Begemot Kamov Ka-50/52 Hokum Decals (48-018) 1:48

[Mike]

Kamov Ka-50/52 Hokum Decals (48018)

1:48 Begemot Decals

 

 

Italeri’s kit of the Hokum in 1:48 is a little on the old side, but as it’s our only choice at this scale it’s the best there is for now, until Kitty Hawk’s rumoured kit of the later Ka-52 Alligator with side-by-side seating hits the shelves sometime later this year of course.  All that goes a long way to explain Andrey’s motivation behind this decal sheet’s timing, and I’m really pleased about it.

 

This decal set arrives in an unassuming ziplok bag, with three A3 sheets of glossy paper folded in half for the instructions, two sheets of decals and a small set of masks for one of the decal options for painting beneath some of the decals.  The instructions are large due to the fact that there are 17 decal options, and a full side is also dedicated to the stencils for the airframe as well as the munitions that the Hokum was capable of carrying.  From the sheet you can build the following:

 

1. Ka-50 V-80-08 Akhtoubinsk, early 1992
2. Ka-50 V-80-08 Zhukovskiy, Sept 1993
3. Ka-50Sh V-80-08 United Arab Emirates, Mar 1997
4. Ka-50 s/n unknown Torzhok, 1994
5. Ka-50Sh V-80-08 Zhukovskiy, Aug 1999
6. Ka-50Sh s/n unknown Zhukovskiy, 2005
7. Ka-50 s/n unknown Torzhok, 1996
8. Ka-50 s/n unknown Farnborough Airshow UK, Sept 1993
9. Ka-50 s/n unknown Le-Bourget Airshow France, Jul 1993
10. Ka-50 Grozniy-Nord Airfield, Dec 2000
11. Ka-50 s/n 8798000025 Kyrgystan, Aug 2004
12. Ka-50 s/n unknown Zhukovskiy, 2007
13. Ka-50 s/n unknown Kubinka Airbase, May 2010
14. Ka-52 s/n unknown Bangalor City India, 1996
15. Ka-52 s/n unknown Zhukovskiy, 2001
16. Ka-52 s/n unknown Kamov bureau, summer 2004
17. Ka-52 s/n unknown Kamov bureau, summer 2007

 

 

 

We don’t have any colour profiles to display, but the instructions for the set can be downloaded here.  This should show how much detail is given in the instructions both in English and Cyrillic.  Colours are called out by letters in circles, while the decals use numbers.  Option 5 uses the small sheet of pre-cut vinyl masks under the decals 23, 24, 37, 54, 68 & 69, which includes the triangular banner on the tail, plus the band above it and the smaller band across the mid-boom stabilisers.

 

The last page of the instructions devotes half a page to the weapons with their designations above each one, and the bottom of the page shows where all the stencils on the fuselage are sited.  There are plenty of these, and as I always say it’s the stencils that make a better model, increasing the level of visual detail immensely.

 

Each decal sheet is protected by a thin sheet of waxed paper, and as we’ve come to expect from Begemot the printing is first rate, with good register, colour density and sharpness, with the little blue hippo logo in the bottom right.

 

Conclusion

An interesting subject with a generous quantity of options that makes a modeller want to build more than one.  With the Ka-52 coming soon, I can see myself making at least two if I live long enough!

 

Very highly recommended.

 

To buy these decals, check the link here.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

[Mick4350]

The header has 1/35 in place of 1/48.

[Mike]

3 hours ago, Mick4350 said:

The header has 1/35 in place of 1/48.

No it doesn't!

[sinistervampire319]

5 hours ago, Mike said:

Ka-50 V-80-08 Akhtoubinsk, early 2992

Hey Mike! Are they still flying the Ka-50's in 2992?! 

[Mike]

38 minutes ago, sinistervampire319 said:

Hey Mike! Are they still flying the Ka-50's in 2992?! 

Yes!  Don't you know anything about time travel? I'm tired and hot today - you'll have to forgive my brain 😭