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| In April of 1952, the Soviet Union's
first large cargo/passenger helicopter, the Mi-4 took to the sky. It was
designed and flown within a year, a remarkable feat even though it borrowed
much of it's design from the U.S. Sikorsky S-55. |
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| Able to carry 14 troops or 1.6 tons
of cargo, the Hound A (NATO designation) was also used in anti-submarine
warfare and armed assault.
When production ended in 1964, more than 3000 Mi-4s had been produced
for the USSR and many foreign users. |
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| Normal Hound armament was one 12.7
mm machine gun mounted under the fuselage in a gondola type protrusion
- although North Vietnamese Hounds were equipped with guns and missiles
when they attacked American Forces near Da Nang on June 1968 and destroyed
a PCF boat. |
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| The Hound is powered by a
1,700 hp. Shvetsov ASh-82V air-cooled radial engine, giving the Hound
a top speed of 99 knots.
On April 25, 1956, a Hound set a world record by lifting
2,000 kg. payload to 6,017 meters. In 1957, an Mi-4 made a 7,000 km. flight
from Moscow to North Pole-6 Arctic station. |
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| No... this is NOT the way
they started the engine!
Every once in a while somebody will rush through one of my pages, and
not even realize they're looking at models. So I try to include at least
one shot like this to get their attention. |
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| I'm glad to see so many "new" kit
releases of all the world's un-represented rotary winged aircraft. Just
in case any manufacturers are reading... I cast my vote for a big fat
Mi-26 Halo! (I can dream can't I?) |
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| Goodman Air Base was a little crowded on the day I took these photos. The Hound was having to share Tarmac with
my Il-28 Beagle . |
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| My Hound is a neat little kit, not
quite up to today's high tech molding standards, but sufficient and unique.
It's an important part in any rotary winged collection and yet a rare
sight in any display. The most important thing is
thay it's a little on the ugly side. That automatically makes it a favorite
in my book. |
Kit: Unda #72004 |
Scale: 1/72 |
| Decals: I
used Polish markings and numerals from my decal scrap box. The kit provides
Russian Stars and numbers which I didn't actually try, but they looked
as if the clear parts would have a yellowish tint to them. |
| Paint: The
colors are mostly Model Master Pale Green
FS 34227 Euro Dark Green FS 34092
and Medium Gray FS 35237, although all
were altered to match photos of the real aircraft. |
| After Market Parts: None |
| Customizations: I added new Odd Rods
(IFF antennae), a cloth boot around the gun's base, a stretched sprue
aerial antennae, and two modified pilot's seats out of my spares box.
I replaced the clear parts provided for the spotlights with metallic
sequins and clear epoxy (as always), a trick that was taught to me by
Kyle Williams - Thanks Kyle! |
| Cost: I picked this kit up from Squadron Mail Order on sale for about $5 bucks
if I remember correctly. A very good deal! |
Comments: Fit
is pretty good on most of the kit with the exception of the front windscreen.
I had to trim the engine cover and both sides of the cockpit, and shim
the top of the clear glass part to make it all go together.
All of the clear parts are molded thick and rough. A coat of Future
floor wax helped them a little, but it's still very hard to see inside.
That turns out not to be such a problem since the interior detail is
very sparse anyway.
The pilot/chair assembly was sort of a head-shape glued onto a "dustcloth
covered recliner" so I dug through my parts box and found two seats
that could be modified into convincing helicopter seats.
The front landing gear support struts were difficult to locate properly
and way too thick, so I used some scraps to rebuild them better.
Because of the windscreen fit and the landing gear, I wouldn't recommend
this kit for a beginner, but with a little patience and forgiveness,
it does build into a nice looking Hound when all said and done. I'm
very happy with the kit. |
