Wednesday 16 November 2016

The Devil Rides A Crocodile


Historical Background
With the trend towards battlefield air mobility in the 1960s, Soviet helicopter designer Mikhail Mil realised the potential for aerial infantry fighting vehicles which could be used to perform both infantry transport and fire support missions. A mock-up, designated V-24 was revealed at factory No.329 in 1966. The V-24 had an infantry compartment that could hold eight soldiers sitting back-to-back, a set of small wings at the top rear of the troop-carrying cabin which was capable of carrying up to six missiles or rocket pods and a GSh-23L cannon fixed to the landing skid. When the design was proposed to the Soviet High Command, it was met with some opposition, who prefer to have a more conventional design. Mil however managed to persuade Marshal Andrey Grechko, the Defence Minister's First Deputy, to convene an expert panel to look into the proposal. The panel's reaction was mixed, but convinced with the development and deployment of attack helicopters and gunships by the Americans in Vietnam, the supporters of the project held sway.

The Mil Design Bureau prepared two designs: a single-engined, 7-ton design and a twin-engined, 10.5-ton design, both using the 1,700 hp Isotov TV3-117 turboshaft used in the same design bureau's Mi-8 utility helicopter. During the design stage a number of changes were made including the replacement of the 23-mm cannon with a rapid-fire, multi barrel heavy machine gun in a chin turret and the ability to use the 9K114 Shturm (AT-6 Spiral) anti-tank missile. In May 1968, the twin-engined design (now called the Mi-24) was chosen. The full-scale mockup was reviewed and approved in February 1969. A tethered hover flight test was made on 15 September 1969 with the first free-flight conducted four days later. The prototype was followed by a batch of ten development aircraft which conducted an 18-month test programme beginning in June 1970. These produced more changes sucha s a 12-degree anhedral to the wings, moving the missile pylons from the fuselage to the wingtips, moving the tail rotor from the right to the left side of the tail and reversing the rotation direction. The first production version, Izdeliye 245 or Mi-24A achieved initial operational capability in 1971 and was officially accepted in 1972.

The Mi-24 was essentially a derivative of the Mi-8 'Hip' with the two top-mounted turboshaft engines driving an almost-similar main rotor. The original version (Mi-24A) has an angular greenhouse-style cockpit which was replaced by a tandem, stepped cockpits with separate armoured bubble canopy for the crew (who are also protected by a titanium tub, proof against 12.7 mm rounds) from Mi-24D onwards. Weapons, depending on the mission undertaken, ranging from free-fall bombs to laser-guided anti-tank missiles, were carried under the two mid-mounted stub wings, each with three weapons stations. On-board weaponry is turret-mounted 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borsov Yak-B gatling-style machine gun (on most variants) or fixed twin-barrel GSh-30K on Mi-24P or turret-mounted 23 mm twin barrel GSh-23L cannon (Mi-24VP and VM). A PKB 7.62 mm can be mounted on the passenger cabin window to protect the aircraft's blind side. Over time, the troop-carrying function became less important and the cabin was used to carry ammunition reloads.

The Mi-24, given the NATO nickname 'Hind', saw first action with Ethiopian forces against Somalia during the 1977-1978 Ogaden War. In 1978 it saw action with the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force during the Cambodian-Vietnamese War of 1978. In the same year it also faced against Chad when it was used by the Libyans during their incursions into the former. The Hind's first extensive operation was during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. Despite strong resistance from the Afghan Mujahideen fighters, the Hind was very effective against them. It was nicknamed Syaitan Arba (Satan's Chariot) and apparently a Mujahideen leader was quoted saying 'We are not afraid of the Russians, but we are afraid of their helicopters'.  Combat experience in Afghanistan demonstrated the disadvantages of carrying troops, incurring weight penalty while operating in hot and high areas. The troops were carried in Mi-8s while the Hinds concentrated on giving support. The troop compartment armour was also removed while a machine gun (or two) were mounted on the cabin windows, operated by a technician. The Mi-24s were usually operated in concert with Su-25 ground attack aircraft, protecting and escorting heliborne assaults and ground operations, convoy protection and hunter-killer-style operations. They were also used to protect transport aircraft coming in and out of Kabul, deploying flares to decoy man-portable surface-to-air missiles, of which the FIM-92 Stinger was the most effective.

Another conflict in which the Hind was used extensively was the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Although causing severe damage to Iranian infantry and soft-skinned vehicles, it was less effective against tanks as the Iraqi Hinds were armed with the older 9M17 Skorpion (AT-2 Swatter) missile. A tactic was developed where the Hinds were used to suppress Itranian air defences while the armour was dealt with the HOT missile-armed Aerospatiale Gazelles. The Iran-Iraq War also saw air-to-air combat between helicopters, chiefly between the Hind and the AH-1J SeaCobras. It was claimed that these aerial engagements resulted in the loss of 6 Hinds and 10 SeaCobras. Weapons used in these engagements include the mounted cannon / machine gun, rockets and anti-tank missiles. The Hind continue to be developed and used in conflicts around the globe until today. In its native country, the Mi-24 was nicknamed 'Krokodil' (crocodile).

The Kit
The kit built here is the 1993 Tamiya re-boxing of the Italeri kit originally released the year before. The parts are spread among two sand-coloured and one clear sprues. The kit has raised details but petite and sharp (the fit will have to wait until construction starts) although some details were skipped or simplified. More serious shortcomings was that it was well, short in the diameter of the rotor blades and the tail boom, the rotor blades were too narrow, the stub wings were too long and the airfoil is reversed. While disappointing, I'd go on with the build as at the time I bought the kit, it was the only game in town (the Revell kit was another Italeri reboxing). The nice decal sheet provide markings for three aircraft:

1. Yellow 07 - Soviet Air Force
2. 0294 - Czechoslavakian Air Force
3. 96+22 - Luftwaffe

Construction
As usual, the cockpit received the first attention. I started by painting the parts while still on the sprue. Tamiya suggested that the interior is to be painted XF-19 Sky Grey, although I believe it to be Russian Interior Blue. I used a 50-50 mix of X-14 Sky Blue and XF-5 Flat Green. As for the seats, I weren't confident of my ability to properly trim it down and so I left them as they were (as moulded, the seats would be the most comfortable of all helicopter crew seat, they are quite wide, perhaps two persons can sit side-by-side at 1/1 scale!) . There weren't any decals for the instrument panel I had to paint them myself. Italeri also included a very rudimentary interior for the troop cabin and it is best closed unless an aftermarket set is available or if one wants to scratchbuild it. If one is building an aircraft without the heat dissipaters, the exhausts have to be assembled and then cemented to the roof of the troop compartment. The interior parts were then cemented to the right side of the fuselage, prior to closing up the latter.

Although the instructions have you place the tail rotor at this time, I skipped it as it would interfere with painting (it can still be removed, by the way). The troop compartment doors were then cemented in the closed position (it can be posed open by cutting the door in two and adding other parts required). Fit is not good and need to be carefully placed in the opening; nevertheless there is quite a gap between the door and the fuselage. Also, the clear parts did not fit snugly in the openings and with me being clumsy, resulted in cement smudges on the clear parts..darn it! The upper engine cowling, engine air intakes, the heat dissipaters and the IRCM 'ball' were assembled and fitted to the fuselage. All have fit issues, whether as to the components themselves and/or their fit to the fuselage which require filling and sanding. It was quite tedious as the gaps and steps occur at hard-to-sand areas.

Moving to the bottom of the fuselage, the turret-mounted machine gun was assembled but I set it aside for the time being. The radar pod went on without problem, just a seam line along the centre. The LLLTV/FLIR pod however has a step when assembled and to cure this problem, I cut off the locating tabs and align them by sight. While this avoided the step, it resulted in a gap between one side of the fairing and the fuselage, which require more puttying, and sanding. The wings were assembled and attached to the fuselage. again there is the issue of fit as the there is a bit of a gap at the wing roots and also between the left wing tip and the laser designator pod. There is also a sizeable gap between the wing and the weapons pylons. Talking about the weapons pylons, they were moulded together with the B-8 rocket pods. Not only this complicate painting, I also believe that the rocket pods were undersized. They would have to go and were cut away before the pylons were cemented to the wings.

Painting and Decalling
During the course of the build, I came to know a Linden Hill Decals sheet for Mi-24 stencils and decided that I must have one (despite, or perhaps because of, my love-hate relationship with modern aircraft stencilling). So I took an opportunity during a visit to KL to drop by at Hobby HQ. Mr. Low stocks the said decal, but unfortunately the price is quite steep. Nevertheless I managed to buy Begemot's Mi-24 decal sheet which have the stencils plus a bunch of interesting markings for Mi-24 users around the world. I have to disregard some marking suggestions as they are for the Mi-24P variant. A second round of elimination took out those without the heat dissipaters. That left me with just three choices - a Sandinista AF Mi-24D in 1987, a Soviet AF Mi-24V in Afghanistan, 1984 and an airshow Mi-24VM/ Mi-35M. I ended up choosing the Soviet AF Hind as the helicopter was best known for its role in the conflict.

For the underside blue, I used a mixture of roughly 60% XF-23 Light Blue, 30% XF-2 Flat White and 10% XF-8 Flat Blue. While Tamiya suggested XF-59 for the base colour, I feel that, after consulting photos, it should have a grey tint to it. After browsing the internet, I settled for a mix of 40% Gunze H315 (as substitute for Tamiya XF-20), 20% XF-52 Flat Earth and 10% XF-59 Desert Yellow. The brown camouflage pattern was painted using Tamiya XF-64 Red Brown. Afterwards it was time for the decals. I have used Begemot decals before (for my MiG-31) and found them to be thin and in register although a little flat in finish. It was the same for the Mi-24 decals, although I have to leave them in the sunlight for several hours as the decals has yellowed. One gripe though - the 'Danger' markings at the tail was quite transparent, showing the camouflage beneath it. I substituted them with leftovers given by a friend. Mr. Mark Softer was then applied.

Finishing
As usual I started with the landing gears. However, the way the kit main landing gears is engineered, the model would sit level with the surface whereas the actual Hind has a nose-up attitude. The main landing gears were repositioned and some trimming were done so that the struts and wheels were perpendicular to the ground. This however results in Part A75 becoming too short and they were replaced with a length of plastic rod cut to appropriate length. Originally I thought of having different weapons fit, such as having bombs or gun pods on the pylons but having none (there are no gun pods in my stash and I have run out of bombs form the Dragon Weapons Set), I settled for the prototypical load of four rocket pods using the ones from the Dragon set. The 9K114 Shturm missile tubes were also replaced with Dragon items as the kit ones were merely lengths of tube devoid of details. The cockpit transparencies , painted separately, was then attached. They did not sit properly, requiring a bit more sanding and retouching of paints (I however forgot the gunner's hatch!). 

While most wrong and missing details were left as they were, I did a few reworkings of the main rotor. The main rotor rotates clockwise (when viewed from above) but it was moulded the other way round. I shaved off the 'pimple' (it was the hydraulic reservoir on the real aircraft) on top of the hub and placed it on the bottom while the control rods swap places with it. The rotor blades were then cemented to the hub. There were sizeable gaps at each joint but I left them as they were for a while. As the real blades droop while idle, each blade was soaked in hot water and was then gently bent down. I didn't increase the chord of the blades as I felt it was too ambitious for me. The gap on each blade joint was then filled and painted. The Hind modelled was fitted with blade-type IFF aerials, so the moulded-on 'Odd Rods' IFF aerials were removed and replaced with ones made from scrap plastic. The model was then given a wash and was later sprayed with Mr. Hobby Matte Topcoat, finishing the build.

Conclusion
The 1/72 Italeri / Tamiya kit is not a good kit. There, I have said it. Not only it has a number (which is quite a lot, really) of glaring mistakes, the fit was also not good. It was a good kit for a modeller to get out of his comfort zone (I can say that I only rose part way...haha!), making a number of tweaks so that the kit represented a more accurate Hind. The competitors' Hinds represent a better value for money. 

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