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.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

The usual “Thanks very much” goes out to our friends and suppliers at Quickboost for more superdetailed bits…in this case, the “big gun” for Meng’s Me-410 and barrels for the side turrets.

In this case, a simple side-by-side review of the gun barrels is in order. Notice that the Quickboost cannon is larger than the kit item, and the gun barrels are better defined. Paint and install…simple and detailed, far better than the kit item.

Again, a10 for detail and appearance; the muzzle brake alone makes this a “10” item! Thanks again to Quickboost and IPMS USA for providing these items.

Review Author
Chad Richmond
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$8.50

The ejection seat provided in the Trumpeter 1/32nd A-4 kit is very nice, combining both injection plastic and photo etched parts, ten in all. It is certainly passable. It does not compare, however, to the Quickboost seat, which consists of six cast resin parts. The casting is some of the best I have ever seen. The belts are very detailed and the finished seat should paint up nicely. While attaching the separate oxygen hoses, one of them decided to break off and go airborne. The last I saw of it was passing over my left shoulder.

The seat fits perfectly in the Trumpeter cockpit. I did not have a Hasegawa kit to compare it with, so I don’t know how it would stand against that kit seat. I can’t wait to get it painted and installed in the Trumpeter cockpit.

My thanks to Aires for providing this excellent product, and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it.

Review Author
Chad Richmond
Published on
Company
SuperScale International
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.00

Right on the heels of Academy’s release of their long-awaited 1/48th scale F-4B, Super Scale comes out with a great sheet depicting the ever-popular Jolly Rogers markings. Sadly, there is only one set of markings on the sheet and there are no stencils. The aircraft depicted is BuNo 151506, which was the CAG’s aircraft while on the USS Independence in 1965. Though having nothing to do with the decal sheet, this aircraft was later lost on January 10, 1968, due to an aircraft accident while assigned to the USS Ranger.

The decals are typical Super Scale Decals that we have been using for so many years. They are extremely thin, have nearly no excess decal film, and they appear to be in perfect register. These decals are printed by Cartograf of Italy, so we know they are of high quality.

My thanks to Squadron and IPMS/USA for the review samples.

Review Author
Marc K. Blackburn
Published on
Company
Meng Model
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$29.98

While Meng does not have many kits on the market, they have quickly gained the respect of many modelers for the exquisite detail of their kits. They continue their trend of releasing very interesting, modern subjects. The High Mobility Vehicle, manufactured by the GAZ group of Russia, is a multi-purpose, diesel-powered patrol vehicle. It first premiered in 2001 and pilot production started in 2004. It serves in the Russian Army and paramilitary police units and has some customers around the world. The Tiger kit has seven sprues molded in green plastic, one decal sheet, clear parts, five tires, and the hull and chassis of the vehicle. Some customers have reported some problems with the rear door frame of the body being smashed in shipping. No problems here. The quality of the molding is outstanding with very little in the way of flash.

Review Author
Keith Pruitt
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$8.50

Quickboost is known for producing drop-in replacement parts for many model kits. The seat in the Airfix 1/72 Bf-109E is very basic, with a hint of the harness molded on the surface. While it is acceptable for a fun and simple build, it does leave something to be desired in the level of detail. The Quickboost replacement seat is well-molded and incredibly detailed. The seat is slightly thinner than the kit part (perhaps more to scale), the seatback has a raised cushioned area, and the harnesses are intricate (including the buckles and hardware) and are draped realistically in the seat. Once the pour stub is removed, the seat fits neatly into the attachment on the cockpit floor. For an easy upgrade to the kit, and almost a must for the super-detailers, the Quickboost Bf-109E Seat would be considered highly recommended.

Thank you to Aires and Quickboost for supplying this review sample, and IPMS USA for supplying the review opportunity.