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
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$40.00

It seems that when a new kit hits the market, it quickly is followed by a flood of aftermarket detail sets. Fortunately, Aires understands that kits purchased today may not reach the workbench for some time, so they also continue to release aftermarket sets for kits that many of us have in our stash (or that we have not yet added to that inventory). Set #2158 is a glowing example of that. Trumpeter’s 1/32 MiG 3 kit has been on the market for a few years now, and Aires recently released a highly detailed mixed-media cockpit set to add considerable detail to that kit. The detail in this set’s resin components, as is normal with Aires sets, is crisp, delicate and complex enough to make the MiG’s cockpit quite convincing. Those parts are cast in Aires’ typical gray resin and, as usual, there are no pinholes or excessive flash to worry about (just a thin sliver of flash here and there that comes off easily).

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Camden Koukol
Published on
Company
Revell, Inc.
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$15.95

Chevy’s classic Corvette was first offered in a hard-top version in 1963, and that model-year’s radical shift in design style can still be seen in the generations of ‘Vettes which have since followed. The ’63 Sting Ray Coupe is Revell’s latest addition to its Snap-Tite Corvette collection, and this one surely does not disappoint young modeling hands. Camden (age 6) built this review sample in less than an hour during a visit to a local pediatric urgent care facility the night the kit arrived, and we can definitely say this was one of the best-behaved snap kits we’ve seen in a while.

The kit consists of 5 sprues of parts, the candy apple red body, the clear window insert, 4 vinyl tires, steel axles, a couple of self-tapping screws, and a sheet of peel-and-stick decals. Surface detail is both raised and recessed, as appropriate, and appears to lend itself well to those who actually wish to paint the finished product.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Squadron Products
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$11.99

Airfix's 1/48th Sea Vixen kit is a beauty all by itself. The one thing it does need is some ejection seats, as these are pretty visible when the build is done. The kit seats are OK but do not include any belts and, with the limitations of injection molding versus the great detail of resin, someone needed to make a nice set of seats. Squadron products to the rescue!

Squadron's True Details USA line offers excellent value and detail and these seats are no exception. The set comes with two seats and a small sprue of ejection handles to add. The first thing you notice is that the seats are not carbon copies of one another – they are different. This is a great idea as many aftermarket sets that have seats with belts just mold the seat twice and while you get a nice seat, they look identical, which isn't the real world.

Review Author
Tom Moon
Published on
Company
Tamiya
Scale
1/16
MSRP
$745.95

The Flakpanzer Gepard was a German design that began after WWII in 1955. The design and prototype stages took a very long time and the first Gepard was not deployed till 1975. The basic design had two 35mm Oerlikon cannons mounted on the outside of a turret that has two radar tracking systems. The first radar was 360 degree surveillance radar that tracked and identified targets. Once identified, the target was transferred to the tracking radar that controlled the two guns. This system allowed the two radars to work independently of each other, with the tracking radar concentrating on the target while the surveillance radar looked for other targets. The chassis was based on the Leopard MBT. The Gepard was removed from service in 2010 when it was replaced with the SysFla mobile and stationary air defense system.

Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
Company
Trumpeter
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$66.99

History Brief:

The next step in the evolution in German tank designs may have included the “E-series” ordered by the Waffenamt as a parallel development to the Porsche Maus in June of 1943; these new super tanks would have been based on the E-100. Our model, the Jagdpanzer E-100 prototype, was being developed as the next generation tank destroyer. Henchel produced these prototypes around the city of Paderborn. However, after 1944 work continued at a slow pace and was finally canceled in favor of the Maus. The first prototype was never completed and was found by the allies on the factory floor in 1945. Secured by the British Army, the E-100 was evaluated and scrapped.

The Product:

Kit consists of over 270 parts on 7 sprues plus hull, vinyl track lengths and photo-etched grills. Color painting guide for 2 conjectural German vehicles.

The Build: