I look at reviews from multiple sites to see if there's any consensus or disconnect one review to another, sometimes this happens, but mostly the reviewers generally have the same things to say, because well they are all looking at the same kit. I do look at the contents pics to get a closer look at what's in the box for some things especially PE or other "extras", but unless a reviewer points out something really wild, it's unlikely to influence or change my buying decision one way or another. Not every new kit or item gets reviewed at each site or at the same time, so multiple sources helps with that. I do enjoy them in the format posted here at Armorma and while they don't necessarily point out potential pitfalls or snags in the same way that a full build-up might, they still provide more details than I'd have otherwise. A good case in point is the T34/85 Premium review, until I saw just how far DML had gone with their upgrade on this particular vehicle, I was content to stay with the older kit in the stash...but not any longer.
As far as having the same set of designated reviewers doing "in-box" reviews, I can see the value there from an editorial/consistency standpoint provided enough SMEs are available to cover the range of samples coming in. I've seen no real significant delays in the postings of new kit Reviews so the system seems to be working well IMHO. I do agree that more SBS or WIP type threads in the main Armor forums would be beneficial to others coming along or interested in building the same kit (especially the older or lesser known "stars") but even when done casually in a thread that takes some effort/work on the part of the builder/poster and when people don't show an interest or response (even when they look) that kind of sends the message that people aren't interested so why bother? Lastly when I see Feature articles of this type posted, I read them with avid interest regardless of subject matter simply because it's a great way to see how someone else did what they did in a little more detail.
