Zvezda Model Kits: Scales, Snap Kits and Lineup

What Zvezda makes

Zvezda makes plastic scale model kits. In our Amazon US data, the Zvezda model kits lineup covers:

• Armor and artillery, at 1/35, 1/72 and 1/100
• Military aircraft and helicopters, at 1/72 and 1/48
• Civil airliners, at 1/144
• Warships, a sailing ship and the Titanic, from 1/100 to 1/700
• One car, at 1/35
• Snap kits, at 1/72 and 1/100

There's no paint or cement in our Zvezda data. You'll pair these kits with another brand's supplies.

The grid above has every Zvezda listing we track. The notes below go line by line. Zvezda listings state a scale and an item number more often than anything else. Piece counts and ages are rare. Where a field is empty, I leave it out.

Pick the scale first

Zvezda's grid spreads across more scales than most makers' do. Theo read the list over my shoulder: 1/35, 1/36, 1/48, 1/72, 1/100, 1/144, 1/350, 1/700. He said it was the best fractions worksheet he'd seen all year and asked if he could borrow it for Friday's quiz. I said yes, with the scales in order.

Here's what the scales mean on a shelf:

• 1/35: a tank is a desk-size model. Figures stand about 2 inches tall.
• 1/72: half the length of 1/35, roughly. Tanks fit in a palm; fighters fit on a bookshelf.
• 1/100: smaller again. Good for building a group of vehicles in little space.
• 1/144: airliners. A big jet becomes a shelf-length model.
• 1/350 and 1/700: warships. 1/700 is half the length of 1/350.

Two subjects show up at more than one scale. The T-90 tank is in the grid at 1/35 and 1/72. The SU-100 tank destroyer is at 1/35 and 1/72. Same machine, very different boxes. Match the item number to the scale before you order.

One title says 1/36: the Soviet Medium Tank T-34/85 (mod. 1944), item 3687. I report it as the listing states it. If you're matching it to a 1/35 shelf, check the box on the listing photos.

Read the item number

Most Zvezda titles in our grid end with a four-digit item number. Going by the titles we track, the numbers fall into families:

• 35xx and 36xx: 1/35 ground kits, like 3524 IS-2, 3607 BMW R12 and 3688 SU-100
• 72xx and 73xx: 1/72 aircraft and helicopters, like 7204 MiG-3 and 7315 Mi-24P
• 70xx: 1/144 airliners, like 7019 Boeing 737-800
• 90xx: ships, like 9026 Kniaz Suvorov and 9059 Titanic
• 50xx: small ground kits, like 5044 SU-100 at 1/72

That's a pattern I read off our data, not a rule Zvezda publishes on the listings. Still, it's a useful check. If a title says 1/72 and the number starts with 35, read it again.

A title is like a fence line: people move it. An item number is like the stamped brass cap in the corner of a lot. Nobody moves that, and it's what I check first.

Zvezda 1/35 armor and vehicles

The 1/35 line in our data:

• Soviet Heavy Tank IS-2 (3524)
• Soviet Light Tank BT-7 (3545)
• T-90 Russian Main Battle Tank
• Soviet Heavy Tank T-35 (3665)
• Soviet Tank Destroyer SU-100 (3688)
• German Motorcycle BMW R12 with Sidecar & Crew (3607): 158 pieces, paint and glue required
• Soviet Car GAZ M1: 182 pieces, paint and glue required

The T-72B Russian Main Battle Tank listing doesn't state a scale in our data.

The BMW R12 with sidecar is the one with crew figures in the box, per its title. A vehicle with figures already in scale is a small scene in one kit. The GAZ M1 car at 182 pieces is the largest stated piece count in our Zvezda data.

Who suits the 1/35 line: builders who like weathering, tracks and detail you can see from across the room. Who should skip it: anyone short on shelf depth. A 1/35 heavy tank takes real space.

Zvezda 1/72 and 1/100 armor and artillery

The small-scale ground kits in our data:

• 1/72 Russian Main Battle Tank T-90
• 1/72 Soviet Tank Destroyer SU-100 (5044)
• 1/72 German Howitzer LFH-18 with Crew
• 1/72 German 2cm Flak 38 with Crew (snap kit)
• 1/72 German Infantry Eastern Front 1941 (snap kit)
• 1/100 Sturmgeschutz III Ausf.B
• 1/100 British Armored Scout Car "Dingo" Mk.I
• 1/100 German 38t Tank (snap kit)

Small scale is a good way to build several subjects without a second shelf. A 1/72 howitzer with its crew is a complete little scene. The tradeoff: small parts get very small. Tweezers stop being optional.

Zvezda snap kits

I'll give my one opinion here. Snap-fit kits are a real way into the hobby, not a lesser one. They teach the first real skill, cutting parts cleanly off the runner, without the glue step getting in the way.

The Zvezda snap kits in our data:

• 1/72 German Infantry Eastern Front 1941: snap
• 1/72 German 2cm Flak 38 with Crew: snap kit, per its title
• 1/100 German 38t Tank: snap, paint and glue listed as required
• 1/72 Focke Wulf 190 A-4 SnapFit: 34 pieces, 5.5 inches long built, paint and glue listed as required

That last detail matters. Two of these snap listings still say paint and glue are required and not included. Snap tells you how the parts join. It doesn't tell you the model looks finished without paint. Read both lines on the listing.

Who suits the snap kits: a first-time builder who's fine painting after the build, and anyone who wants a quick evening kit. Who should skip them: someone who wants a pre-colored model with no paint at all. Look at the Easy-Click line on the Revell page for that.

Zvezda military aircraft and helicopters

The aircraft line is mostly 1/72:

• Fighters: MiG-3 (7204), La-5FN (7203), MiG-27, Su-35 (7240), Su-33 Flanker-D (7297), MiG-29 SMT (7309), Su-30SM Flanker C (7314)
• Interceptor: MiG-31 (7229)
• Helicopters: Mi-24A (7273), Mi-24V/VP Hind E (7293), Mi-24P Hind (7315)

One aircraft is at 1/48: the Yak-3 Yakovlev Soviet WWII Fighter. A 1/48 model is one and a half times the length of the same plane at 1/72, so it won't line up with the jets on a shelf.

The three Mi-24 helicopters are three versions of one machine. If you want just one, compare the titles carefully. The letters after the number are the whole difference on the listing.

Before you pick one, decide whether you want a WWII subject or a modern one. The MiG-3, La-5FN and Yak-3 are WWII fighters by their titles. The Su-35, Su-30SM, Su-33 and MiG-29 SMT are modern jets. A shelf reads better when it tells one story, and the era is the easiest story to keep straight. Mixing eras is fine too. Just mix them on purpose.

Who suits the aircraft line: builders who like jets and helicopters at a shelf-friendly scale. Who should skip it: anyone after WWII American or British subjects. Our Zvezda data leans to Soviet and Russian aircraft.

Zvezda 1/144 airliners

The civil line in our data:

• Tupolev Tu-154M (1:144)
• Tupolev Tu-204-100 (7023)
• Boeing 737-800 (7019)
• Boeing 737 MAX (7026)

An airliner at 1/144 is a long, narrow model. The build is mostly fuselage and wings. The paint job is usually the main event, so plan more evenings for paint than for glue.

Zvezda ships

The ship listings in our data:

• 1:350 Kniaz Suvorov Russian Battleship (9026)
• Russian Navy Battleship Sevastopol
• Sovremenny Russian Destroyer
• 1/350 Soviet Armored Boat
• 1/700 R.M.S. Titanic (9059)
• 1/100 Christopher Columbus Expedition Ship "Nina" (9005)

The Nina is the outlier: a sailing ship at 1/100, which makes it a large model for a small ship. The 1/700 Titanic is the small end. The Sevastopol and Sovremenny listings don't state a scale in our data.

How to pick within Zvezda

Start with the space, then the subject:

• First kit, any age it fits: a 1/72 snap kit. Paint it after, if the listing asks for paint.
• Small shelf: 1/72 armor, 1/100 armor, or the 1/700 Titanic.
• A centerpiece: a 1/35 heavy tank, or the BMW R12 with sidecar and crew.
• Aircraft fan: a 1/72 fighter, or a Mi-24 if you like helicopters.
• Long paint project: a 1/144 airliner.

Then add what isn't in the box: cement, paint, brushes, a hobby knife, sprue cutters, sanding sticks and tweezers. For paint ranges with WWII and military sets, see Vallejo. For cements, see Tamiya.

What a first Zvezda bench needs

For a glue kit, the short list is a hobby knife, sprue cutters, a sanding stick, a cutting mat, tweezers and one plastic cement. For paint, start with the colors the manual lists for the main surfaces, plus black and a flat clear. Build in sub-assemblies, paint as you go, and keep each step's parts in a small tray or a labeled cup. On a 1/72 kit, the cup matters more than the cutters. Small parts go missing first.

Ages are rare on Zvezda listings in our data. If you're buying for a kid, look for a stated age on the listing or the box photos. If there isn't one, treat the kit as a teen-and-adult kit with small parts.

Safety at the bench

Cut away from your body on a cutting mat, and keep blades away from kids. Work with good ventilation and follow the paint or cement maker's label for masks and gloves, as the EPA's indoor air guidance advises for products that give off fumes. Small kit parts are a choking hazard for young children, so keep the runners off the floor.

Read the scale, then read the paint line. Then cut the first part.