White Ensign Models
Photo-Etched Brass
for
Airfix 1:600th Moskva
by
Mike Leonard

White Ensign Models has released a photoetched brass set to upgrade the 1/600 Airfix kit of the Soviet helicopter cruiser/carrier hybrids, MOSKVA (Moscow) and LENINGRAD. The set consists of 48 delicate parts engineered by Peter Hall. What he’s done is create the means (as Loren Perry has done with several Gold Medal Models sets) to turn a fairly mediocre older model into a museum piece. Especially important are the ship’s distinct radar screens, which have been beautifully captured here. The intricate Top Sail, Head Net, and Headlight components are a quantum improvement upon the rather crude kit parts. The fret also includes ladders, railings, doors, helo blades, davits, anchor chains, and boat cranes. The set even provides the seal of the USSR to adorn the ship’s transom, along with Cyrillic nameplates for both vessels. A minor nitpick: the Russian letters "A", "L", and "D" look somewhat close to one another, and need to be corrected if the modeler uses the LENINGRAD plate ("A" is used throughout). This could even easily be rectified with a paintbrush! WEM has provided a detailed three-page set of drawings showing how to assemble the parts. This fine set breathes new life into an old kit, and is highly recommended for the more experienced ship modeler.