Crossroads uninhabited

Normandy Crossroads Diorama

Right side

F-14A Tomcat “Iranian Air Force” Limited Edition

Factory detail 2

Ruined Factory with Base

Steel texture

Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf. A Early/Mid

Back view

The Big Fellow - Michael Collins

Turrets Installed

Soviet Heavy Tank T-100

Pre-shading

Spitfire Mk. XVI Dual Combo

Sprue 5

Chinese J-11B

Chassis

WWII US Army Kitchen Truck

MXY-7 K1 Compl. 3 1500

Japanese Yokosuka MXY7-K1 Trainer

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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.

Box Art

Close Combat US Tank Crew
Review Author
Andy Renshaw
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$22.99

It wasn’t too long ago that there were basically three manufactures of plastic figures available through common sources. Through them, you could usually cobble together a crew for a German tank, but if you wanted some figures for a US armored vehicle, you were stuck with some very static poses that came with the kit. Dragon broke new ground with the release of their US tank crew several years ago, and they were leaps ahead of anything on the market, but still some pretty basic poses.

Now we have MiniArt among a host of new producers that is not only providing some great new figures, but in poses that we couldn’t even dream about! This release of a US Tank crew in “close combat” is no exception, and provides five figures, all in various poses.

In The Box

Product Package

US Pilot – F-16
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Aero Line
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$11.00

This is the second pilot figure I’ve had the pleasure to review from Aero Line. If you are like me, you like to add a figure outside your model for scale and visual interest. Well, probably also like me, you aren’t a figure modeler, so you don’t want a big hassle doing it. Happily, Aero Line produces scale resin figures.

My example was perfectly molded in light grey resin with no blemishes or bubbles anywhere. The figure is a one-piece affair on a small pour block with some minor pour wedges that will need to be removed. The single piece ensures that the figure is easy to remove. The detail is quite impressive. The proportions look perfect to me. The pose is natural and will look great next to an F-16. The face is exquisitely detailed, as are the speed jeans and equipment. This really is a perfect first figure and is detailed enough for the figure painter.

Detail Parts

MS.406 Gun Barrels and Pitot Tube
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

Hobbycraft’s Morane Saulnier 406 is not a new kit, but that doesn’t mean that Quickboost has ignored it. The M.S.406 has a large pitot tube. This would be hard to keep round when removing the mold lines. Well, hard for me, anyhow. The gun barrels are again something hard to keep round, let alone hollow out the end. Quickboost does this perfectly in every example that I’ve had the pleasure to look at.

The three pieces are perfectly molded in light grey resin. The gun barrels are hollowed out perfectly, as I said before. The cross section on all the parts is perfectly round. These parts will add to the look of your French fighter. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy.

Detail Parts

F9F Panther Antennas
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

Quickboost has always offered up quick and easy upgrades at a good price. The latest is designed for the Trumpeter F9F-2 Panther but could easily be used on the Monogram -5/-5P. There are three beautifully rendered antennas which do not have mold lines and are perfectly formed and round. The antennas are molded in light grey resin with very small pour blocks that will prove no problem even for a novice modeler dealing with his/her first resin pieces.

Because you don’t have to ensure the roundness of these parts, I find these antenna worth the price of admission. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy.

Detail Parts

Bf-109E Propeller with Tool
Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$8.50

Having built the Eduard Bf-109E, I would have loved to have had the prop hub off my open-cowled model but I didn’t have the means to do it effectively. Quickboost now provides you with a five-piece prop and hub, plus an alignment tool.

Molded perfectly in light grey resin, the props are suitably thin and of the correct cross section. You will need to drill a hole for the prop shaft, but it is not a big deal. The mounting pins for the prop blades will ensure correct alignment of the blades. Then, all you have to do is leave off the prop hub and you can add a new dimension to your 109. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this set.