Go Big, or Go home! Zvezda 1/350 San Martin

the front of the box has some nice artwork

        Continuing with my lockdown inspired building spree I knocked this one together this afternoon. I should have suspected something was up when the box was twice the size of the Golden Hind kit and had some real heft to it, this kit is a hulking beast. That is not to say that it isn't as beautifully detailed as any other model that you would get from Zvezda; it simply dwarfs the previous two kits in this series.

 

the back of the box is a bit more honest and provides a good idea of what to expect inside

 

what I didn't expect was this, a very sturdy corrugated box inside the fancy printed one

it did an excellent job of protecting the model inside 

 

the contents, I noticed right away that this model is a LOT larger than the previous kits

 

hulls sides and other details

 

further details and the removeable lower hull

I almost feel bad building these as waterline kits, 

they went to the trouble of putting planking detail on the entire bottom

 

ratlines, lots of 'em!

 

this rather bizarre looking get-up is the inner frame that 

makes the snap-tite thing work, as well as the ships guns

 

cast sails, I'm not sure which makes me happier; cast sails or molded ratlines

 

more of those gorgeous decals

 

the deck going together, detail was crisp and fine

 

I'm a bit miffed that I went and painted all those tiny guns

 before I realized that they would be hidden between decks!

 

the brilliantly bizarre inner frame that functions as a spine as well as the ship's battery

 

with the inner frame assembled I just had to add the hull sides and deck

 

they went together in a snap, fit and finish were perfect

 

as look at that frame holding all of the model together

 and poking dozens of tiny cannon barrels out through the gunports

 

when I realized that I had to paint tall those black lines 

I had fond memories of the decals on the Golden Hind!

 

but, soon enough, I was done and adding the masts and yards

 

the crow's nest cleverly snaps down over the tops of the ratlines

 ensuring that they stay snapped in place

 

starting to look like a ship now

 

and even better with sails added, especially because of those amazing decals

 

the decal on the mainsail has at least five colors, they are all perfectly on register

the colors are brilliant and they film is very thin

 

a family photo, you get an idea of the size of this model

 

next is the Revenge, a large English galleon

       I feel that I am at risk of sounding like a broken record repeating myself about the quality of these models. The detail is precise and fine, the casting is flawless and the decals are superb. I would recommend these to anyone seeking a modeling project or a wargaming piece.