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Last year when I received the first 1:1250 scale SS Model, I posted on the board that this was the future of the hobby.  Now, many months later, and after building fourteen of these kits, it is obvious that these are not the future unless the producer makes many changes.

With all of the models there is a common set of issues that the prospective buyer should be aware of:

1.  It's apparent that all of these kits are simply scaled down from a larger scale, probably 1:350 models.  As a result, parts that are small in 350 become microscopic in 1250.  No compensation is made for the consequences of this reduction in size.  Thus some parts become terribly fragile, or nearly invisible.  I'll come back to this below.

2.  The instruction sheets are woefully inadequate.  It's difficult to see where parts belong, and in the case of smaller parts they may not even be visible in the schematics.  In at least two of the models I received no instruction sheets were included.  On most of the builds, I was forced to rely upon whatever secondary sources I could find.  This didn't always provide the detail that I needed.  So on some models small parts were actually left off because I couldn't determine where they belonged.

3.  Some of the models have signs of sagging.  That is the hulls warp so that the bow or stern or both rise off level.  It generally occurs with longer narrow hulls.  While I was able to correct this with the application of heat, some buyers have found that this doesn't fix the problem.

4. Parts can be a massive problem.  As I stated, some parts are so small that they can barely be seen, even with magnifiers.  Some are so fine that they break when you remove them from the sprues.  Or they may break while you're building the model.  The sprues are a major hassle, as they are numerous and it can be difficult to determine where the sprue ends and the part begins.  With parts this tiny it's easy to lose them, especially when removing them from the sprues.  Unfortunately no spare parts are included.  On a number of models I have had to replace lost or broken parts with my own scratch built ones.  Experienced producers in 1250 scale have long known that in order to cast usable models, it's necessary to cast many parts thicker or larger in order for them to be viable.  That's the compensation that SS needs to do, but doesn't.
  
5.  I have, and know of others who, received models with uncured liquid resin inside.  This is a problem, as this resin may ooze out and damage the surface and any paintwork that's been applied.  In my one case I was able to fix this, but it may not always work out.

These models are inexpensive so if you want to try one, you don't have a lot to lose, and the results can be very satisfying.  But these models do require a level of experience and skill beyond what most of us can do.
  
Attached here are photos of my latest build, the Russian cruiser DIANA.  Because it's a small ship, many of the parts are microscopic and fragile and it was a difficult build.