Sverdlov reporting!

After a few months of hard work, it looks like my next project is taking shape. Under construction is the 1/700 Soviet cruiser Sverdlov, built out-of-the-box from the Combrig kit.

I mean "out of the box" with some reservation, because building this kit requires you to come up with many parts not provided. These are referred to in the instrucitons as "self-assembled" parts, but alas this does not mean they magically just assemble themselves. Rather, it means "we could not bother to include them so you have to make them yourself".

This is a pardoxical kit: in one hand, the quality of the resin and photoetch parts is outstanding. On the other hand, it is the most over-engineered thing I have ever come across, and the fit can be bad. I have spent less time building entire models than what I spent just building and fitting that mast. And then, there is another one to go...

(With apologies to all fans of C&C Red Alert out there - not "Kirov reporting" but I could not resist. Even the colour scheme resembles a Kirov airship...)