Template for First Impressions & Kit Reviews

[Sakrison]

You don't have to be Ernest Hemingway or Agatha Christie to write a good, useful kit review. Whatever information you offer here, and however you offer it, it will be very helpful to someone.

To post a new First Impressions or Kit Review, click on FORUM in the upper left, under the "Paper Modelers" title; click on "Kit Reviews" on the Forum Menu, and click on NEW THREAD.

Include the following information:
In the Title box: Publisher, kit name, and scale
(example: GPM Bismarck 1/200)
Do not include the words, "Kit Review"

In the Message box, start with a header tha includes:

1. The model (example: Battleship Bismarck)
2. The scale (example: 1/200 or 1:200)
3. The publisher, release number, release date, and publisher's difficulty
rating, if given: (GPM #184, 9/2001, Difficulty #3)
4. Designer, if listed
5. Where you found or bought the kit: http://www.papermodelstore.com/
6. Build thread(s): link(s) to yours or anyone else's
7. Your rating of the kit's difficulty:
(Easy, medium, difficult, very difficult, not worth building)

Then write the text of the review. Some suggestions:

The kit: How many pages and what size pages; quality of the artwork, registration, paper, and instructions. Are there photos of the completed kit?
Is there anything else that strikes you about the kit: gpecial markings, weathering, detail (or lack of it), listed size of the finished kit, zillions of tiny parts that scare the crap out of you? Whatever....

Thumbnails: Not necessary, but always nice -- the cover art, and a photo or two of parts and instructions. Remember, don't photograph and post complete pages--that borders on piracy, even if you don't say AAARRRGGGHHH!

If this is a First Impression, you're done.

If this is a full review, add your impressions of building the kit. Some ideas:
Were the instructions complete and easy to follow?
Did the parts fit well?
Did you make changes in the construction?
Did you add or omit parts or details?
Did the kit present any problems? How did you deal with them?
Does the finished kit look right--color, dimensions, proportions, overall appearance?
Your bottom line: At the end of the day, what's your overall rating of this kit in a sentence or two? ("It's got a beat; ya can dance to it. I give it a 6.")

These are only suggestions. For more ideas, read some the of the reviews already here. And if you have a different idea about how to write your review, go to it. There are no wrong answers here, except "Idonwanna."

No worries,
--David