Type 001 Aircraft Carrier, Liaoning, Hong Kong, 2017 CV-16

• Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Rotating turrets, elevating cannons and accurate hull.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
• Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
• Presentation display stand.

Liaoning is a Chinese Type 001 aircraft carrier. The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force, she is classified as a training ship, intended to allow the Navy to experiment, train and gain familiarity with aircraft carrier operations.

Originally laid down in 1985 for the Soviet Navy as the Kuznetsov-class aircraft cruiser Riga, she was launched on 4 December 1988 and renamed Varyag in 1990. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, construction was halted and the ship was put up for sale by Ukraine. The stripped hulk was purchased in 1998 and towed to the Dalian naval shipyard in northeast China.

The ship was rebuilt and commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as Liaoning on 25 September 2012. Its Chinese ship class designation is Type 001. The ship sailed into Hong Kong in 2017 as part of celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the city's return to China, a maiden visit aimed at boosting patriotism among Hong Kongers. Hundreds of Hong Kongers lined up overnight for free tickets to tour the Liaoning and three other vessels, which were open to the public for the first time.