Many a good tune - the Mi 24 Hind

Here's the classic Monogram 'Hind' gunship in 1/48 scale. I know it's the only game in town, and I know it doesn't go together very well, and the decals are terrible. But 25 years on, isn't the kit still much the same?


When we buy a kit from the famous Classic Airframe range, we might be buying something from our wish list, but there's a reason why they say 'experience essential' on the box. The detail offered is excellent, but it can be problematic getting it on the model. The decals have improved over time, but for £40 they should have done.


Anyway, my ambling point is that 25 years of technological advances later there's no guarantee of a superior kit. Getting down from my soap box, my old kit has turned out ok. The build was not bad overall, although most things had to be coaxed and sanded into position. The end result looks good, I think. The worst fit problem was the canopy. This needs concentrated sanding to get even a reasonable fit.

The plus points? What nice detail! The main rotor head, the main gear bay and the surface detail all show lovely moulding, and all respond well to Alclad metal finish, subtle dry brushing or just a good paint job.


With the current renaissance of 1/48 subjects, the old 'Hind' gunship gets a new lease of life. It's a terrific battlefield airborne artillery piece. And an old fiddle?

My kind of shopping

It's always a boost to have some 'feel-good' items on the to-build list on your desk. I'm looking at:

• The Eduard Hellcat
• The Grumman Goose from Signifer
  
• Classic Airframe's Meteor NF11/12
• Revell's new Fletcher Class Destroyer in 1/144

Also, out of the shot is the Aires detail set for a P-51D in 1/48 scale. I just need the kit to go with it...

The builds for all these kits will be covered here over the next few months, as well as many others. For instance, the F4F-4 Wildcat from Hobby Boss, more on the Hind Gunship, Hasegawa's Ki-61 'Tony' in 1/32 scale and the H.S. Buccaneer from Airfix in 1/48 . These will not all be straight out of the box builds - most will get quite a few modifications.

2009 offers a packed programme - lots of proper modelling, lots of variety and me waxing lyrical about my favourite aspects. Feel free to join in.

....But it's 25 years old!

I've finally got over myself and started to build that 'Hind' gunship, the one I was banging on about on here a while ago. Here it is, this time with paint on.


So what was the hold up? I acquired the Monogram MiL Mi 24 gunship kit in 2004, and it came with the Eduard interior and exterior photo-etch set. As you doubtless know, these sets are very extensive. Superb quality too, but they can add at least a month to the building time. And the parts are a bit thick, although there's no denying the level of detail. All this sets me off on an internal monologue: It's 25 years old, look at all those metal parts.....but it's a lovely kit....it'll take ages to add all that metal though....And back it goes on the shelf to silence the inner argument.

This time, however, it has come out for keeps. I just want to build the thing and keep it simple. I was prepared to abandon all those complex metal parts and just get on with it. Did I do the right thing? Here is the complete cockpit and rear cabin. Not a metal part in sight. It's not Eduard but it's no slouch, is it?

Elco 80 PT Boat Completed

When a project ends that has been as enjoyable as this one, you are struck with a sense of triumph, of a job well done. Then the anti-climax hits and there is a sadness because it's finished. Well, almost finished - I still have the figures to do.

I don't usually bog the reader down with too much paint detail, but I was asked to expand on it, so here's a run down.

Painting
Having under-coated the model in a matt pale green, I pre-shaded it with black. Since there is a lot of handling of the hull, I allowed for a 12-24 hour drying period in the painting sequence. Starting with the lightest colours, I then began to add the camouflage. To achieve the hard-ish edges, I used BluTack rolled out in thin sausages. This can cause overspray though, so careful masking is important. The final shade I used was black; jet black would be far too stark, even in 1/35 scale, so I cut it with tan, around 15%. Any more and it looks like mud.



Weathering
I started with the deck. It must be remembered that PT boats were often in the thick of action and at the mercy of a Pacific sun, suffering the ravages of daily wear and tear. Following the route on deck that the crew would take to carry out their duties, and using the original green as a base, I gradually lightened in a seemingly random pattern with my airbrush turned down. I started with a light brown and gradually moved on to a yellow. By now I was covering less surface, but with greater density to give the impression of wear.


Weathering the hull was similar. I just did more of a vertical cloud pattern, blending the colours carefully for each camo shade. A light brown was used on its own to simulate wear on the bow where the bow wave is constantly battering it. The only wash I used was in dark brown, and that on the deck and fittings only.


And that was it, give or take. It was a wonderful project to build - the first I have tried, but it won't be the last. Figures to come.