Are there any modern plastic reproductions of Soviet sets?

I know there are plenty vintage Soviet sets, but I believe most of them aren’t heavily weighted. Are there any modern Russian sets in plastic? I’m not finding any…

I can’t be the only one who would appreciate a triple-weighted plastic Baku set, right?

Or a heavily weighted plastic Botvinnik–Flohr I.

Or a plastic Botvinnik–Flohr II…

Or what about a plastic Dubrovnik? House of Staunton offers a plastic Zagreb, but why not a plastic 1950s Dubrovnik?

Or with the increased popularity of Mordovian sets (of ethically questionable provenance considering they were made in Gulags), why not produce a plastic version?

Heck, why not a cute little Valdai (Nobles) as an analysis set?

Or an Averbakh? A Smyslov? An Egyptian? A Tal set? A Ferocious knight (Kultsport) set in plastic would be wild!

Am I the only one who would get a kick out of some plastic Soviet reproductions? Doesn’t this constitute a gap in the market? I’m so confused why it hasn’t been done yet.

"hasn't been done yet"

Here's my guess. Commercial molds are expensive and the market for non-Staunton plastic sets is likely limited.

I stumbled across someone's page recently on a STL sharing site where he had STLs of many historical chess set designs. 3-D printing (possibly from a service) a historic design may be a more approachable alternative if you want a plastic Soviet design. If I can find the page again, I'll add a link. If he doesn't have an STL yet, maybe he'd be interested in a commission.

https://www.printables.com/@JeffBurton/models

Coincidentally, he also has an STL for the Man Ray design that I printed for my avatar. I modeled mine from the same drawing.

FWIW, I came across Burton's site following references to the da Vinci pieces.

Not a Soviet reproduction, but this does seem to be a modern Soviet inspired set. This Ecliptic set by Prevision is actually on sale now for 20 bucks.

Plastic pieces are usually taken for everyday, everywhere play, and for fast play. Why would you want plastic versions of these legendary pieces that were historically played in wood? For my guts, that would be all misled. It's just as absurd as having plastic Fischer pieces, only that we are used to that faux pas. It is kind of funny, because they may be the first to commit it, it's original

Wow, very interesting design! Did you add red to your pieces? That looks nifty.

The pawns actually resemble the Shkolnik III pawns. I love that design. I wish someone would do a wood reproduction of those at some point. There is a Shkolnik II reproduction in wood, but it has more conventional pawns.

I don’t know—coffee house chess sets exist in plastic, so why not Soviet ones?

There is also a Česká Klubovka in plastic…

And when it comes to Soviet sets, the Soviet Staunton club set was used in tournaments, which first came out in bakelite in the 1930s.

And then in carbolite in the 1940s…

So I don’t find the idea of plastic sets of legendary Soviet designs so strange. I think many people like to have a lighter plastic set for travel, ideally with a more unique design than what is generally offered. But maybe I’m misunderstood about what chess players want.

You are right, why not.. But an unweighted wooden set is not too heavy to travel

My idea about chess is that it is transient and needs care and renewal. Wooden pieces can outlast their players and they show age, they are just perfect. Plastic pieces forever miss this idea.

I’m admittedly more of a collector than a player, but I wouldn’t bring expensive wooden pieces with me on my travel; and cheap wooden pieces probably wouldn’t bring me joy to play with. A plastic set with a special design seems more practical/satisfactory. Like the Shkolnik III set is fun. I just wish there was more choice, and that not all the choices of plastic Soviet sets are vintage. Shkolniks are fairly cheap at $40–$80, but some of the other plastic sets can be $120–$240.

Here are my Mordovians.. in a few weeks they'll be 70!

I carry them around most of the time. Chess games- okay, let's say 'in person games'- in a life are counted, no time to lose, must use lovely pieces. Would I prefer to use a fine plastic version? Personally, plastic misses the transient point and I would not use it regularly- unless I could use a design I adore and could only try it by means of that plastic opportunity. 3d print may be another way to make it attainable and affordable (as pointed out above by mjeman).

I believe The Chess Store sells a Woodtek plastic resin set of the Zagreb pieces for $59.99. It is pretty nice looking if perhaps a bit shiny.

Not bad if you want to take a plastic set to a club without having to worry about breaking a vintage set.

I just saw that House of Staunton sells the same set at about the same price, if you prefer their shipping options better.

Coud you pleas provide a link?

@WandelKoningin Yes, I made a few mods to this set... added reddish putty, sanded the surfaces, and also red felt to the bottoms. The designer of this set has a thread about this set which shows some details about its development.

I think the matte surfaces look much better. What kind of sandpaper did you use? And what kind of putty? Does it stay soft?

I have this same set @PDX_Axe and it does look decent for a plastic set. The pieces have a satin finish which looks and feels quite nice. Though I will comment that they have a hollow plastic sound when dumped on a hard board (not so bad on a mouse pad board).

I used a sanding sponge which handles the curves much better than sanding paper. The brand is 'Gator' and only said 'fine', which felt around 600 grit. The putty (correction, clay) is this foam-like magic clay and dries fairly quickly in about 30 minutes, which is light and somewhat brittle.