Soviet Crusier Sverdlov 1:1700 (Combrig) by Marcello Rosa

The model is out-of-the box, with the only additions being the rigging and a flag (which I procured from a Tauro Models sheet of Soviet Navy flags).

The decals were terrible, completely out of register, and I could only use the hull number and the ship name.

During this build I learned that the Soviet navy constantly changed the pennant numbers of their ships to confuse Western intelligence,
sometimes going to the extreme of painting different numbers on the two sides of the hull. Therefore, my model can be precisely timed to 1965,
when Sverdlov was photographed in the Mediterranean.

This is a kit where great parts are let down by flawed instructions. The resin parts are finely cast, have zero flash, and no warping.

The photoetch is comprehensive and the parts fit where they are supposed to. However the kit is bit over-engineered,
on many occasions requiring you to glue tiny sub-millimetre parts of metal where clearly this detail could have incorporated into the resin.

The railing is precisely measured but not as fine as that found in other recent kits, hence looking a bit out of scale.

What makes this kit more challenging than it needs be are the instructions.

They include the following warning: "Please note that the assembly guide reflects the position of the parts when installed only, and not the exact order of the assembly".

In other words, the instructions tell you what to build, not how. And I can tell you from experience that if you follow the instruction in the sequence they are presented,
you will never be able to complete the model.

Fortunately, I use white glue (Micro Krystal Klear) instead of cyanoacrylate to join large parts such as the several levels of the bridge superstructure.

This gave me the opportunity to backtrack whenever something became impossible to fit.

If you are interested in a more comprehensive build report and additional photos, please check my hobby web site.