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.

Book Author(s)
Henrik O.Lunde
Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$18.95

History

Finland was in a very precarious position in the period leading up to the outbreak of World War II. Although a democracy, Finland was surrounded by two gigantic totalitarian states with vicious appetites for territorial expansion. With the Soviet paranoia regarding Nazi Germany’s desires to destroy the communist “workers’ paradise”, and German desires for expansion into Eastern Europe, Finland stood in the way of both countries’ ambitions. In 1939, the Nazis and the Soviets signed a Non-Aggression Pact, which secretly divided up Eastern Europe into “Spheres of Influence” for each country. The Soviets quickly swallowed up the Baltic republics, and later, in 1939, the Soviets attacked Finland in order to gain Finnish territory they felt was essential for the defense of Leningrad.

Review Author
Steven Murphy
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$45.00

History

The J2M Raiden (Thunderbolt), codenamed “Jack” by the allies, was designed by Jiro Horikoshi, creator of the vaunted Zero fighter the A6M. Envisioned from the outset as an interceptor, this aircraft was used against the American B-29 Superfortresses that attacked the Japanese mainland in 1944 and 1945. It was armed with four cannon and had a top speed of over 400 miles per hour. It did see some success, but that was tempered by the decision in March of 1945 to move the B-29 raids to night time hours.

After the war, captured examples were tested by the ALLIED TECHNICAL AIR INTELLIGENCE UNIT which under the British examined two examples in December of 1945, while the United States examined a captured “Jack” in US markings and a natural metal finish. All of these aircraft can be built using decals from this kit.

Review Author
Steven Murphy
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

Shameful plug. I love the Quickboost line of products. If I find myself with extra PayPal funds, I will skip through my favorite online retailer’s offering of Quickboost resin goodies and fill my cart with exhausts, engines, cowlings and antennae!

While the set may be designed for Hobbyboss Spiteful, it also will work perfectly in building the Trumpeter Seafang where it became apparent that an exhaust set could greatly benefit this kit. Quickboost to the rescue! The resin replacement is a drop fit for the kit, with a narrow casting block easily removed. Each exhaust stack is molded open, giving the modeler ample chance to enhance the look of it by dry brushing and washes. These detailed exhaust stacks really pop on the finished model.

A very economical and worthwhile replacement set. I greatly recommend this product. Definitely recommended.

Thank you Quickboost and IPMS/USa for the chance to review this item.

Review Author
Mark Aldrich
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$26.99

Sonny Crockett, Rico Tubbs and Elvis (not the Legendary Singer) were all familiar names for anyone growing up in 1982. Fast Cars, Fast and sexy women, drugs, guns and fast boats! What was not to want or like? Even the Music rocked! OK…maybe not rocked but definitely top 10 hits. If none of this is ringing bells, you definitely missed out on MIAMI VICE. This was one of NBC’s crown jewels in the hit series. Men’s fashion, pop song stars, and the automotive industry were all influenced by this five year series. The theme song alone garnered two Grammy awards. People Magazine stated that Miami Vice “was the first show to look really new and different since the color TV was invented”. Now that is a pretty bold statement. Two distinct, expensive and beautiful cars were also featured in the series. There was a black 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4 and a white 1986 Ferrari Testarossa! The Sypder was actually a kit car based on a 1980 Corvette chassis.

Review Author
Jim Coatney
Published on
Company
Minicraft Model Kits
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$13.99

The McDonnell Douglas F4 Phantom II needs no introduction, so I’ll skip over the history of this famous aircraft and simply specify that the F-4E has an extended nose to house an internal M-61 Vulcan cannon. The “E” was the most built variant, with almost 1400 units completed. F-4Es, in addition to use by the USAF, were sold to Germany (as the F-4F), Greece, Iran, Israel, South Korea, and Turkey

Minicraft’s F-4E comes in a small, sturdy, top-opening box. The cover illustration is of an F-4E from the USAF 57 FIS, Keflavik, Iceland. Inside are three sprues, two in light gray, and one in clear. There are thirty-three light gray parts and one in clear. As would be expected with the low parts count, the instructions are simple and clear, with assembly broken into eight basic steps. Two large diagrams cover the paint and decal schemes. Model Master paints are called out.