SMS "Zenta" - the Austro-Hungarian armored cruiser

SMS "Zenta" was an Austro-Hungarian armored cruiser of the late 19th century and World War I. The first ship of the "Zenta" class. It sank on 16 August 1914 off the coast of Montenegro. The ship's name commemorated the victory in the Battle of Zenta (1697). At the outbreak of World War I, the cruiser took part in the first combat action of the Austro-Hungarian fleet, which was the shelling of a radio station and railway line near Antivari (now Bar) in Montenegro on 8 August 1914. The captain was Lieutenant Commander Paul Pachner. In the following days, he led the blockade of the Montenegrin coast. On 16 August 1914 the morning, the "Zenta", patrolling there with the destroyer SMS "Ulan", was unexpectedly caught by the main forces of the French Navy and British ships, consisting of 13 battleships. The captain of the "Zenta" ordered to retreat to Kotor, which the "Ulan" managed to do, but the cruiser, being slower, was unable to escape. Sailing as close to the coast, as possible, he was overtaken by the Entente ships, he refused to surrender and fought. Fired by numerous ships, led by the battleship "Courbet", the cruiser sank at 9:30 near Antivari. 173 crew members were killed, 139 went ashore and were taken prisoner by the Montenegrin's.

As a cruiser, a small, well-designed and maximally detailed model of medium complexity, suitable even for advanced beginner modelers, working under the supervision of a more experienced colleague. The decks are perhaps a bit too dark, but they are a rather pleasant "wood" color, there are no color reserves. The graphic instructions are excellent, the text - small, but perfectly complementing the graphic ones, in English and Polish.