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
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Loon Models
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$12.00

Roll Models has come out with their own brand of aftermarket resin parts, Loon Models and we'll review two sets in this review- a gun pack set and a set to modify G-10 wings and wheels.

The gunboat Messerschmitt Bf-109 contains some of the best looking markings for the 109. So what is unique about this set? Well for one the centerline gun pod. As far as I can recall this is the only way you can get the centerline gun pod without scratch building it. The packaging refers you to the AJ Press #17 for pictures of the actual pod and installation. This will be very helpful. This will make your 109 different from the rest.

The wing gun pods are nicely detailed, but they don’t look much different from the kit offerings.

Everything is molded in blemish and bubble free light caramel resin you get six pieces, two wing pods, one centerline pod and three 20mm cannons. Each piece will require just a quick little cleanup and each pod will need the hole enlarged for the gun.

Review Author
Clarence Wentzel
Published on
Company
Air Modeller
MSRP
$13.00

Air Modeller magazine was new to me when I volunteered for the review. I was very impressed. This is a 64 page high quality, modeling magazine without any advertising. The magazine seems to cater to the detail conscious modeler. This issue includes five detailed build articles:

  • Split Personality F-104G – Part One.
  • Handley Page Halifax B. Mk II Series I – Part Two.
  • CAC Boomerang
  • Ultimate Spitfire
  • Curtiss H-75 A3

The magazine also contains an article on new releases, as well as an article showing photos from recent model shows.

Review Author
Bill Kluge
Published on
Company
Fine Molds
Scale
1/350
MSRP
$18.00

Rumors have been circulating over the past several months that Fine Molds would enter the 1/350 ship model market with a new offering of a Fubuki class destroyer. These appear to be confirmed by the fact that several on-line retailers now offer pre-orders on the Fubuki class DD Ayanami. If potential buyers are curious as to what the quality of this new vessel will be like, they need only take a look at either of these new accessory sets now offered by Fine Molds.

Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$15.50

Anyone who knows me will tell you my favorite airplane is the Curtiss P-40 and I have a closet full of kits to prove it. One of them is a 1/72 scale Academy kit that I had allotted to the maybe-someday-stack because of conspicuous problems with the way Academy molded the P-40’s fuselage quarter windows. Well, now Aires has (or ‘have’, if you are reading this review in Canada or the UK) added a set of accurate P-40 well bays to their line of resin detail parts, and they’ve brought to my attention another problem area that needs addressing. The kit’s wheel bays are just as inaccurate as the shape of the quarter windows. Fortunately, Aires has done a nice job of solving that problem for me and has led me to move the kit to a higher position in the stack.

Review Author
Ray Byers
Published on
Company
Cyber-Hobby
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$32.95

Construction started with the stand and a visit from Murphy. Following the kit instructions, I drilled out holes #3 and #6 and cemented in part Z1. The instructions label the base as Z2 but it is marked Z1, not a big deal, it is obvious what’s what. When I tried to set the lower hull on the stand it did not fit. The pedestals should be installed in holes #4 and #5, NOT holes #3 and #6 (so much for starting with something easy).

Construction was straightforward with no real problems. Some areas that could be better are listed here: