IPMS/USA Reviews

I have been a fan of both AFV Modeller and Air Modeller for a while due to their excellent articles, top notch photos and in-depth subject matter, so when two sample copies of Max Modeller (Volumes 6 and 7) arrived, I was eager to see what the magazine was all about.

First, the basics: each magazine is 68 pages, printed completely in color, on nice stock. The photos are perfect- -clear and detailed, and close up when needed. There are scattered ads for many UK and other vendors in the magazine. There is a review section of 5 pages or so and they rate the reviewed kits. The remainder of the magazine has five articles and this is where the magazine gets its name.

The first thing you notice is that the builds are not OOB or "How to Airbrush Camouflage". They are in-depth articles with large amounts of sculpting, scratch building or detailing involved. Here's a list of the 10 articles between the two and a few observations:

• Williams FW14B in 1/12^th Scale- detailed build with adds of carbon fiber decals, full wiring and brake lines plus fuel system
• Schnellboot S-100 in a "1946" state with added cranes, mini-subs and fully detailed guns
• Star Wars Diorama with FineMolds Y-Wing and X-Wing in a docking bay setting with pilots, work ladders and the works
• Scale Auto Honda S-2000 with upgraded under carriage and wing
• Scratch built HMS Ark Royal in 1/350^th Scale and a complete 1/72^nd scale air wing to man her
• 1/24^th White Road Commander Truck with tons of scratch building on the frame and engine plus a full trailer of scrap metal
• FineMolds 1/72 TIE - Vo experimental fighter- a TIE fighter with a big gun on one side kit bashed from two TIE kits plus scratch building and a striking paint scheme
• 1967 Lotus Cortina which is a kit bash of two subjects and scratch building to get it to fit together
• Space Marine Parts 1 and 2: an unbelievable reworking of a Forgeworld 1/15^th scale gaming figure with a completely repositioned body, resulted head, detailed gun and hand painted banners and flags

I hope you are seeing a trend here. This is not OOB or simple construction - they are masterworks of scratch building, kit bashing and other skills to result in superb models. The subjects also vary, encompassing all genres. Although the two issues reviewed do not have many aircraft, others have detailed plane articles. But there are ships, cars, figures and SciFi.

One thing that I want to emphasize is that they spend time covering "how" they built these models. It's not just pictures of the finished ones, but lots of in process shots and great text explaining how to get there from here. There are also short articles on a process to get "rusty" on your kits as well as paint tracks

I know that some of the things done here can be a little intimidating- I know I have never sculpted a new head for a figure kit and it seems daunting. These are the kind of articles I look to for inspiration. It shows what can be done with a kit and also how to do it so maybe next time I add a few rivets, use carbon fiber decals for a kit or create a diorama base for a kit. This is the kind of magazine to improve your skills and give you vision to what can be done.

One last thing, I find myself in a rut every once and again- burnt out, or lacking enthusiasm. This is the kind of magazine to drive all of those ideas out of your head and get you going again.

I very highly recommend this magazine to builders of all skill levels and will provide excellent inspiration to everyone reading it!

>My thanks to David Parker and AFV Modeller for the review samples and a great publication.