Introduction

The following introduction is as provided by Revell of Germany;
Designed in the 1960s the Mil Mi-24 holds a special place within the gunship fraternity. Bristling with weapons the robust D version is one of the most powerful attack helicopters in the world. Thanks to two powerful engines and a slender fuselage this Flying Fortress is very manoeuvrable and can achieve a top speed of over 330 km/h (205 mph) even with a full weapon load. This Soviet designed and heavily armoured attack helicopter became well known during the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya and was widely used by the forces of the Warsaw Pact . The Hind D is equipped with a 12.7 mm heavy MG in a chin turret - Swatter guided missiles and rocket pods can be carried on outer stations of the stub wings. The 24 D - NATO codename Hind - has been in military front-line service since the mid-70s

Contents

This product is packaged in one of Revell of Germany’s end opening card boxes, those ordering this kit online should remember that the box is not up to the rigor of the postal system unprotected. Inside the carton you will find;
1 clear sprue
4 grey sprues
A decal sheet
An advisory sheet
A loose leafed instruction booklet

Review

A look over the parts that make up this offering from Revell of Germany will quickly reveal that it is a re-release of a 1986 offering and so a model I built many years ago. The moulds must be holding up very well judging by these sprues as they are free of flash and look to be cleanly moulded in all respects. It is unfortunate that Revell of Germany opted to add their name on one of the tail fins in raised lettering, but that should be easily removed. The age of this product in terms of the moulds does mean that there is raised panel lines on the model, but the price still makes this worth considering and it is an impressive looking model when finished.

I cannot talk about the accuracy of this offering as I do not have the reference to hand, but it does go together very well for its age and only requires Mr Surfacer from memory. The cockpit has a nice level of detail despite being fairly simple to put together and even has moulded harness detail replicated. This detail can be nicely seen through the large cockpit canopy as it can be displayed open. The glazing are a little on the thick side, but should not offend too many modellers. Also included here are a couple of figures and while not award winners in 1/48th scale it is interesting to see them provided with two head options.

The rotor and head assembly is quite pleasing and is an area that looks impressive due to the large size. The passenger compartment behind the pilot's cockpit has some nice detail present that will catch the eye with careful painting and the doors open; I particular like that harness detail has been represented on the bench seat and aircrews seats. The undercarriage is good as regards the structure, but the wheels could do with having better detail on the tread.

The body work of the helicopter would benefit from not having raised panel lines, but the mouldings are a good fit from memory. The overall look of the body look generally correct to me, but as I said I do not have the reference to confirm this. The weapons systems are provided in the form of rocket pods and Swatter missiles, the detail on these is not too bad and they do give the Hind the ‘loaded for bear’ look. The chin mounted gun is a tad featureless in my opinion and is an area that could do with some work on the part of the modeller.

Conclusion

As I have said I cannot comment on the accuracy of this one, but having built one many moons ago I do not recall any issues with fit or unexpected bite backs during construction. The model is quite large once built and has a good look about it, plus of course the price makes it affordable for most modellers. Could it be better? Sure it could, but not at the price of this model I feel.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For details visit www.revell.de/en, @RevellGermany or facebook.com/Revell

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