Sovremenny
by Paul Helfrich

1/700 Sovremenny (DML)

This is the relatively new Dragon release of a Sovremenny-class destroyer in 1/700 scale. It is basically the old Pit-Road/Skywave Sovremenny with a full-hull option and some photo-etch added. That's a similar package to Dragon's recent "Premium" edition kits, but I guess this one isn't "Premium" due to it having no new toolings, other than the lower hull.

And truth be told, it's not really a state-of-the-art kit. The superstructure is lacking in detail - it's not up to the standard of the Trumpeter Slava-class kit (which I had built just before this one). But, for a Sovremenny in 1/700, this is the only option.

On the positive side, the lower hull option is nice, the photoetched mast is a huge improvement over the Skywave kit, and the decals in this issue are great - they're strong enough to be handled, and they snugged down very nicely with some Micro-Sol. (That's one area where Trumpeter comes up short - their decals that I've worked with have not been so great).