Gold Medal Models

1/350 Kirov Class Battlecruiser Detail Set For the Trumpeter Kirov

Stock Number: 350-46

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $45.00 Available directly from Gold Medal Model or through retail outlets Website: www.goldmm.com I would like to thank Loren Perry for this review sample. Back in the early 1980s the naval arms race between the USSR and the USA was reaching a crescendo, with new ships and weapons systems coming online every month. The Soviets were proliferating cruise missile shooters to counter the US Navy's strength in aircraft carriers. I was a Midshipman at the US Naval Academy in the summer of 1981 studying the Soviet threat, and nothing struck more fear in our hearts than the five letters that spelled Kirov. At 830 ft long and displacing 28,000 tons she was a behemoth, capable of firing twenty SS-N-19 Shipwreck missile each with a range of 300 miles and a 1500 lb warhead. With her advanced, layered air defense system she was a formidable adversary that we all grudgingly admired for her size and sinister appearance. I never thought that I would see a 1/350-scale kit of this ship and yet in late 2008 Trumpeter delivered.. Trumpeter has been good to modelers interested in modern Russian Naval subjects. The kit is of course huge, filled with details, including a basic PE set for the radars. As good as the details are, there are plenty of components that would be better replaced with PE. The kit PE set is too heavy and missing details for the rest of the ship. To meet the need for more and better detail for this behemoth, Gold Medal Models has released a comprehensive photo-etched detail set for the ship. This latest GMM set is large and as expected is packed with details for Kirov and her sister ships. The brass sheet measures 7 x 10 inch and is etched in .05 inch brass which is sturdy yet very workable. The etching is double-relief and the assemblies have petite detail, which is important for the multitude of radar antennas and lattice supports. Here is a complete list of the details you will find in this set: Pre-measured 2, 3 and 4 bar railings. The bow railings included roller chocks. Mack railings. Inclined and vertical ladders. Two types of watertight doors. The Top Pair, Top Steer and Top Plate (fitted to the later 2 ships instead of the Top Steer) air search radars antennas. The Top Pair, Top Steer and Top Plate (fitted to the later 2 ships instead of the Top Steer) air search radars antennas. Palm Frond (navigation), Pop Group (fire control), Strut Pair (fire control) and Cross Swords (fire control - fitted to later ships) radar antennas. Direction finding antennas. Forward and midships lattice antenna mast. A highly detailed lattice main yardarm. Vee-tube antenna mast. Aft radar platform details. ECM antennas. ECM platforms and supports. Aft masthead light.s Missile loading crane. Details for the ships boats and davits. Replacement rotors for the KA-27 Helix helicopter. Helo landing area net and safety nets (found on the three ships after Kirov). Correct 5 blade replacement propellers. Accommodation ladders. Crane details. The details are amazing and the parts match closely to the photos I have. More than most sets, adding these details will require a lot of careful folding to achieve the correct look. The main yardarm will be particularly challenging given the length and narrow width of the yardarm. The Vee-tube antenna mast will also be a challenge. Of note the netting for the helo deck is a later style, but Trumpeter provides the earlier style in PE in the kit, so you can model either configuration. As with all Gold Medal Models details sets, the instruction sheets are first rate. Well illustrated, they clearly point out where the various details go and also clearly walk you through the assembly of even the most complex structures.

This latest set from Gold Medal Models is a must have if you want your Kirov to bristle with detail and have the brutish, business-like look of the prototype. The only thing missing is a miniature 1/350 Fleet Admiral of the Soviet Union Sergey Georgiyevich Gorshkov who was the father of the modern Soviet Navy. Strongly recommended!