1/48 Revell Mil-24 Hind

Gallery Article by Chip Berseth on May 25 2010

 

Winter brings about many changes. Cabin fever sets in and can eventually make one do some very strange things. For instance, while deciding what to work on next I found my curiosity leading me down a path that I have never been down. Picking up the box was the first step, what followed proved to be a positive helo building experience. Another motive was to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and with that the fall of an empire. Much has been written about this venerable gunship, so I won’t waste time with a detailed history.

The Revell Hind has been on and off the market over the last decade or so and builds into a nice replica of the infamous Soviet weapon. Construction is straight forward and the detail is moderate. Although it can be presumed that scratch builders and super detailers would many instances in which detail can be added or amplified. There are many goodies in the cockpit area that look great when painted and weathered, but could look truly amazing if time is taken to fully detail it.

There were a few instances where the sandpaper was taken out and put to use. Although this was kept to a minimum as the necessity to do this was too few to slow the build down. All in all, the fit is actually pretty good. A little detail that was incorporated to add realism was the hollowing out of the rotary cannon barrels. This personally is my favorite “addition” as it adds to the aggressive profile of the machine.

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Painted with Model Master Paints, it started to take on a personality of its own. After painting, a couple coats of Future primed it for decaling. Although there are different options out there, I opted to keep it real and use the kit decals. Those included were two birds, one from the East German Air Force and one from the Polish Air Force. Having my fair share of Polish blood coursing through me, I naturally had to choose the Polish version.

After the decals were in there place it was time to clear coat, and then advance to the next step, weathering. This was accomplished by using artists charcoal and silver paint. I also used my Q-Tip and black acrylic paint weathering technique (which I have explained in depth in past articles).

After weathering it was time to put the finishing touches on. The Mi-24 has many large windows which are good for the crew and good for me as it makes the laborious effort of painting clear parts easier. After masking and painting, they were installed along with the remaining small parts (antennas, sensors, and hydraulic door arms.

Deciding to add a little life to the build I placed a crewman in the back, relaxing while enjoying a smoke after a strenuous day of maneuvers in the extreme cold of the Polish countryside.

After it was completed I looked back at what I had achieved. Besides completing my first chopper I had also built a memorial to the years when death could rain down any minute in the form of Soviet nuclear warheads. Just the thought of that makes me reflect on how grateful I am to be part of the post Cold War generation (for better or worse). 

Besides that, the Revell 1/48 Hind is a relatively simple and straightforward build. I would be comfortable in saying that beginners on through veteran builders would draw satisfaction from this kit, especially with the many interesting camo schemes out there. 

Sitting on my shelf next to my other builds, it holds its own and defiantly draws attention from company. So the next time you are tempted build something that you haven’t had much experience in, do it. It might turn out to be pretty enjoyable. 

As always modelers and modelettes, build on!

Chip Berseth

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Photos and text © by Chip Berseth