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.

Review Author
Rob Benson
Published on
October 8, 2011
Company
Bronco Models
Scale
1/350
MSRP
$23.95

Thank you to Alain of Dragon Models USA and John of IPMS for allowing me to review this kit. It really is an honor to critique a new model and share the fun with the greater modeling community.

Bronco Models chose to represent the K335 Giepard, one of the three Akula II submarines constructed by the Amur Shipbuilding Plant Joint Stock Company at Komsomolsk-on-Amur and by Sevmash at the Severodvinsk shipbuilding yard. Research sources are somewhat ambiguous, but generally agree that the Akula II class is a lengthened and improved Akula class, incorporating quieting technology. The K335 name appears as “Gepard” in some references and “Giepard” in others. One member of the class, the Nerpa, is reportedly leased to the Indian Navy. The first member of the class, the Viper, is scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2015, with the Giepard/Gepard scheduled for retirement in 2025.

Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
October 8, 2011
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$7.99

Editor's note: This magazine is also available as an "Ap" for i-Pad; as are Tamiya Magazine and the AFV series.

Let me first say that, prior to getting these review copies, I have never read any issues of Airfix Model World. I must admit, many of the model magazines out of the UK look the same to me at first glance, and I made the mistake of lumping this one in with the rest.

The format is very similar to the other UK model magazines – high quality glossy cover from stiff stock, and glossy pages. To me, this is where the similarities stop. I read each of these issues cover to cover, and have to say I honestly enjoyed them all. Each of the articles was in-depth, well-written, and accompanied by many photos. Quite often I have seen that magazines tend to run very short articles (in terms of text), that often leave me wishing I had more. Not so here.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
October 6, 2011
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$60.40

The F/A-18 Hornet has been around for a while, and it looks to be almost as big a winner as its predecessor, the F-4 Phantom. One of the stories going around St. Louis in the 90s was that the plant wanted to build 5058 Hornets, one more than the production run for the Phantom. Well, the production line is still open, and they’re past 1100 now.

The F/A-18 E and F are different aircraft from the A to D models. The whole plane is larger, the engines are more powerful, and it’s stealthier. The engine intakes are square and the landing gear doors have sawtooth edges, which reduce radar return.

Here’s a picture of my recent CF-18A with the F/A-18E.

The Kit

You get two kits in separate plastic bags. The only difference between the two kits is that the F model has a longer canopy. Otherwise, they’re part-for-part the same kit. You even get two ejection seats and the extras for the rear cockpit with the E.

Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
October 5, 2011
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$4.40

The Detail Parts:

Quickboost offers a set of four antennas for the Trumpeter Su-24M in 48th scale. The parts are “scaled” appropriately for 48th and that, of course, means the parts are rather small and delicate. Caution must be the rule when removing the parts from the sprue and then, again, when attached to the aircraft.

Upon first glance, one will think that Quickboost has relaxed its consistently high standard of quality. The antennas appear to be covered with flash. But look again and you will see that this is not the case. Quickboost has supported the parts while on the sprue with a thin layer of material that protects the parts and provides additional “contact points” between the parts and the sprue. This extra material is easily removed and causes no difficulty when using the parts.

Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
October 5, 2011
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.00

The Detail Parts:

We all know what a propeller is, but what is this “tool” of which we speak? Trumpeter provides a block of resin with a “bed” for the prop blade to be placed into, and a locating hole and ring for the spinner. When placed into the “bed” the prop will assume the correct angle for alignment with the spinner. Using this tool, which is also included in many of the other Quickboost prop sets, alignment of exactly the same angle and orientation will be achieved for each of the three blades. What a great idea!