Gold Medal Models

1/350 Udaloy Class Detail Set For the Trumpeter kits

Stock Number: 350-47

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $45.00 Website: www.goldmm.com I would like to thank Loren Perry for this review sample. The Udaloy Class of destroyers appeared in 1980, one of the next generation of Soviet warships to appear in that timeframe. It was further evidence of a Naval renaissance going on behind the shroud of the Iron Curtain and more reason for western Navies to worry. A dedicated anti-submarine warfare platform, the Udaloy Class was in many respects the equivalent of the Spruance Class in the US Navy. A class of 12 ships, the construction was stretched out through the 1980s. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union the Russian Navy fell on hard times and the first 5 ships of the class were eventually removed from service due to maintenance needs and some were scrapped. An upgraded version, the Udaloy II is optimized for anti-ship warfare as well as anti-submarine warfare, but only one has been completed. These are amazing times for ship modelers; I never thought that I would see a model of an Udaloy. I give Trumpeter lots of credit for releasing several versions of the class: Severomorsk, Admiral Panteleyev (the last Udaloy I) and the sole Udaloy II, Admiral Chabenenko. Typical of Soviet-era designed ships, the Udaloy Class bristles with antennas, many redundant systems in the event of a routine failure or battle damage. Rendered in plastic, many of the complex details look clunky. While this Trumpeter kit is one of their better ones, there is only so much you can render in plastic, so these kits include a single PE fret of double relief etched brass which includes lattice towers, radar reflectors, and helicopter landing area safety nets. Unfortunately the brass is overly thick and hard to work with. The modeler will need an after market PE set to replace these details and complete the other details of the ship. Once again Gold Medal Models has released a comprehensive photo-etched detail set, with the same trademark versatility that allows it to be used with any of the Trumpeter 1/350 Udaloy kits. This latest GMM set is packed with details for the Udaloy class with call outs for the variations between the early and late versions of the class. 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: 1, 2, 3 and 4 bar railings stock with call outs for location by rail type. The main deck railings are pre-measured and include openings for the chocks. Inclined and vertical ladders.. Watertight doors, two styles. Top Plate (Panteleyev) and Strut Pair air search radar antennas. The early ships carried two Strut Pairs and so GMM provides to complete array pairs. On the later ships the Top Plate replaced the Strut Pair on the main mast . Lattice communication antenna towers and antennas. Palm Frond (navigation) and Cross Swords (fire control - fitted to later ships) radar antennas. Direction finding antennas. Fore and main masts details including replacement platforms and supporting structure. DF antennas, ECM antennas and anemometers. Crane details. Louvers for ventilation intakes. Details for the ships boats and davits. Replacement rotors for the KA-27 Helix helicopter. Helo landing area net (early and late styles) and deck edge safety nets (early and late styles. Jackstaff and Flagstaff. Liferings. Accommodation ladders. Windshield wipers. The details are petite and closely match the prototypes. Because of the complexity of Soviet masting, adding these details will require a lot of careful folding to achieve the correct look. Modelers will need to be careful to not clog the fine details with glue. Of all the details, I anticipate that installing the PE louvers for the ventilation intakes will be the trickiest process. My favorite detail is the windshield wipers; I wish I had them for my modern USN kits. Not addressed in the instructions or Loren's cover letter is whether these details with fit the Admiral Chabenenko kit. While there are a lot of differences in weapons fit between the versions of the class (SSN-22 vs. SSN-14, 130mm gun mounts vs 100mm gun mounts, masts), the electronic fit and most mast details are the same, as is the general layout. This set should be completely compatible. I have included a picture I took of Admiral Chabenenko at Naval Station Norfolk when she was in port for engineering repairs to show the similarities. 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 Udaloy to bristle with detail and have the business-like look appearance of Soviet-era ship design. Strongly recommended!