Reviews of products for scale automotive models, including motorcycles and motorized vehicles.

Review Author
Ben Morton
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$83.00

There is an old proverb, or maybe it's an English idiom, that states:” give credit where credit is due.”

It is thought that Samuel Adams might have been the first to coin the phrase. Giving credit where due applies to the Ukrainian company, ICM Holding. Having persevered a 'commie invasion' of Eastern Ukraine, packing up their entire manufacturing facility and moving it to the Western Ukraine they also seem to get the most from a particular model kit’s mold, in this instance the Soviet Military truck ZiL-131.

Book Author(s)
Lance Cole
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$26.95

Pen and Sword’s Car Craft Series focuses on some of the more exotic cars and covers both their history and the variants. This volume covers the iconic Porsche 911. My personal first experience with the 911 came when my roommate bought a used 911 and we tooled around in it (plus I got to drive it). Even used, it was a thrill with the acceleration of a rocket and the brakes to stop a freight train. When this book came up for review, I had to jump at it. The book is soft cover and is lavishly illustrated with pictures and drawings. One thing that makes this series of special interest to modelers is that it has two specific modeling sections. This is shown in the table of contents:

Book Author(s)
Lance Cole
Review Author
Ben Morton
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$28.95

The Jaguar E-Type, British Motoring Masterpiece is the latest volume from automotive writer Lance Cole. Other books in his series of classic automobiles include the Bugati, Porsche 911, and the soon to be released Citroen DS.

While all three of those cars are iconic, the Jaguar E-Type still holds sway as the premier automotive design from the 1960's. An argument can be made that that design may still be the metric by which newer cars are measured.

The 11.5” x 8.5” soft cover volume from Pen and Sword books contains sixty-four pages with a myriad of photographs, drawings and profiles of the Jaguar E-type. Author Cole has divided his book on the Jaguar E-Type into:

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$109.99

This kit is the second release in 2020 of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen 1886. This release includes three figures of Mrs. Benz and her two sons in addition to the Motorwagen vehicle. The vehicle was previously reviewed by IPMS so this review will focus on the three figures included in the second release.

Mrs. Benz is posed sitting on the Motorwagen with her hands on the tiller, and the two sons are alongside the vehicle, maybe pushing to get it started? The poses look realistic and natural, but the detail is a little soft for a 1/24 scale figure.

Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$49.99

Introduction

Appearing on the market August 2020 is ICM’s rebox of their Model T 1913 Speedster introduced in 2018 with updated parts and the addition of a sprue containing two sports car drivers. Known for their detail, this Ukrainian based plastic model kit manufacturer has been producing highly detailed kits since 2003 with exports to several markets including North America.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.99

Round 2 has reissued the 1/25th scale Milk Trike kit and it is great to see it again. MPC was a very popular model company in the 1960’s and 70’s and thankfully, Round 2 has saved their molds. The Milk Trike was one of six trike kits which came with different window colors and extensive decals to customize your build.

Inside the box, there are 57 easy to build parts molded in white, chrome and three colors of windows- clear, transparent purple and transparent orange. There are preprinted black tires and a large decals sheet giving many options. I decided up front to stick with the Milk Trike theme and try to duplicate the purple color in Alclad Candy colors.

Review Author
Michael Reeves
Published on
Company
AMT
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$29.99

The popular CW show “Supernatural” just ended its final episode to many viewers’ chagrin. The timing of this car kit’s release couldn’t have been better. Nobody puts “Baby” in the corner…sorry- couldn’t resist. And from what I have been reading online, many modelers who aren’t fans or have never seen the show are really excited as it is the first 4-door version of this popular car model. As I will mention in the review, there is some disappointing aspects of this kit however that would’ve made this so much better. I’m not a highly skilled car modeler, but enjoy one now and again…so keep that in mind.

Review Author
Dan Brown
Published on
Company
Platz
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$42.39

The Audi R8 GT3 is a mid-mounted V10 engine sports car produced by Audi to compete in the GT3 touring car racing series. This series is based on a vehicle that must be available for sale to regular consumers with minimal changes. Due to the low cost for entry to the GT3 race series, many teams have taken part and the Audi R8 LMS GT3 version has been delivered to many racing teams around the world. It is very active in both endurance and GT races. This new kit from PLATZ reproduces the AUDI R8 LMS GT3 from the 24-hour Spa race in 2015 in 1/24 scale. My example also included the Detail Up set specifically for this kit from NuNu.

Review Author
Dan Brown
Published on
Company
UGears
MSRP
$45.00

UGears is a Ukrainian company that opened in 2015, and UB LLC is their distributor in the US. Their kits are built from laser-cut plywood and cover a vast range of interesting topics. Everything from cars to bikes, trains and even a horse. Their kits are all given a difficulty rating that corresponds to the number of included parts and the estimated assembly time. This Grand Prix car is my first UGears kit and it listed as an advanced kit with an estimated assembly time of 6 to 7 hours.

Review Author
Dan Brown
Published on
Company
Platz
MSRP
$42.39

The Audi R8 GT3 is a mid-mounted V10 engine sports car produced by Audi to compete in the GT3 touring car racing series. This series is based on a vehicle that must be available for sale to regular consumers with minimal changes. Due to the low cost for entry to the GT3 race series, many teams have taken part and the Audi R8 LMS GT3 version has been delivered to many racing teams around the world. It is very active in both endurance and GT races. This new kit from PLATZ reproduces the AUDI R8 LMS GT3 from the 24-hour Spa race in 2015 in 1/24 scale. My example also included the Detail Up set specifically for this kit from NuNu.