Let’s face it, harbor craft and workboats are not sexy. They don’t have the guns or weapon systems that the larger and sleeker warships have. Come to think of it, they are not armed at all. However, they
do the necessary grunt work that keeps the harbors they operate in running. So without them, the big boys would be at a loss.

Combrig has released a set with two modern Soviet/Russian harbor craft, a Project 1606 “Kostromich” small tug and a Project 376 “Yaroslavets” cutter. Frankly I do not know much about these two
vessels and I had a hard time finding information about them so I won’t go into any background. This is a very basic and straight-forward set. Both models are full-hull, which I found a little surprising.
Since these will most probably used in a diorama setting, at least that is how I would use them, I would have expected them to have at least a waterline option. Some cutting/sanding will be needed to
make them water-lined.
There are a minimal number of parts in addition to the one-piece hulls.The cutter has the largest parts count with a pair of rudders, some vents and bulwark for the roof of the pilot house. Interestingly,
the propeller and shaft are integrally cast into the hull. The tug has even fewer parts with just a rudder and a propeller/nozzle assembly. The casting is well done with a nice amount of detail. The
assembly guide for the cutter has an image of a mast but it is not clear if it is an actual resin part or if it needs to be made using brass rod and wire. If it was supposed to be the former it was not
included in the box. There is no photo-etch included but all you would need is some railing and possible some short lengths of vertical ladder which is something that most of us have in the spares box.

The assembly instructions are printed on two-sided sheets of paper, one for each boat. The first page has a profile drawing of the boat, some background information in Russian and specifications,
which is the common Combrig format. The flip-side has the assembly diagram which does the trick with such an easy build. This little set has a lot of potential uses. I can see it used in a variety of
scenarios with any of the plastic or resin modern Russian/Soviet warships and submarines available in 1/350 scale. I am glad to see the “little guys” being represented and this will help make for a more
realistic and busy diorama. I would love to similar sets done for other navies and eras. You can purchase this kit from Free Time/Pacific Front Hobbies, which is the sole source for Combrig kits in
the United States.
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