Kit Review: Airpower 87 (Arsenal M) 1/87 scale Kit No. 223600021; Mil Mi-24 P Hind F - VVS Red Army; 117 parts (108 in grey styrene, 9 clear styrene); price 19.90 Euros or around US$25.50
Advantages: first kit of this helicopter in this scale; may be built as D, E or F models; fine panel line details
Disadvantages: not in a ?popular? aircraft modeling scale
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for helicopter fans and wargamers
The Mil Mi-24 ? ?Gorbach? or the hunchback to the Russians - has bee n one of the top attack helicopters over the last 30 years and is still a p otent machine today. Able to carry prodigious amounts of armament and eithe r a 4x12.mm Gatling gun or a Gsh-30-2 30mm gun pack, the Mi-24 can also car ry either up to eight combat personnel amidships or reloads for its weapons systems. While not noted for agility, it has enough firepower to overcome some of its maneuver failings.
Arsenal-M of Germany has now released a series of 1/87 kits of the Hind an d this one is the Russian VVS version. Cleanly molded in grey styrene, it c omes with a reasonably good interior and a very detailed selection of weapo ns for its underwing racks. The model also permits building it as an Afghan war era D or E model with the 12.7mm Gatling gun turret at the front or th e later F model with the twin 30mm cannon pack on the right side of the nos e and new sensors.
Weapons include 9-A-624 12.7mm or 9-A-669 30mm grenade launcher gun packs, 16x57mm rocket packs, or the ?Shturm? ATGM missiles. Different sensors , suppressors and IR flare launchers/chaff launchers are also provided for the different versions.
The model has finely engraved panel lines and is very nicely done. Details are fairly sharp on the rocket pods, but the 12.7mm barrels suffer a bit d ue to their petite size in this scale.
The interior consists of pilot and gunner seats and sticks, bulkheads and ceiling in the midships compartment, and a one-piece cockpit canopy. Side w indows are provided for the midships compartment but have a ?mold pucker ? in each one.
Finishing instructions are provided for one aircraft, bort number yellow 3
8, with full Soviet era red stars.Overall this is a very nice kit and a bit above the normal fare for wargam ers. It will make a nice counterpoise to the ROCO AH-64 Apache.
Cookie Sewell