The Zvezda ad in the October FSM features a 1/200 4-masted Russian sail training bark Kruzenstern.
The real ship was built in Germany, one of the famous "Flying P. Line" cargo barks. Her original name was Padua. She fell into Soviet hands at the end of World War II, and has been operating as a schoolship ever since.
I've seen the Kruzenstern a couple of times. (She took part in the notorious "Tall Ships Race" to Newport, RI in 1976, and spent some time tied up in the inner harbor of Baltimore a while back.) She's an enormous and attractive vessel, with a variation on the old "painted port" color scheme.
The photo of the assembled (but unpainted) model in the FSM ad doesn't tell us much; it apparently was thrown together in a hurry. But there's nothing discouraging in the picture.
Latter-day sailing ships make terrific, but daunting, model subjects. The rigging, by definition, involves a huge amount of repetition, and the deck gear is quite complex. (I'll be interested to see how Zvezda handled the Jarvis brace winches.) At 1/200 scale, the model should be about 22 inches long. A good-sized model, but rigging it at that scale would be a big challenge - and a time-consuming one.
Ever since that ingeniously designed "pirate ship" came out a few years back (the one with the capstan wrapped around the main mast) I've been hoping Zvezda would devote its thoughtful design and quality molding to a real sailing ship. Looks like that's happened.
Bravo Zvezda!
Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.