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HobbyBoss 1/72 Mil Mi-2 Hoplite build up


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Hi Gang,

Here are some in-progress photos of what I have been tinkering with on and off over the last few weeks. It is HobbyBoss' newly released PZL-Swidnik (Mil) Mi-2 Hoplite kit. After seeing one of these cool little helicopters on the back of flatbed truck on I-55 in Tennessee headed to wherever its new home was a couple of years back, I've wanted to build a model of the Hoplite. No decent kit existed until the arrival of this little gem (there are/were three manufacturers who kitted a 1/72 Mi-2, but all had some pretty significant shape errors, namely in the windscreen/forward engine inlet areas). The HobbyBoss kit has a few errors too (main rotorhead to large, tail rotor blades too long to name a couple), but they are the first to get that front engine cowling and windscreen area spot on. An Intech Mi-2 can be acquired to replace the the rotors if the kit one won't suffice for your build. For simplicity's sake, I'm doing this one out-of-box, just to get a feel for the kit. next Mi-2 I build will have the rotor corrections done.

The interior/cabin area. Light on detail here but looks the part from outside the cockpit (ie looking through the glass). HB provides decals for the instrument panel and overhead control panels. I wasn't sure if weight would be needed but I added a little anyways to keep her on all four wheels (crushed fishing weights under the cabin seat riser). Interior color is RLM 78, and the instrument consoles are Floquil NYC Jade Green (a railroad color).

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And with its paint scheme. I went with the old school Eastern Bloc green/blue helicopter scheme. Markings will be for a Polish Civil Defense Regiment bird (as signified by the blue/white tail band). The tail band was airbrushed with Tamiya white and Model Master Ford Engine Blue. One little artistic liberty I took was adding the external battery box under the tail boom, and the gun camera housing in front of the right side windscreen. These items are usually found on the URN and URP-G gunship variants (though there are some Mi-2Ts that were converted from gunship use to transports that retain those two features in the Polish Air Force and army).

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And that's where she stands at this point. Should have the panel wash and decals done by this weekend. Thanks for looking!

Cheers,

Alby

Edited by Albert Moore
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Thanks Joachim, Moritz, and Jan!

Here's the latest, all seven decals were applied today. Definitely one of the quickest decal jobs I've done. :lol: Also added the anti-glare panel with Tamiya NATO Black.

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Thanks again!

Cheers,

Alby

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Looking good, Alby!

Not one of my favorite subjects, but I like what you've done so far.

Alby,

Well as Klaus says, not one of my favorites, but you have done beautiful and quick job with the Hobby Boss kit. Did you find the fit to be pretty good? Regardless of the accuracy of their kits, the Hobby Boss Huey and Cobra I built practically fell together.

Ray

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Thanks Nenad and Ray! It is a little ungainly looking but that's part of its charm too. :woot.gif: The possibilities abound with this kit as far as variety goes. Kinda like a Hughes 369 or Bell 206, lots of different users and paint schemes.

Cheers,

Alby

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I can't wait for the review! I bought three In-Tech Hoplites then last year, while on line to buy tickets to a ferry in Poland, I bought a Mastercraft kit in the gift shop where the tickets were sold. The Mastercraft kit turned out to be a re-boxed In-Tech kit. For the In-Tech kits, I had already bought the Airmo and PART detail sets. I wonder how they will work in the HobbyBoss kits?

Regards,

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I can't wait for the review! I bought three In-Tech Hoplites then last year, while on line to buy tickets to a ferry in Poland, I bought a Mastercraft kit in the gift shop where the tickets were sold. The Mastercraft kit turned out to be a re-boxed In-Tech kit. For the In-Tech kits, I had already bought the Airmo and PART detail sets. I wonder how they will work in the HobbyBoss kits?

Regards,

A friend of mine has Mastercraft kit. I saw it and all I can say... one BIG disaster in 1/72. Of course, that Mastercraft can look really great, but it requires a lot of work and dedication to details.

Check out this nice in-box review...

http://www.scale-rotors.com/news-reviews/hobbyboss/mi-2-t-hoplite-87241

Edited by LanceR21
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Lance,

Thanks for the link to the review. There are a few Mi-2 with faces painted on, one being the Latvian subject called Jaws... So it seems I have a spare InTech molded kit. Hopefully, I will catch the HobbyBoss kits on sale and use the InTech parts to better them.

Regards,

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