In-box reviews by retail outlets

Like getting a vehicle review from a car salesman. Not exactly an unbiased objective source.

In box reviews by anyone are almost next to worthless

Agreed,you just don't know till ya build the thing

Squadron just copy and pastes the review text from one product to the next. One review for recessed panel line kits, another for kits with raised detail...or so it seems. In other words, worthless. I trust in box reviews from sites like Hyperscale, SPAR, and maybe Aeroscale. They all state in the review that they have no idea how the kit builds up (obviously), but comment on past model builds from the same Manufacturer.

I like the Hyperscale reviews. It gives me the chance at a peek of the model which determines if I will buy it or not.

I suppose they give an idea into the level of detail.fit is another issue

Tojo72

In box reviews by anyone are almost next to worthless

I disagree, many times the "new" kit by XYZ is the age old kit by ABC with a new set of decals and a new steep price.

How many times have you wanted to pop open a shrink wrapped kit on the shelf? An in box preview is someone else doing it for you. They may not look at it the same way you'd want, but it will help you form your own opinion.

I know back in the early 2000s when there was a huge influx crudely produced, but interesting subjects from Eastern European/former Soviet Union manufacturers, looking inside the box and seeing in box previews were instrumental in determining whether or not I should buy one of those flash encrusted limited run monstrosities or not.

Recently, I bought a 1/72 scale Dragon Berge-Panther variant. Inside the kit was a full, complete Panther tank kit with the turret of a Panzer IV included. So basically this new variant was a mix and match of two different kits, not something completely new. An in box preview would have told me that and I would have probably passed on buying the kit.

As for how it builds, very few of the build up reviews done independently by fellow modelers are built straight out of the box. Many times the builder has chucked everything but the kitchen sink at the kit and it's hard to say if it really build up well or if the extras done to it made it more difficult.

Once upon a time, there was a model magazine that did out-of-box build ups with photos of the unpainted kit. That was very useful.

I don't want to put any box artists out a job,but I've often wondered why manufactures just don't put a photo of the model on the box.seems to me that would be very helpful

It's been done before; originally, beautiful painted box art was the norm, but in the 1970s to 1980s, photos of the completed, painted kit became the norm. By the 1990s military modeling went back to box art with real photos on the side but car models seemed to stick with the completed model as box art for the most part.

Rob Gronovius

Tojo72

In box reviews by anyone are almost next to worthless

I disagree, many times the "new" kit by XYZ is the age old kit by ABC with a new set of decals and a new steep price.

How many times have you wanted to pop open a shrink wrapped kit on the shelf? An in box preview is someone else doing it for you. They may not look at it the same way you'd want, but it will help you form your own opinion.

I know back in the early 2000s when there was a huge influx crudely produced, but interesting subjects from Eastern European/former Soviet Union manufacturers, looking inside the box and seeing in box previews were instrumental in determining whether or not I should buy one of those flash encrusted limited run monstrosities or not.

Recently, I bought a 1/72 scale Dragon Berge-Panther variant. Inside the kit was a full, complete Panther tank kit with the turret of a Panzer IV included. So basically this new variant was a mix and match of two different kits, not something completely new. An in box preview would have told me that and I would have probably passed on buying the kit.

As for how it builds, very few of the build up reviews done independently by fellow modelers are built straight out of the box. Many times the builder has chucked everything but the kitchen sink at the kit and it's hard to say if it really build up well or if the extras done to it made it more difficult.

Once upon a time, there was a model magazine that did out-of-box build ups with photos of the unpainted kit. That was very useful.

WellI did say "almost" worthless,it is good to know what is in the box,and how the details look,As you said,you do want to know if it's old or new sprues,but I'm still not buying a kit based on a look in the box review.I want to hear how it builds up,and of any potential problems.That being said,even the build revews can be dubious,but it's good to gather as much info as you can.

Now that you said that I believe I still have a couple of car models in the stash with photos on the box

Rob covered it pretty well about in box reviews. I also like to see what a kit comes with: is it multi media?for aircraft does it come with ordnance? full or multiple load outs? partial? just a bunch of empty pylons/weapons bay? What are the decal options, if any? On AFVs, does it have stowage? markings? Link and length or gluable tracks? At this point in my model building abilities I can tackle most any kit with a good degree of success of completion. So then for me it becomes a question of what is in the box for the money.

As Rob said, there was a magazine that did true straight up review builds of kits- no painting, no filling, sanding, just build whats in the box bare, add decals and with photos along the way. That was pretty impressive once I got over the shock and saw the brilliance of it. too bad it went away, likely because it was too honest.

Build reviews can be another matter... if the reviewer is adding AM it is no longer an honest review build and more a build project log. And lets face it, the reviewer who gets their kit courtesy of a model company or importer as opposed to paying out of their own pocket is likely going to be afraid to bite the hand that feeds them and articulate the little things or value for the money aspects.

The magazine was called Military Model Preview. You can still find them on eBay. They were brutally honest reviews. The magazine didn't include articles about build techniques and finishing procedures. It was basically a magazine about reviews. That was probably its greatest asset but also its downfall.

When I look at model magazines, I don't buy them for reviews, but for the build articles, conversion articles, etc.

As for buying kits, in today's interconnected world, spending $40, $50, $60 or more on an armor model without doing some research is odd when it only takes minutes to Google it or check out your favorite modeling websites for information on the kit.