Admiral John Byng wrote:
Got my Trumpeter 1/700 Kiev today. Not many parts!
Anyone know of any replacements for the main guns and other odd/bad parts?
Skywave makes a Soviet/Russian weapons/equipment set that has some turrets, missile launchers, radars, boats, and various other ancillary equipment on it. Orange Hobby makes some replacement AK-630's. Flyhawk, Lion Roar, Gold Medal and a few others make some etch radar/equipments sets. Aoshima makes a Soviet/Russian naval aircraft set that comes with Yak-38's and Ka-25's. The Forger's aren't too bad, the Ka-25's leave a lot to be desired but are really the only game in town as Trumpeter has not done any Ka-25's in the aircraft sets only Ka-27/29/31's. Aoshima is really the only game in town for either of the aircraft for earlier Kiev class flight group.
Even though Trumpeter includes markings for the first three Kiev's (which appear outwardly similar), if you want a Novorossiysk you will need to make some mods. The forward sponson in front of the angle flight deck with the pair of AK-630's is different. It is stepped in plan view in the first two of the class (Kiev and Minsk) but there is no step on the Novorossiysk. The flight deck had some minor differences as well. There were also a few differences in the radar/electronics fit. She never carried the Side Globe EW or the Pop Group antennae on her island. Pop Group was associated with the SA-N-4. She didn't have the SA-N-4 launcher in the deck aft of the island either. It was intended for the Novorossiysk to carry SA-N-9 but she was never fitted with them or the associated Cross Sword radars.