Jump to content

Aeroplast 1/48 Mi-2 "Czajnik" 50 lat


Recommended Posts

This is Aeroplast's 1/48 Mil Mi-2 Hoplite. The Polish nickname for this aircraft is Czajnik, which means teapot. This is a 50th anniversary scheme. This will my 2nd helicopter.

mi-2-start0.jpg

mi-2-start1.jpg

mi-2-start5.jpg

Paint and decals will be interesting.

mi-2-start6.jpg

I'm also using some aftermarket, a Yahu IP, Part PE, and masks.

mi-2-start4.jpg

Here's the subject

mi-2-prototype.jpg

Edited by dnl42
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Working on the cockpit. The instructions provide no guidance on interior or detail colors, so lots of research is needed. Will try to post the painted and assembled cockpit this weekend.

Here are the bits as they stand. Need to paint the floor a dark brown for linoleum, black seat cushions, seat belts (the pile of PE in the front), and finally the controls (mostly black, but also metal).

mi_2_interior0.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks!

I'm happy so far. I wish I could get specific photos of the interior of this aircraft, but I think I've found enough to do a good job.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks. I'm mostly happy with it, but I do want to tweak the lap belts a wee bit.

Hm, it looks like I used both flat and gloss Vallejo paint for the seat cushions. :doh:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks. This is my 2nd heli, and the first with an interior.

I had managed to install the first-aid(?) box on the center column in the wrong position (should be forward side, not starboard). I sliced that off and will now fix it.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

For some odd reason, Aeroplast likes to mold parts in clear. I can understand the door as well as the nose

mi-2-nose.jpg

But the cockpit ceiling?

mi-2-ceiling0.jpg

Though, it did turn out well enough

mi-2-ceiling1.jpg

As you would expect, the molded grills are mostly shallow and/or coarse:

mi-2-transhousingfront.jpg

To use the Part PE grills, I'll need to cut the openings and trim the grills...some quite a bit

mi-2-partgrills.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

mi-2-transhousingfront.jpg

mi-2-partgrills.jpg

Hello dnl42,

I suggest you stick to local bars with a sharpened drill and adjust the cut design with sandpaper until the PE grade between good fair on site.

Do not attach the front or the back of the hole ... paste in the middle of the hole in order to get quite close to the rest of the piece.

Great job what are you doing in this kit!

[]s :salute:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Got the grates in. First I needed to remove the molded grates.

mi-2-grates0.jpg

Then I needed to size the PE grates. After a lot of thought, I realized that nipping the "bars" wasn't that hard, and could be done with enough precision to get a good fit. As you can see by the white plastic, I got a little rambunctious removing plastic on port side, so I rebuild the opening...

mi-2-grates1.jpg

And here's the transmission housing

mi-2-grates2.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Kurt,

It was tricky. I made a small error on the first opening, which I was able to repair with "melted sprue" putty. The white Evergreen strip repair above was the last opening I cut. I didn't notice until I tried to fit the grill, which was then too small. I guess I was a little tired when I cut it... <_<

One thing I'm contemplating is the intake behind the bar grill; the gaping void behind it is all the more visible. The part itself and photos suggest the duct angles up. If I could get a good head-on shot, I might be able to do something better. I'll probably just put black blanking plates behind the other grills...

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Next up is the rotor. The kit's rotor shaft and a some other tubular parts suffered from mold mis-alignment. I rebuilt the main shaft (upper) using Albion tubing from 2.0 mm down to 0.8 mm for the longer parts. The base parts were 1/8 in and 3/32 in K&S tubes; I thinned the 1/8 in tube to 0.113 in outer diameter and enlarged the 3/32 in tube to 2.0 mm inner diameter. The other parts (lower) used 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 mm tubing.

mi_2_albion.png

The rest of the 22 parts went together well enough considering some of their sizes. Per the instructions, I built the rotor head on the shaft.

mi-2-rotorhead2.jpg

And it stacks up pretty nicely

mi-2-rotorhead7.jpg

Thanks for lookin!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Got the fuselage buttoned up. It took a while because of the overhead control panel. The instructions would have you install the panel onto one fuselage half and then join the other fuselage half. Problem is, there's no positive location. After enough fiddling, I realized I would be much better off joining the fuselage first and then placing the part. That worked out quite well.

With the temporarily fitted transmission housing atop the fuselage, it's getting its characteristic shape.

mi_2_fuselage1.jpg

While most of the parts fit well, these panels on the fuselage bottom do have some gaps to address.

mi_2_fuselage3.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Kurt, thanks. I hate it when round parts are mis-aligned...simply making them round can fundamentally change their dimensions, which was fatal to the rotor assembly in this case. I loved the way the Albion tubing worked out--just perfect! Fortunately, those fuselage bottom panel lines exist; I didn't need to eradicate them, just fill them in.

Zac, I had a lot of trepidation about the grills, but I'm quite happy with the result.

Here's the tail rotor. Despite the very fine parts, it built quite nicely.

mi_2_tailrotor0.jpg

Hmm, need to clean up those mold seams.

Got the tail completed and the windshield in, need to add the forward doors. Have also been working on the various other parts, like tanks, wheels, &etc.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...