I rarely post reviews, but this is something of a special case. I spotted the model of the Soviet NK-33 rocket engine, and decided to treat myself to one. As I am very clumsy, I ordered the built version. I was offered a nice discount if I reviewed it on Social Media, but you will be able to judge the quality for yourself, as I will show lots of details, and you can see exactly what you get.
Historical Background
The NK-33 was developed for the Soviet N1 Moon rocket, by the Kuznetsov engineering bureau after the Soviet Union’s foremost Engine designer, Valentin Glushko point blank refused to develop the engines.
if you want more information on the history of the engines, there’s an excellent “Equinox” documentary on YouTube, with a LOT more information:
Ordering the kit.
Ordering was straightforward, and once the model was assembled and painted, Evangelos Agas got in touch to discuss the best way of getting it to me. I went for DHL, as I wanted to be sure it would arrive safely. In practice, it as exceptionally well packed, and I think special treatment is not required.
During the long build process, Evangelos kept me in touch with progress, showing me how it was coming along:
Here’s the box, partly unpacked:
The separate layers of foam made for great protection, and the layers had numbers cut into them, to make it easy to reassemble if you need to. The box shown was inside another larger box with a lot more foam packing for even more protection. You can also see the authenticity card, and the nice shiny base stand. The authenticity card is the same size as a bank card, to help you understand the scale.
I managed to knock off one small part while getting it out, but Evangelos responding in minutes with a clear illustration of where it went, and a couple of dabs of superglue soon had it restored as good as new.
As you can see, there are some delicate parts here, (required for accuracy and detail), so you will need to be fairly careful when handling it. But it fits snugly onto the stand, so display won’t be a problem.
The finished model:
The model is about 34cm tall, and the level of detail is extremely impressive – no sign of artifacts from the 3d printing. The following photos are full size, and I encourage you to click on them to see the full size versions, so you can appreciate the details.
On Accuracy:
I would describe the accuracy of the model as good, but not great. Some elements are from the NK-33A, other appear to have been based on the AJ-26 Aerojet version, (as used on Antares), as the source. I often do the same thing, substituting elements from different versions if good references are incomplete, (And pretty much ALL Soviet space info is incomplete!).
I think an experienced model builder will be able to address this, if they wish.
Conclusion:
I’m extremely pleased with the model, and I think you can see why from the photos. I know from personal experience how difficult it is to model rocket engines well, all those small pipes and nozzles are a nightmare.
I strongly recommend that you click on the image below to visit the website!
