Russian Missile Cruiser Ochakov
Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| NATO code named these ships as Kara class,
they were known in the Soviet Union as Project #1134B. They were a further
development of the Kresta II class. These ships were powered with gas turbines
like the newer generation of US Navy cruisers and destroyers. Their main
role was ASW but like most Russian ships they bristled with weapons for
self defense.
If you build Modern US Navy ships or those of the Cold War era, you know that there has been a void in the ships of the Iron Curtain. Combrig a Russian company already well known for their Russian turn of the century ships is producing many of these formidable looking warships of the 60's. Several variants of this class are produced and Combrig has a version of each one available. |
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| The hull is well cast with no warpage or defects. The surface detail is good and hull looks just like the drawings of the Kara class Cruisers. |
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| The superstructure parts are cast on thin wafers and will
need very little cleanup. Splinter shields are pretty thin and the detailing
is pretty good. The main gun turrets are also cast on a resin wafer and
are nicely shaped. the missile launchers are nicely done and can be posed
in any position. The cruiser missile launchers and torpedo tubes are also
well done as are the many anti sub rockets. The helicopter is well cast
but has no rotors included.
The many radar directors are well done though some of these would look better if replaced by photo etch. Some of the parts are delicate and care should be used when removing them from the sprues. |
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| The instructions are more of a general guide than a complete documentation of the model. A plan and elevation view with some history (in Russian) is on the front page. A parts scan and exploded view is on the other. I would recommend doing some research before building your kit. |  |
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| Conclusions:
Thanks to Pacific Front Hobbies for the review sample. This kit is listed for $39.00 US. making it very competitive for a cruiser of this size. All that is lacking is a good photo etch set to replace some of those radar assemblies and you have a worthy opponent for your Cold War fleet. I wouldn't recommend this kit for a beginner, but anyone who has tacked a resin kit or two will find this an easy build. |
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