Military Model Scene

This new Hind Special from Aces High is a real beauty.  I have to admit I have long been fascinated by the Russian built Hind.  Perhaps it was something of a Cold War 'bogey-man' and was one of those bits of Soviet era kit which held an air of mystery about it.  There were news clips of it in action in Afghanistan during the Soviet involvement in that country and the large gunship was an impressive bit of kit.  Once the Warsaw Pact collapsed it suddenly became more accessible to the Western observer.  One of my own memories is from when we began to see them appear at air displays here in the UK.

This new Aces High special issue, a soft cover book of 140 pages which hold some superb images and printed of good quality paper.  The first 85 pages hold a brief background to the Hind and some fine colour profiles, along with a host of first class quality photos of the real thing. These feature more than one example of the real thing and show detail of every aspect that an aviation enthusiast or modeller might want.  The engine and rotor head in detail, along with the interior of the crew compartment and the twin cockpit.  For the modeller, the colours of the individual elements are ideal while some of the external shots of the Hind, including some in flight, are just superb to see.  Most are produced with two photos per page while others take up a while page

The second half of the book is for modellers and Daniel Zamarbide takes us through a detailed account of his build of the huge 1/32 Trumpeter kit of the Hind E and placing it in a diorama along with the Trumpeter 1/35 kit of the UAZ 469 light utility vehicle.  The build process is well explained at each stage, accompanied by photos to illustrate it all the way through.  Then, in the last few pages of the book there is the inclusion of a painting project which is quite stunning.  It features a specially painted machine of the Hungarian armed forces, a Hind D called Csorike.  Now held in a Museum, it involves painting the entire airframe  the feathers of a Hawk, along with a bright yellow nose (or 'beak').  I am in awe of the skill displayed in painting this one, amazing to see.

My thanks to Justin at Bookworld for my example, as they stock it here in the UK.

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Robin