Zvezda

Boat It’s essentially the same boat type as the one I’ve built from wood, and in same scale. This made it particularly fun to build as I was able to directly compare both builds. Model quality It’s very good, the wooden texture is beautifully executed, and the were no flash at all. My only tiny complaint is about seam lines, but as there were so few details it wasn’t a problem.

Neat modern kit by Zvezda. The model is tiny, details are crisp, and build is straightforward bar the challenge of working with such small parts. I’ve enjoyed building it a lot, much more than I expected - normally I don’t do anything modern. Russian Destroyer “Sovremenny” (Современный). Commissioned in 1980, this ship was the first destroyer built by USSR in 20 years. This fact is reflected in ships name - ‘Sovremenny’ means ‘modern’, ‘contemporary’.

Italery kit from 1978, which explains strange 1/720 scale. I’ve got Zvezda version just because it was a present. Interesting fact - Zvezda is not allowed to sell this kit outside of ex-USSR because it’s just cheaper in it’s version. The Mighty HMS Hood Built in 1918, the only ship in her class, this battlecruiser remained the largest and most powerful warship for 20 years. She tragically sank during the Battle of the Denmark Strait with the loss of all but 3 of her crew of 1418 men.

This model attracted me because of it’s subject. This Tupolev I-4 plane is little known even amongst ex-USSR modellers despite being first Soviet all-metal fighter. And it’s a sesquiplane, which is also interesting to me. Model quality If you think that nothing surprising here, because it’s old Zvezda, here comes the surprise - it’s actually not. It’s Zvezda making Encore Models kit from ninetieth. So the quality is even a bit worse then I expected.

My first completed model after a 6 year hiatus. Started to build it in 2009, it was the first model I’ve used airbrush on. Tried salt chipping on it (with totally inappropriate base color). Then I simply didn’t have time or space for model making, and only after moving to Dublin in 2016 I finally got back to this wonderful hobby. So just to get my grip on it back, I’ve finished this one.