Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
December 30, 2014
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$32.00

Thanks first to Aires/Quickboost for providing IPMS USA this review set and IPMS leadership for passing it my way!

OK, here we go. The Meng ME163B is a very nice kit; the addition of a bit of resin is applied in this case to the cockpit. I believe this set could also work in the 40-year old Hasegawa powered-egg… have not tried it yet.

The overall presentation is excellent. The tub itself is well detailed as is. Mounting straps for the “S” stoff tanks on either side of the pilot are there; the back bulkhead has rivet and seat mounting details. A yoke for the rudder pedals mounts in the forward tub, to which are attached massive foot pedals with standard boot harnesses. I recommend you remove about ¼” of the lower cheeks off the forward cockpit tub, because it will not fit in the model fuselage halves if you don’t. A simple fit check indicates that will work as a solution.

Review Author
Scott Hollingshead
Published on
December 30, 2014
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$13.00

In case you missed the IPMS-USA Nationals this past summer, Eduard released a 1/48 scale F-14A Tomcat as part of a special “Danger Zone” packaging that includes a slew of photo etch and resin detail parts along with the plane. I mention this as some of the detail items, such as this set are now being released to further spruce up the Limited Edition release. This set includes fabric seatbelt pieces as well as the photoetch parts for all of the connectors, buckles, etc.

Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
December 30, 2014
Company
Hauler
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$15.99

The Panzerfaust ("armor fist" or "tank fist") was an inexpensive, single shot, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, and was operated by a single soldier. The Panzerfaust was in service from 1942 until the end of the war.

Hauler, a small company out of Czechoslovakia, continues to add to its list of quality aftermarket and modeling supply products; this time with a package of Panzerfaust weapons complete with two cargo boxes in 1/35th scale.

The package contains a small PE sheet, a small sheet of decals, a sheet of instructions and a single baggie containing all the resin parts, including eight Panzerfausts. My sample arrived with one of the two delicate ‘rope’ handles broken off of each of the two boxes.

Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
February 10, 2020
Company
Revell, Inc.
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$25.95

Revell hit a real winner with the Hot Rod Hydro kit. Very little flash and the parts fit very well.

Engine: The Hemi engine goes together extremely well. I opted to pull a dual quad intake manifold from the parts bin rather than use the 6 carb set-up in the kit.

Trailer: The trailer was slightly warped so I used very warm water to try and straighten it out. Nicely detailed, but it lacks lights. Parts bin came in handy.

Interior: Interior panels are very well engraved. Getting the side panels glued in gave me a few minutes of frustration because of the tight fit. Once in though, the panels look real nice.

Review Author
Robert Head
Published on
December 31, 2014
Company
Meng Model
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$84.99

The Panzerhaubitze 2000 is one of the most advanced self-propelled howitzers in the world. The vehicle utilizes a large number of chassis parts of Leopard 1 MBT and Leopard 2 MBT. It is powered by the MTU MT881 engine which provides excellent mobility and is armed with a Rheinmetall 155mm L52 gun with an advanced sight and fire-control system. 60 rounds are stored vertically on board in a horseshoe arrangement. Its automatic shell-loading system has realized automatic management of all ammunition. This vehicle entered German Army service in 1998, and then into armies of Italy, the Netherlands and Greece. The Croatian Armed Forces (COA) recently completed a purchase agreement for 12 former Bundeswehr vehicles to fulfil their NATO requirement.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
December 31, 2014
Company
Hauler
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$7.25

There’s not a lot of military history for this kit. It’s a pretty standard European-style shopping cart. I have pushed a bunch of these around stores in Italy when I was TDY at Vincenza. From my experience working at Kroger’s I know that the American version has a different wheel setup and a shelf below the main basket.

This kit is a marvelously done piece of photoetch. Everything except the push bar, which is done in resin, is on one fret. The basket is one piece with the legs attached. The wheels and axle supports are separate pieces, and there’s a chain which attaches to the push bar. I remember that this chain hooks into a dispenser outside the store, and you put a coin in the dispenser to get your cart. When you’re done, return the cart, and you get your coin back. That’s one way for the store to make sure you don’t leave the cart out there in the parking lot. And if you do, some kid would probably take it back to get the coin.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
December 31, 2014
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$8.50

Quickboost’s latest item is a detailed seat, with the harness installed, for the Meng 1/32 Scale Me 163B. All you need to do to use this seat is paint to it, remove it from the pour stub, and install it. This seat is well worth the investment, as it will save you the time of building a seat with harness. In person, it looks a lot better than under a digital camera’s lens.

This item is, like all Quickboost parts, worth every penny!

Thanks to Aires for providing IPMS/USA with this review set and to the IPMS/USA leadership for passing it my way!

Review Author
David Wrinkle
Published on
December 31, 2014
Company
Tamiya
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$43.00

The AB was a soft-top variant of the Model AA, and inherited features such as the 3.4-liter inline-6 engine and live axle leaf spring front/rear suspension. It differed from the AA in its folding cloth roof, dedicated windshield design, and front-hinged door layout. To make room for the new folding auxiliary seats, the rear seat bank was moved somewhat further back. Of the 353 produced by 1938, the majority were eventually sent to the military and never made it into the hands of the public as was originally intended.

Review Author
Greg Wise
Published on
December 31, 2014
Company
Iwata Medea
MSRP
$73.13

As the name Neo implies, this is Iwata’s entry-level airbrush label, and it is offered in the two main styles of airbrushes: siphon- or gravity-feed. Our review sample is the Neo CN, a gravity-feed type. Gravity-feed airbrushes perform well at lower air pressures, which help create greater detail.

Another differentiating feature between airbrushes is the trigger style: single- or dual-action. To explain the difference in simple terms, a single-action trigger delivers paint and air at the same time when depressed. The dual-action trigger has a slide, which means when you depress the trigger only air comes out, but as you slide the trigger aft it feeds the paint out around the needle. Our Neo CN has a dual-action trigger with a 0.35 mm needle and nozzle combination. Most lower-end airbrushes are commonly single-action.