by Dave Johnson
1/700 "Super Slava" Cruiser (Trumpeter Kitbash)
I've been building model ships for about 35 years and have always been interested in customizing subjects (i.e what would this look like if I did?). I'm not very adept at PE and some of the finer details of weathering - I like my ships to look like they just came out of the yard, freshly painted. So what I lack in 'details', I try to make up in imagination.
This project is of a Russian "Super Slava" class guided missile cruiser for carrier defense. I just finished a double-ended Kirov (SSM silos on both ends of the ship) and I thought, what if the Slava had SAM silos on the foredeck? I took two Trumpeter kits of the Slava cruiser and removed 1 inch of hull and deck from one (another custom build that you'll see later) and added this 1 inch of hull/deck to the other to achieve the required length for the Super Slava. After I added the inch, I realized that my superstructure wouldn't fit as given in the kit, so that was shortened. I removed the forward bank of SSM canisters on each side of the superstructure for a cleaner appearance - so what she lacks in surface warfare capabilities, she's gained in anti-air defense.
I'm not a naval designer, but I tried to match the required radar with the appropriate weapon systems and tried to make the project as realistic as possible. I removed all the 30mm CIWS mounts and replaced them with Kashtan weapon systems amidships, on the forward superstructure, and above the hanger for 360 degree protection.
Again, this project is a custom build, so some accuracies may have suffered. I hope you enjoy the pictures - I've included a standard Slava kit for comparison. Look for more custom builds coming soon.
