USSR Navy Frunze battle cruiser

Plastic model kit of the Soviet battlecruiser *Frunze*

• Scale: 1:700
• Dimensions (L x W, assembled): 359.6 x 41 mm
• 264 parts
• Can be built as either a full-hull or waterline model
• Display stand included
• Unassembled and unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The Soviet battlecruiser *Frunze* was the second ship of the Project 1144 *Orlan* class, known in the West as the *Kirov* class. The ship was launched in 1981 and commissioned into the Soviet Navy in 1984. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it was renamed *Admiral Lazarev* in 1992. The *Kirov* class is considered the largest and most powerful class of nuclear-powered surface combatants built after World War II.

The *Frunze* was powered by two nuclear reactors supplemented by steam turbines, giving the approximately 252-meter-long ship a virtually unlimited range. With a standard displacement of around 24,000 tons and a top speed exceeding 30 knots, it was both large and fast. The crew numbered approximately 700 personnel.

Its armament was designed for combat against aircraft carrier strike groups and aerial targets. The main armament included 20 long-range P-700 "Granit" anti-ship missiles. For air defense, the ship was equipped with the long-range S-300F *Fort* system, supplemented by medium- and short-range air defense systems and several AK-630 close-in weapon systems. Additional armament included a twin 130mm gun, torpedo tubes, anti-submarine missiles, and shipboard Kamov Ka-27 helicopters. The *Frunze* served primarily with the Soviet Pacific Fleet and was a key element of Soviet naval power during the Cold War. Following 1991, financial difficulties led to the ship’s operation being curtailed, eventually resulting in its decommissioning. Despite repeated proposals for modernization, the project was never realized. Preparations for scrapping the vessel began in 2021.

The *Frunze*—later renamed the *Admiral Lazarev*—is considered one of the Soviet Navy's most impressive warships. Its combination of nuclear propulsion, heavy guided-missile armament, and long range made it one of the most powerful surface combatants of the Cold War and a symbol of the Soviet blue-water fleet.