1/35th Mi-24V Hind E, Czech Air Force - Completed

[trickyrich]

This is a bit of an unusual place for me to be, I usually hang out in the GB section, so this is a first for me.

 

This is a model that I’ve been wanting for so long to build, I’ve have been trying to find an excuse to build her. But it has finally got to a stage where I just couldn’t wait any longer. 

 

 

She’s a rather large model and is going to take up a fair wack of space on the workbench.

 

 

People that know me know I really can’t build a model without throwing in some…ok a lot of AM stuff and this will be no exception. Other that a full resin cockpit/cargo cabin (if anyone has the Verlinden or Cobra Company resin ones and would like to sell them then please PM me…..and save me from PE purgatory!!), there’s probably over a 1000 bit’s of PE most bordering on microscopic and I hate the stuff!

 

I have pretty well everything you can get for her which as follows: 

 

Master Model – Gun Barrel & DUAS set

Profimodeller – Wheels & Tow Bar set

Profimodeller – Side Flare Dispenser set

PART – Cockpit PE set

PART – Cargo Interior set

PART – Exterior set

PART – Weapons PE set

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plus an extra set of Reskit Wheels which I’m not using as they’re perfectly round and not squashed as they should be.

 

I’ll be doing the out of the box Tiger scheme using DN Models masks, that should be fun.

 

 

This is a bit of an end of the year/longer term project so please don’t expect lots of updates as I do have a habit of getting distracted. I’ll be adding extra detailing as I see it needs to be done. 

 

Right straight into it, I started her about a week ago by going onto the main rotor……..I rarely follow the instructions and do have a habit of jumping all over the place.

 

The main rotor was the first task. It goes together really quickly but is just screaming out for detailing.

 

 

So one with the first PE and plastic rod/card. 

 

 

 

Those wee plastic tabs are for the cabling going to the blades, leading edges heaters if memory is correct, and cables added. There is a connection on the blade for these wire (not included in the kit) but they are slightly wrong……

 

 

I just needed to cut the tip off and drill them out.

 

 

A quick test fit and all is good.

 

 

Right now the blades, detailing is nice on them but a wee bit too heavy, so I sanded them down a bit.

 

 

Next up they sit dead flat when fitted where they should droop naturally, so out with the good old fashion medieval torture device……

 

 

……….some water boarding with boiling water and they now sit correctly (a bit exaggerated in the photo)……plus they also admitted to knowing where the WMD’s really are!

 

 

With that done the blades can be fitted, there are some locating holes on the underside that needed filling. That’s done so I’ll leave this for a bit.

 

 

The tail rotor was just the same but much simpler.

 

 

 

 

Finally today just some other stuff, some with photo and some not. The exhausts needed work as moulding for the locating pins is very noticeable, so they needed to be removed.

 

 

And finally for today some of the basic mod’s to the fuselage, it’s a lot simpler to do it now than later and less chance of damaging what’s going to be inside….which is lots.

 

 

 

So far nothing dramatic, she’s build just like any other Trumpeter large scale aircraft models   ……..the less said about that the better!

 

At the moment I’m not going to detail up the engines but that may change, the cockpit/cargo bay is where all the work/action is going to be!!

 

And no I’ll not be doing this diorama….as nice as it would be!

 

 

[Space Ranger]

4 hours ago, trickyrich said:

 

Next up they sit dead flat when fitted where they should droop naturally, so out with the good old fashion medieval torture device……

 

 

……….some water boarding with boiling water and they now sit correctly (a bit exaggerated in the photo)……plus they also admitted to knowing where the WMD’s really are!

Here's a far less severe method of imparting droop to those rotor blades. Hold a blade horizontally in front of you with either edge down, grasping it near the root between the forefinger and thumb of your left hand. Grasp the blade about a quarter of the distance to the tip between the fingers and thumb of your right hand. Now, while maintaining a firm grip  on the blade with your right hand, slide it along the blade to the tip while pulling it slightly toward you with the right hand. At the same time, press forward with your left thumb so that the blade is bent in a gentle curve. Some practice with a strip of styrene plastic or an old kit rotor blade will give you the idea of just how much pressure to exert. It doesn't take very many "pulls" to set a blade with the proper amount of droop.

 

For more on rotor blade droop, see here: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-note-on-rotor-blade-droop.html

Edited September 23, 2019 by Space Ranger

[trickyrich]

3 minutes ago, Space Ranger said:

Here's a far less severe method of imparting droop to those rotor blades. Hold a blade horizontally in front of you with either edge down, grasping it near the root between the forefinger and thumb of your left hand. Grasp the blade about a quarter of the distance to the tip between the fingers and thumb of your right hand. Now, while maintaining a firm grip  on the blade with your right hand, slide it along the blade to the tip while pulling it slightly toward you with the right hand. At the same time, press forward with your left thumb so that the blade is bent in a gentle curve. Some practice with a strip of styrene plastic or an old kit rotor blade will give you the idea of just how much pressure to exert. It doesn't take very many "pulls" to set a blade with the proper amount of droop.

 

For more on rotor blade droop, see here: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-note-on-rotor-blade-droop.html

I had actually forgotten about doing that!!  I may have to try that if they start to straighten up, the plastic is weird stuff and doesn't like to change shape!

 

The only thing about doing stuff this way is that they're all even.

[trickyrich]

A quick update on her but not a lot to show for an awful lot of work that’s been done!!!

 

I couldn't put it off any longer so work has started on the cockpit and all that PE!!

 

All the moulded detail has been removed and bit separated for painting. Before I could do the main floor tube I had to build up the pedals. These are all made up of one small bit of plastic rod, and 16 bits of PE, the smallest bits less than 2mm long. After about 2 hours work it was done......was it worth it?

 

 

 

The cockpit starts to look a bit busy but one rather large omission I found is that you can see the back of the instrument panel from the front seat. There should be some panelling in that area, the kit is missing it and the AM stuff doesn't have it. So I’ll  have to make this up myself, luckily I’ve found some good photos of this area so I should be able to bash something up.
 

 

 

I've also started up assembling the main undercarriage, I've inserted pins in all the joints of the gear just to give it extra strength. Work can now start of detailing that area as well, though there’s not a lot here, mainly just lines and stuff.

 

Finally I've also started putting together the nose turret assembly. The kits barrel has been cut off ready for the new Master Model one. Plus there are moulded springs for the doors on the IR (?) sensor, these look pretty crap so I'll remove them and make up some new ones.

 

 

I’ve done some more plus started painting, details will be in the next update.

[trickyrich]

I’m still working on the interior and probably will be for sometime yet, there’s just soooo much to do here!

 

I’ve done the basic painting of the cockpit and have given it a clear coat of Mr Paint Lacquer and has been left to completely cure (it's not quite as blue looking in real life).

 

 

So it’s basically ready for the real work to begin.....detailing! The process will be panelling/detail painting/fitting, and then start the next layer repeating the process as I add the different layers. So it’s going to be a slow long process.

 

I've bought some 0.2mm nickel/silver rod, which I’m planning at this stage to use for all the switches around the cockpit. I’m not too sure how this will go but figure it should be a bit stronger that just using stretched sprue. I just have to make sure I have plenty of tiny drill bits!

 

While the cockpit is drying work has started on the main cabin, again the detail (what little there is) very basic in the model and is crying out for detailing. So I'm about 1/2 way through here, most of the major bits (except windows) are in, now the wiring and other small/tiny bits go in. This will probably take twice as long to do and most of it has to be done before I can start painting.

 

 

 

Once completed it should look amazing but most of the detailing will probably not be noticed!! Least I know it's there!

 

This is just some of the PE for the cargo/cabin area, there are a couple of smaller bits and the acrylic windows somewhere else.  Some of these bits are bordering on microscopic, and multiple bits go together to make little connectors or brackets. The radio panel in this photo goes between the cabin and cockpit and really can’t be seen that easily. But there are 26 parts just in as it sits now, I still have to add the tiny handles, another 24 parts! 

 

 

While I truly hate PE bits but I have to say it’s going together really smoothly, and even though I’ve dropped a couple of bit I haven’t lost anything yet! If I can keep it all together she should look stunning when she’s finally complete…..where ever that is!

 

[Col.]

Nice start Rich I'll need to remember this thread exists and wander over from the GB section for regular updates. No resin bits yet!?!

[spruecutter96]

You're making some excellent progress here, my friend! I have two "Crocodiles" waiting for my attention (possibly in the next lifetime).  I reckon Trumpeter did a good job on her (maybe not perfect, but what model is without fault?).

 

Thanks for sharing with us. I will be following your build with great interest.

 

Cheers. 

 

Chris.   

[trickyrich]

2 hours ago, Col. said:

Nice start Rich I'll need to remember this thread exists and wander over from the GB section for regular updates. No resin bits yet!?!

I know it's a bit of a strange place for me to be as well, unfortunately the only resin bits are the wheels and tow bar. Life would have been sooo much simpler cockpit and cargo bay! Though what's taking most of the time at the moment is the extra detailing.

1 hour ago, spruecutter96 said:

You're making some excellent progress here, my friend! I have two "Crocodiles" waiting for my attention (possibly in the next lifetime).  I reckon Trumpeter did a good job on her (maybe not perfect, but what model is without fault?).

 

Thanks for sharing with us. I will be following your build with great interest.

 

Cheers. 

 

Chris.   

thanks, it's not too bad, a bit better than a lot of other Trumpy stuff, though there are plenty of areas to keep reminding you!

 

The worse part are the weapons they're complete rubbish, they had the right idea to you all the possible load outs, but when it came to the actual production work they sort of couldn't be bothered! (Pretty much the same for their 1/48th jets and supplied weapons!) The UB-32A-24 Rocket pod is probably the most iconic weapon for the Hind but it's also probably the worse part of the supplied weapons, in the 70's they were doing better moulding than this! The nose cone is unusable , it's been moulded hollow so you can look through one side and straight out the other, it's not that hard to do a moulded cone and it doesn't even need side moulding. (I'm know for my rants!)

 

 Luckily I've decided to go with a different load out that I've seen on the Czech Hinds and even on this one. I may revisit these pods at a later stage and see if I can rebuild or correct the issue with them, then recast them.

 

I'll have a big update on her later today.

[Hewy]

This slipped under the radar rich, great job so far, good fix on the rotor blade droop too ,your batting along at a decent pace i see

[trickyrich]

Gee for the amount of time this build has eaten up I have very little to show for it!!  Plus a word or warning there will be a rant at the end of this update! 

 

Ok then the cockpit is slowly coming together but I still have a lot to go. I have started to fit all the panels and am almost ready to start detailed painting of everything and there’s a lot of it. I still haven’t decided yet if I'm going to tackle making up and fitting all the individual switches from 0.2mm aluminium rod! It’ll look really good but wow it’ll be time consuming and hard on the old eyes!

 

I’m still added PE bits to the Cargo bay, another never ending process, plus I still have some more pipework to add as well.

 

 

Main blades are almost done, all the major painting is done (I have to fix up some overspray on one of the blades) and again it’s down to the detailed painting stage, but it’s looking good.

 

 

The detail the doors for the Optical sensor was a bit poor and not quite correct.....

 

 

...so I made new actuators and brackets plus “Rubber boots” from thin wire. Once painted they’ll look much better, there's still a bit of tiding up to do first.

 

The main gear and wheel bays have been bay have been detailed with some extra bits added that were missing.

 

 

They’ve been painted and for detailed painting as well, not to much to do before they’re completed. 

 

 

The tow bar was made up from the Profimodel kit, it’s wasn’t badly done but it needed some additional detailing plus I replaced a couple of the resin bits. When this build is completed the tow bar will be fitted to the nose gear.

 

 

Have sorted out the weapons load based on photos of Czech Hinds I've seen including this one. Basically it’s the AT-6 "Spirals", B8V20 Rocket pods, and 9-A-669 Universal Containers, I’m not too sure whether to go with the  Grenade Launcher or Machine Gun versions.

 

 

OK rant time!!!!

 

I had planned to use the UB-32A-24 Rocket pods which is pretty much the iconic weapon you see fitted to most Hinds.

 

 

But in true Trumpeter tradition they’re complete and utter rubbish!!    As you can see the nose cone is completely hollow and you can see straight through it!!

 

 

They didn’t even make an attempt to get it right, even the openings weren’t round, I had to go around with a file to try and correct them. This is what they should look like!

 

 

You might be able to get away with this sort of rubbish moulding in 1/72nd 20 years ago, but now and in 1/35th!!!! 

 

There are some available in 1/35th but they’re not cheap (and I’ve spent enough on her..) and really the money would be better spent on new pylons that I do actually need, again the kit ones are really poor. 

 

I may actually come back to these rocket pods at a later stage as I may have an idea how to fix them, but it’s be time consuming. If it works out then I’ll start casting replacements.

 

Ok I feel better after getting that out of the system! 

 

There’s still and awful lot to do on her before I can even start to plan to close her up. If I could control my detailing urges and concentrate on one section at a time then that would probably help. But that all aside and despite Trumpeter’s best efforts I’m actually enjoying the build 

[Hewy]

I suppose you've got nothing to lose by having a go at fixing the rocket pods, elsewhere its looking real good 

[Col.]

Tidy work thus far Rich. You may not feel it's far enough ahead for the work invested but it will all go towards an impresive result.

As for those rocket pods; agree with you that Trumpeter really should have done better for such an iconic weapon but, as @Hewysays, you've nothing to loose (other than perhaps some time and your temper  ) by having a go at improving them.

[trickyrich]

thanks.

 

There are a couple of ways to do it, but the hard part will be making sure the the hole are all in the correct spot.

 

Anyway have found something almost as bad yesterday! Started to look at how the engines/front cowling & intakes/exhausts are all going to fit....they don't! So basically I'm going to have to chop everything up and fit the exhaust to each fuselage then make a hole new module for the cowlings and intakes. 

 

gotta keep telling myself I'm having fun!  

 

[trickyrich]

A bit of a smallish update on her. Please note if the sigh of sawn up plastic disturbs you then go no further

 

Still sort of avoiding the cockpit…… So I started to look at how the engines/exhausts/and engine covers will fit…….they don’t!

 

After about 1/2 hour of cursing and swearing I’d had enough so out with the razor saw, it wasn’t a pretty sight! 

 

 

Nothing fits properly and the engine/engine bay, it’s complete bare of detail and the clear engine covers (enough said), it really felt like the whole thing was a toy!

 

So I plan to close up the whole thing which will make life so much easier , it’ll fit nicely and I won’t damage any of the interior fittings trying to get it altogether! As it is it doesn’t go together without some serious effort. Plus it didn’t line up at all with the intake dusting to the engine being way smaller than the actual intakes. 

 

 

The clear engine covers were glued together and given a coat of primer, plus the scoops on the top of them was opened up properly.

 

 

The intake “bullets” didn’t look quite right compared to photos, so I reshaped them a little.

 

 

So the intake section is now all sorted and actually fits (it didn't before), the inlets are blanked off as you couldn't see the engine fan anyway.

 

 

 

 

Altogether everything looks much better.

 

For the exhausts I’ve made up a couple of mounting brackets to the fuselage, that way they can be fitted before the fuselage is joined and they’re independent of the cargo bay roof (no damage to all that fragile PE inside!).

 

 

The cabin area and outside PE bit have been given a coat of primer. I still need to slightly adjust the exhausts orientation once the main support is completely dry.

 

 

 

 

I'm probably going to use the exhaust covers as they look quite good fitted and they hide the poorly moulded insides!

 

 

Gee the cargo/cabin area is starting to look good even in just in primer, all that work may not have been for nothing!

 

 

 

The main gear is pretty much done and ready to fit to fuselage.

 

 

Finally I knew I said no more PE (I may not have…just thought it) but I have some new Reskit Pylons & B8V20 Rocket pods on the way. Both were really needed, what they’re replacing is poorly done. Hopefully this is the last stuff I need to buy!

 

I’m now at the stage were I can’t put off finishing the cockpit…..guess that’s next.

 

[Col.]

Nice work again Rich, good job getting the various external engine parts to fit in place, as well as generating plenty spare parts for a Steampunk/Sci-fi future project  

[trickyrich]

1 hour ago, Col. said:

Nice work again Rich, good job getting the various external engine parts to fit in place, as well as generating plenty spare parts for a Steampunk/Sci-fi future project  

haha I could use them for a Hawk catcher!! 

[trickyrich]

It’s been a while since an update on this build, things have been a bit slow. Have currently spent more time going over reference stuff than actual work….plus real work  has eaten up time as well.

 

I’ve finally finished detailing and painting up the cargo bay, I’ve lost count at the number of PE bits used…..90% of them being tiny. It does look really good in real life the photos don’t do it justice at all!

 

 

 

 

Again, most of this will be lost when the fuselage is closed up.

 

Ok fitting the modules and closing up…..this was interesting! Each module had to fitted separately and, in most cases, clamped in place. I used CA glue in a lot of places to help hold difficult bits where I couldn’t get a clamp to work. Once this was done the fuselage needed the same process, glue and clamp small section at a time. 

 

Closing up the fuselage was not an easy task at all, just getting the interior modules in and fitted correctly wasn’t an easy task.

 

Joining the fuselage was worse, it had to be done in stages, lots of clamping, taping together and cursing was required. The joins behind the main gear and section above it where the IR sensor sits were the hardest to get right. A fair bit of sanding and some filler will be required to sort that out, luckily there’s very little detail to worry about in those areas.

 

 

 

 

Even though I still have work to do in the cockpit it all either needed to be done with the fuselage closed or can easily be done.

 

 

 

As can be seen, or not, not much can be seen which is a real shame.

 

 

But boy she’s big and is now starting to look like the mean beast that she is!  

 

 

 

The weapon loadout is as photos I’ve seen of this actual bird with weapons fitted.

 

 

Hopefully progress will be swifter now, though I still a way to go. I’m still hoping to have her completed in time for my club’s end of year competition!! 

 

[Hewy]

Its becoming a very impressive model rich

[exdraken]

Missed that entry ...

 

Very nice!

 

S-5 rockets on a current Mi-24/35?

 But sure....

Better stay with S-8s!

[trickyrich]

they're fine for her in this time period, 1998.  I have a couple of photos of her in this exact configuration, though she was more often photographed with the stripped drop tanks. I would have like to have fitted the UB-32's but no one does them in this scale, and the kit ones are rubbish, so I have to use the B8's

 

 She's one of the original Hinds the Czech Air Force used and was retired in 06, she's now on display in her final tiger scheme.

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mil_Mi-24V_Hind_0705_(8125501596).jpg

[trickyrich]

Wow it has been quite awhile since an update and this is probably the last update until she’s finished, hopefully by Friday!

 

So the final set of goodies arrived form Reskit to replace the poor kit parts.

 

 

 

 

The old pylons needed to be cut up to allow the new ones to be fitted correctly.

 

 

Plus the pylons on the “wings” needed to be reshaped as their profiles weren’t quite right.

 

 

I made up a new cowling part to go behind the gunners seat, this is missing in the model and there’s a large gap between the 2 cockpits that shouldn’t be there. The front section of an old Airfix Viking came to the rescue for this. Plus I made a cover fro the front section of the Instrument panel, something else that was missing and should have been there. 

 

 

 

The cockpits were masked inside and out, I had to make custom masks for the insides. Then everything was painted black and the canopy finally fitted, again another task that wasn’t quite straightforward.

 

 

 

More PE (never ending) was added, which included Beelzebub’s masterpiece the Flare Pack….what a nightmare to make. I made up the Eduard and PART ones  but decided to go with the PART one as it was the closest looking to the real thing.

 

 

 

 

Finally some painting!! Even though it was just primer it was nice to be at this stage, some tiding up was required but all in all she looked pretty good.

 

 

 

Now things get serious, painting!!  

 

After so wiggly panel line pre-shading she was given a coat of the darker grey. You do the masking in reverse, I would have preferred to have mask over the light grey then do the dark……not sure why they went this way! For the painting I’m using Gunze Acrylics instead of my usual Mr. Paint Lacquers, only because the details are so course I don’t have to worry about losing any to a thicker paint (though it’s still very thin).

 

 

 

Now the part I wasn’t looking forward to….masking!

 

 

I really don’t like using vinyl masks, they work ok on flat surfaces but curve of complex curve…..well they just don’t work! So in the end I had to use tape masks for all those more complex areas. So after 2 evenings masking (over 6 hours), this was where I was at!

 

 

 

The light grey went on a treat, just a couple of minor touch-ups to do which was a nice surprise as I expected more!

 

 

 

Some of the other bits nearly done, just awaiting a clear coat.

 

 

 

Finally the decals are on and she has her final flat clear coat on.

 

For weathering I’m not going to do much at all, just a bit of exhaust staining which was quite normal for them. This bird appeared to have been kept fairly clean by the looks of the few photos I have of her.

 

 

 

 

Just a day or so work left on her and she’s done. She’ll have her grand debut at the NSW IPMS Comp, it’ll be interesting to see the response.

 

[Stew Dapple]

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Col.]

Wow! Tidy work Rich and what an update

Have you ordered the figure set for it yet?

[trickyrich]

hmmm no....someone (SHMBO) isn't keen on them! 

[Col.]

8 hours ago, trickyrich said:

hmmm no....someone (SHMBO) isn't keen on them! 

Aww. Spoilsport