1/72 Revell Mil Mi-24 V (Mi-35)

Gallery Article by Gerd Wilcken on Nov 28 2017

 

      

The Mil Mi-24 had its first flight in 1969. It was the first Soviet combat helicopter. This can simultaneously transport a group of soldiers. As the first version the Mi-24A with large glass cockpit was produced. The further developed Mi-24D with separate crew cabins had 1972 its first flight. Its characteristic was the multi-course revolver gun under the bow.

Over 2000 copies were built from the Mi-24 and the export version Mi-35. This kit sees Revell continue their tradition of releasing models which were originally produced by other companies. This particular kit was originally tooled by Zvezda.

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Inside the box are five sprues of grey plastic and a single sprue of clear plastic. Together they hold a whopping 284 parts (!!), which is really outstanding for a kit of this size. The kit is very well moulded. Surface detailing is comprised of extremely fine, engraved panel lines and the overall impression is great. Bringing wash to the panel lines is very difficult. 

After finishing the mass of internal details, you can start to put the airframe together. The fuselage halves close up around the core internal structure like a clamshell. The front fuselage (from the cockpit bulkhead forward) is separate to the rest of the fuselage in order to allow other variants to be produced from the same moulds. This complicates construction somewhat, but such compromises are not uncommon with this type of kit. There are subtle differences between the two versions supplied on the decal sheet, so pay close attention to make sure you pick up on these.

Undercarriage and wheels, engine intake filters and the auxiliary power unit are very nicely detailed. The clear parts are excellent and are engineered in a way that allow you to pose the entry panels in the open position. A choice of nose turret is offered, allowing you to finish your model with either the twin 23mm GSh-23l guns or the four-barrelled 12.7mm Yak-B machine gun. The rotor head is nicely detailed and the blades themselves are thin and sharp. I only change the seats with resin seats from the Pavla Cockpit set, and finally I added some details to the open engine bay and the main rotor.

Regarding the colors, Revell has not changed, still the blends for their own shades. So. Let`s mix it! I used different shades from Revell Aqua Color and Vallejo Acyrics. Two options are provided on the decal sheet:

  • Mi-35, Czech Air Force, 221st Attack Helicopter Squadron, Namest nad Oslavou, CSR, 2011 (the aircraft depicted on the box); and

  • Mi-24V, Soviet VVS, 337 OBVP, Mahlwinkel, GDR, 1993.

The decals are well printed.

Conclusion
This is a complex but superbly detailed model which looks very good on the sprue. It should be enjoyable to build and with a little care and attention will result in a stunning model. The texture on the external surfaces is a slight concern, but the almost overwhelming amount of internal detail more than compensates for this. Highly recommended.

Gerd Wilcken

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Photos and text © by Gerd Wilcken