I have always wanted to build a Mi-24D for years. I managed to dig out the Hasegawa kit from my stash. The kit was a special edition with “Red Force” extra decal included, bought when it was first released in 1988! However, the kit’s decals are totally un-usable as they turned yellow. I managed to get some very nice decals from Linden Hill Imports. The decals are way better than the original ones, with complete stencils, highly recommended. The Afghan Mi-24D Black 317 set was used as I wanted an exotic Hind. I managed to find a single picture of the original chopper. It was not heavily weathered, fitting my modeling style. 

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Apart from the decal set, the kit was built completely OOB. The fittings of the kit was very good, no dramas in the building process. The major drawback for this kit was the blades, which is far from the real thing. The easy remedy is to ‘import’ it from other kits, like the Italeri or the newer Hobbyboss kits. I used the stock one. I had some difficulties in choosing the right colors for my Hind as reference pictures are limited. I used Gunze H71 (Middle stone) and H48 (Field gray 2) for the camouflage on the upper fuselage, and H308 on the underside of my Hind. It fits the real one well and I am quite satisfied with how the colors turned out. 

This is my first submission in years. My other commitments won’t allow me to build as often as I would have liked. Nonetheless, I am trying to keep my momentum and already have another Hind project rolling! Hope you like my Afghan Hind.

Chris Lai