The Novik, Cruiser 2nd Rank was completed in 1901 and assigned to the First Pacific Squadron at Port Arthur. Making 25.6 knots at trials the Novik was extraordinarily fast for her time, when the typical cruiser had a speed of 20-21 knots. During the Russo-Japanese War she often served as an emergency response for the Russian destroyer squadrons operating outside Port Arthur. During the Battle of the Yellow Sea in August 1904, Novik was one of the cruisers that broke out from the blockade. She made it to the German Asiatic port of Kiao-Chau, along with the battleship, Tsarevitch. Other cruisers safely reached other neutral ports.

Unlike every other warship that reached safe neutral ports, the captain of Novik did not wish to ride out the war interned in safety. Instead, Novik chose to reach Vladivostok to join the cruiser squadron based there. She didn't make it. At Korsa Kovsk in the Sakhalin Islands, Novik was discovered and sunk by the Japanese cruiser Tsushima. She was later raised and incorporated into the Imperial Japanese Navy under the name of Suzuya and served until 1913 when she was scraped.

Combrig is releasing this 1:350 scale model of this sleek cruiser. With separate lower and upper hulls, the model is capable of being built full-hull or waterline. As of November 2002 the only parts left to be prepared were the instructions, box art and the Novik-specific photo-etch, as the railings fret is the same as used with the Askold.