I thought I’d post an update to a Zvezda Hansa Kogge in 1/72nd. scale a bit of a review as well for those who have not built it yet. When I bought the kit back about 10 years ago, ok I’ll admit I’m a hoarder 
. Originally, I was going to build the HMS Thomas, but after giving it some thought I wanted to build a trading Kogge because of the lack of accoutrements for the Thomas, as she has no cannons or other guns to detail. In building the coastal trading version, I can add many details to the deck in the form of cargo and other items that would be found on board back in the 12/13th century.
Zvezda did a neat trick with this kit; it has all the parts you need to build both water line (many gamers use this kit for the table top war games) and the full hull as well. You decide what version you’ll building and then you can use the smaller foredeck vs. the larger one for the archers/soldiers, you can also eliminate the crow’s nest. You now have the basic clinker-built trading kogge, less the life boat which Zvezda sells separate, I had to hunt that down for 2 weeks, but the lifeboat is a very detailed kit as well as adds a nice touch.
The wood grain detail in the mold is impressive and you can really make them pop with a darker base coat & lighter top coat sanding method I’ve used for near 40 years. But there are several parts that are plain and need wood grain added such as the stem at the forepeak, the bulwark braces. One issue I did have to address was the lack of detail on the deck/bulkhead braces, aside for the deep punch marks (filled and sanded smooth) there was no wood grain, so I took my xeron fine tooth saw blade and gave them some ‘grain’, they look way better this way vs. plain. Another thing a modeler might wish to do is carefully remove the molded hatch rings on the hatch as they are too large, I removed and replaced with eyelets, which look better. The pre-fit testing of parts was easy; they have crisp molds. Like most model companies they add details that many ship modelers would rather improve upon; such as the mast rope woolings that are molded in, the edges never line up and by the time you sand and file, you remove a lot anyway. So, I scraped and sanded mine off and replaced with real line wrapping. Also, I’ve learned ti insert small diameter brass rod into hollow mast to give them extra strength. The large sail molded to the yard is another issue, that while it’s ok, it’s over billowed and is too thick for the scale. I carefully removed mine from the yard and replaced with a custom-made cloth sail from Model Expo.
The rigging is straight forward and about 95% accurate, the vessels of this time period did not have ratlines like later centuries just side stays, I did have to do some research on a style of heart blocks for the stays and rigging style from the 12/13th century they included. The pre-molded heart blocks have the deadeye lines molded in and if you’re a new ship modeler, that makes it an easy rig to help build the model. But I didn’t use these and rigged new ones. The pre-molded single blocks are ok, but will rig incorrectly as they molded in the eyelets at each end, So I replaced them with period correct walnut blocks, 5.0mm is the correct size, a few small 4.0mm are used as well.
Assembly instruction are easy to follow, but you need to take care when assembling the aft raised deck, it’s a bit strange to get set just right and you really have to add weight to hold it down while the glue sets. One thing that needs some though it wrapping the yard lift around the winch, you’ll have a hard time getting to this if you glue it in before you add the stern assembly, (like I did), test fit the mounting holds for the winch to make sure you can drop in the assembly easy, then set it aside to rig later. I made up the forestay by using Syrene Models rigging line, it is super detailed and come in many sizes, it duplicates real rope because it made like real rope.
I ordered several parts from a wargamer page to replicate boxes, crates, barrels, chests and sacks. I also order some sacks and crates of food. The various colors of the deck cargo make her standout even more.
I should have this finished by the end of the year and plan on entering it in a few contests locally. I’ll update with the rigging once I get back on her.
I have a ton of Build pics if you wish to see.
