Russian CV 063 Kuznetsov in 1/350 scale

Lots of work to do in this session. Needed to complete the many details on the island, and then complete the numerous details around the flight deck and the upper hull.

I started by taking out the Photo Etch parts and painting them in the appropriate grey color. The railing will be used later for the PE railing session, but there are numerous radar dishes of various types, and other PE parts that go into the sensors on the Island. Then, there are a lot of other parts...equipment, decks and catwalks for the various equipment, other sensors, antennae, machine guns, etc. that also needed to be added to the island.


The island is looking good. it has been a significant assembly for the vessel.

Then it was time to go around the flight deck and the upper hull and add all of the parts to finish it off...except for the large antennae, which I will add last. But it did include various other antennae, equipment, the large crane on the forward starboard quarter, life boats and launches, numerous machine guns, and other various parts. Cuting out, painting, and assembling all of these is time consuming, but it really adds to the detail of the ship. Trumpeter does a good job on providing such details.


With all of that, I then dry fit the entire island on the hull and took a few pictures of the entire ship to show the pverall progress.


That's looking very nice.

The next session will focus on the Photo Etch railing and safety netting.

After that, there will be one or two sessions dedicated to the air wing for the flight deck...after which, the vessel can be touched up, given the final details and completed.

Well, I started off this session by painting and adding the struts, props, and rudders.


I then went ahead and used some of the vinyl white stripping I have to add the distinctive, while Russian waterline mark.


Adter this it was time to add the PE railing. I am using some standard 1/350 photo etch metal railing from Tom's Model Works. There is a lot of railing, particularly on the Island. So I started

on the sland, and then when completed, I added thr railing aroound the flight deck and weapons sexk aponaona dore and aft.

This is time consuming as you measure each length of railing needed, carefully bend it to shpae, and then glue it in place. it took several days of sessions after work and over one weekend to

accomplish this.


Once thr railing was added I finally glued the island in place permanently. It has helped a lot having it remain separate this entire time to be able to work on its details without worying about

the flight deck and its parts. once on thins were looking novely:


Next up will be the entire flight deck air wing. I am now planning on the following on the flight deck:

04 x SU-33 Strike Fighters
10 x Mig-29K Strike Fighters
04 x Ka-28 ASW helos
02 x Ka-31 AEW helos

This session was devoted to the flight deck airwing. I always enjoy this stage of a carrier build, because it reflects what the carrier is actually all about. Everything else is in support of the carrier having its air wing and the power projection that represents. It is also a very laborious portion of the build simply because there are so many aircraft to build.

In this case, I ended up deciding the following aircraft: Four SU-33 aircraft, each of which was an assembly of 18 parts itself, and nine decals for each. Eight Mig-29K aircraft, each of which was an assembly of 11 parts itself, and five decals for each. Four SU-25 aircraft, each of which was an assembly of 11 parts itself, and five decals for each. Two Ka-31 AEW helicopters, each of which was an assembly of 10 parts itself, and six decals for each. An dffinally, two Ka-27 ASW helicopters, each of which was an assembly of 9 parts itself, and six decals for each.

All in all, that's a total of twenty aircraft, made up of 242 parts and a total of 118 decals. It took some time.

Here are the part sprues for them all, and the initial construction of the aircraft themselves, without the tail pipes, landing gear, or rotors.


Then it was time to paint them. I used a ghost gray for the overall body, and then used gunship gray and light gray for the details (ie. the nose cones and tops of the vertical stabilizors for the Mig-29Ks and SU-33 particularly). I used Model Master Fulcrum camo colors for the camo paterns on the SU-33s and the SU-25s.


Then it was time to place the aircraft on the carrier itself and add the larger decals to the carrier (pennant numbers, etc.).

I placed the four SU-33's at the forward, starboard launch position, one prepared to launch and the other three lined up for launching. I placed the four SU-25 attack aircraft and four Mig-29K strike fighters at the port side launch position amidships. One SU-25 preparing to take off and the others waiting their turn. I placed one Ka-27 ASW and one Ka-31 AEW helicopter at the aft end of the flight deck preparing to take off.

The other four Mig-29Ks and two helicopters are parked in respective parking areas near the island and on the starboard side of the deck, aft of the island. One Mig-29K is on the aft elevator preparing to come up on deck.


This is looking very good now.

I will have one more short session (this week over the next couple of days) to add some deck equipment (crane, tow trucks, etc), and to add the switch mechanism for the hanger lighting. Then my 1/350 scale Kuznetsov will be complete!

Okay, so I finished the wiring to allow for the hanger deck lights to come on and show the detail of the interior of the model. Also added the numerous (25 of them) antennae along the bow and starboard side of the main deck. Added the dull coats paint and then set up the model on our kitchen island for taking pictures:


And some close ups:


And the hanger deck with lights on:


A nice looking rendition of the Russian aircraft Carrier, Kuznetsov, CV-063, in 1/350 scale!


- By Aug 05, 2014, Complete 1/72 scale Chinese J-20 Stealth Fighter, Russian PAKFA stealth Fighter, and a US SV-22 Naval ASW Osprey.
- By Oct 01, 2014, Start the US Navy Amphibious Ready Group centered on the Gallery USS Wasp with an LHD, an LPD, a DDG, a SSN and two LCS.
- By Nov 15, 2014, Start the PLAN Amphibious Ready Group centered on the Trumpeter Type 071 LPD-999, with a FFG, and three DDGs.
- By Dec 31, 2014 Go back and start fleshing out the rest of the DDG and FFG escorts for each CSG and ARG group.

Wow...nice! Well done Jeff!

Equation said:

Wow...nice! Well done Jeff!

Click to expand...

Thank you my firend. I spent the last two and half months or so on the Kuznetsov.

I now have all of the following modern aircraft carriers (and their escorts) completed in 1/350 scale:


Pretty cool. Here's a good pic of the Enterprise and the Liaoning models together.


I will have to get all of the learfs into the dinner table and tget all five on there at once.

Wonderful gallery !

All in all, that's a heft self defense armament on the carrier itself:

64 x Kashtan Short Range Anti-missile missiles
16 x Kashtan 30mm CIWS guns
06 x AK-630 30mm CIWS
196 x Medium Range VLS anti-missile missiles.

Click to expand...

And each Kashtan have 24 reloads, Kuznetsov have the most powerful short range anti-aircraft armament in the world : 448 SA-N-9/11 and 22 CIWS !!!

Petr Velikiy the second " only " 364 misiles with 12 CIWS but in more SA-N-6/20.

FORBIN said:

Wonderful gallery !

And each Kashtan have 24 reloads, Kuznetsov have the most powerful short range anti-aircraft armament in the world : 448 SA-N-9/11 and 22 CIWS !!!

Petr Velikiy the second " only " 364 misiles with 12 CIWS but in more SA-N-6/20.

Click to expand...

Exactly right, Forbin. This is one area, IMHO, where the Russians have it exactly right.

I wish US super carriers had the following load out for their own self defense, outfitting the following:

4 x 8 Cell MK-41 VLS w/32 ESSM each - Total of 128 ESSM
4 x RAM launchers w/21 Missiles each - Total of 84 Missiles
4 x 20mm Phalanx CIWS

Have one of each of those systems located at each quarter of the vessel.

Outfit the Wasp and America class similarly.