The T-90A Main Battle Tank is currently the most modern tank in service with Russian ground forces. Although a development of the T-72, the tank consists of a 125mm 2A46M-5 smoothbore gun, a pair of auxiliary machine guns and Russia’s Shtora-1 combined electro-optical countermeasures suite to protect the tank against laser-guided weapons. It entered service in 2005, replacing the aging T-72s and T-80s and forming the backbone of current Russian ground forces.