I am beside myself with the absence of any 1:35 or 1:48 MI-24A Hinds.
So Higg is going to do something about it! (pounds fist on table).
I’ve begun a conversion project. Got 2 X Trumpeter 1:35 Hinds, 3 Revell 1:48s, a 1:50 Puma, and an old school 1:48 H-19. Here’s the breakdown:
Currently converting both a 1:48 Revell and 1:35 Trumpeter to Hind A’s, and a 1:48 Revell (thx Cobra Company!) and 1:35 Trumpeter to a Hind F (ah, scratchbuilding!).
Constructing the glass-house and cockpits, re-positioning the tail-rotor to starboard side and the wing mounted gun camera to inside wing (early Hind A), and the Hind F 23mm cannons and IR baffles with rib mounted flare launcher to boot. I have already cut the fuselages, tail, and wing camera with my trusty Dremel, and have almost all parts on hand. I figure it will take me about 4-5 months (read 4-5 years). I actually made a 1:48 Hind A off of the Revell kit 10 years ago, but it was crushed when I moved (I wept that day, after my girlfriend went to school).
But what about the 1:50 Puma and the 1:48 H-19. Side project B. I’m building another Hind A! What! That’s right, a “Red Dawn” version of the Hind A from one of the best movies ever made. And the H-19 is going to be modeled after Orlando Helicopter Airways contract with the Army in the 1990s that ordered numerous Hind look-a-likes to be built, flown, and shot-down over White Sands missile range.
Well, this is my magnum opus. Will post pics as I move along. Anybody else interested in cutting off the front ends of their Hind D’s??? If interested in more pics of the U.S Army Orlando H-19/Mi-24, I’ll shoot you some (sorry, but I do not remember who to credit for the Orlando pics).
Ah, I forgot to mention construction details for the 1:35 and 1:48 Hind A greenhouse and canopies. Going with what I know (used these on my first Hind D conversion to A model).
Clear sheets (flat panel windows)
Plastruct styrene, various thickness (upper support frames for flat panel windows)
Lots of left over sprue (support frame for cockpit base, scratch for interior details)
Sprue shaving collected in leftover airbrush jars (to fill gaps and “melt” into cracks&gaps)
Red putty by ModelMaster (forward fuselage shaping)
Tenax-7R and toothpicks (for “welding” the styrene and sprue support frames and filling gaps)
It has been quit a long while since I converted a D model to an A model (over 10 years at 1:48 scale) so I’ve been visiting all the tools and tips and forums topics trying to “jog” my memory on some techniques I used, especially in creating panel lines, rivets and general detail on the scratch built surfaces of the forward fuselages. If you got any extra recommendations, I’d love to hear them.
I’m using a Paasch VL airbrush I picked up from Hobby Lobby for all paints. When its time to do the paint scheme on the conversions, I’m going to go with US Army OPFOR MI-24 for the F/P model Trumpeter 1:35 and “Red 77” early production Hind A scheme for the 1:35 Trumpeter Hind A conversion (photos in World Air Power vol.37; summer 1999). As far as the 1:48 scales go, still looking for any pics of Africa-based Hind A’s in the 70s-80 so I can utilize those Bush War Hinds I & II decal sheets.
The 1:50 Puma “Red Dawn Hind A”, i’m going straight off its scheme in the movie (don’t have any non-movie pics of them.
The 1:48 H-19 (QS-55) Orlando Airways Hind look-a-like scheme is off some pics I have.
Here’s three pics of my progress, so far. There are additional scratch-built cockpit details but are not attached due to my airbrushing sequence to follow. I had GREAT success (at least I think!) at shaping the old D fuselage by cutting it down and shaping it with hot water into the forward fuselage of the A model. Judge for yourself. Alot more still to be done as you can see, particularly the greenhouse canopy frame which will be added after cockpit details and paint are complete and masked off. Any comments on where I’m taking this thing so far?
My only comment, is that I think your crazy!!! LOL Everything’s looking good to me. I was working on mine this weekend, and it is a pain getting the black painted on the interior green pieces. It will take me a couple of touch-ups to get it looking as good as I would like. On a cool note, I was able to make a scaled down map decal of where I live to go on the Moving map display!!! LOL I was bored!!! Good luck, and keep us posted!!!
If somebody else is thinking about starting a 1/35 Hind A conversion (Trumpeter), get with me first, cause I’m learning alot of things (the hard way) and would like to help you short-cut some stuff. Cutting and shaping the Hind D fuselage so it looks like a Hind A fuselage (and with almost NO PUTTY! WOOT!) for starters. Sorry I’m going so slow, scratchbuilding as I go (the unfinished cockpit console in the pics is the THIRD one I’ve built, as the others are in the trash bin!). Heli-kit news forum linked me to some AWESOME Hind A cockpit shots and I wont mind at all e-mailing them and some additional ones to anybody (even if you’re doing a 1/72 and not a 1/35; as they are very useful pics).
dry fit or die,
Higg
Looking great so far. I would greatly appreciate all the info you have once you get the conversion close to finished. I have always liked the look of the A model. I think it looks even more menacing than the D model. The Hind A, Puma vismod in Red Dawn is awesome too. You should think about doing this into an article for here or over at Armorama, there is a group build log of the Trumpeter Hind D there as well. At your convinience, please send me what you can on how you have done the A model conversion.
Fellas, here’s a pic of my current progress. Lots of work still to be done on the canopy. I installed the side glass panels, just need to mold the bulged pilots door glass. The cockpit is not even close to being done. Also have some more sanding and smoothing out to do on the greenhouse canopy. I think I’m on the right track, but I am slowly losing perspective as I stare at this thing for hours on end as I’m building it. I could use some comments. Rake me over the coals if you have to.
Dry Fit or Die,
Higg
All I can say is… WOW I wish I had your talent. Looks like Im gonna be digging out my Red Dawn DVD to remines (sp) Ive been fascinated with the hinds ever since I saw Red Dawn but until you pointed out they were Pumas I never knew… course I think I was ten years old when I first saw the movie and back then I was wondering how Hollywood got ahold of a Hind in the middle of the cold war Now thanks to you the cats out of the bag… Im not sure if this will help you (heck you’ve probably already been to this site) but this link has some awsome pics of various HINDS and atleast 3 pics of the A version starting on Pages 2, 3, and 4 http://airliners.net/search/photo.search?&maxres=500&keywords=mi-24&keywrange=all&nr_of_rows=134&first_this_page=0&page_limit=15&sort_order=photo_id+DESC&thumbnails=&engine_version=6.0&nr_pages=9&page=
speaking of mi-24 Hind, i’ve got 2 still in the box. one is a Monogram 1/48 kit #5819. the other is one of the AMT 1/72 adversary kit. got decals from Hi-Decals for 1/72 Mi-24 Hind. Need decals for 1/48 scale hind. any suggestions as to where i might find a set of aftermarket decals?. also, what is the difference between the “A” model and the “D” & “F” model? I would like to add some scratch detailing to both kits but will probably not attempt a conversion because of lack of experience. can you get resin and PE aftermarket parts for these scales? If not is there any suggestions as to what can be scratch built? I can appreciate the skill and time it takes to pull off a complex kit conversion. [bow] Best of luck!!! jeffbaker23@hotmail.com
They have all the 1:48 D to E to F conversion kits to include cockpit, weapons, IR jammers, flare dispenser, etc. They’re alittle steep, but you can eat mac and cheese and drink water for a week to recover your wallet. If you want to do a 1:48 or 1:35 MI-24A model, you’re going to have to scratch-build everything, which I’m currently in the process of doing.
After market decals, I’d go with Bush War Hinds 1 & 2 that are out (or coming out) now. Check Heli-Kit news, they got some scans of em in their latest issue.
I won’t get into all the nitnoid differences b/w the D-E-F models, you can look that up, particularly at FAS.org and you’ll be able to compare what Cobra Company offers to also see the differences.
Now thanks to you the cats out of the bag… Im not sure if this will help you (heck you’ve probably already been to this site) but this link has some awsome pics of various HINDS and atleast 3 pics of the A version starting on Pages 2, 3, and 4
