1:700 USSR Kiev aircraft carrier

Kiev 1:700 (Trumpeter)

An injection-molded plastic model of the Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev in 1:700 scale from the brand Trumpeter. According to the parts supplied, the hull can be built either as a full hull with a stand or in the waterline version. The package holds plastic sprues with the angled flight deck, an extensive missile armament and photo-etched ship propellers. The exact number of parts and of the marking schemes is given by the instruction sheet in the package.

The real subject

Kiev was the lead ship of the class of the same name of Soviet aviation cruisers, commissioned in the middle of the 1970s. She was a hybrid ship that combined an angled flight deck for vertical takeoff aircraft and helicopters with a heavy missile and gun armament on the bow. This combination of an aircraft carrier and a missile cruiser set Kiev apart from the classic Western aircraft carriers.

Building and painting tips

Decide in advance between the full hull and the waterline version — the waterline stands out on a water base, the full hull on the stand supplied. Paint the flight deck and add the markings before you fit the small parts of the superstructure and the missile canisters. Glue the plastic parts with a thin modeling cement for plastic and the photo-etched propellers with super glue (cyanoacrylate). Apply a primer, spray the color in thin coats with an airbrush and accent the decks and the recesses with dark washes.

Who the model is for

• Modelers interested in naval subjects of the Cold War
• Collectors of aircraft carriers and missile cruisers in 1:700 scale
• Builders who appreciate the choice of a full hull as well as a waterline
• Anyone interested in the unusual combination of a flight deck and a heavy missile armament

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.