Ludvík Kružík
This is going to be a bit of a "crazy" build. There will be a lot of cutting and modifying, including using conversion kits and making new parts. Just the way I like it. I was really looking forward to this build.
I've thought through and prepared a build procedure, checked the condition of the kit and conversion kits ...
The starting countdown is on. 🙂
First pictures of the build will follow soon.

Eric Thornton
Following! I built this kit in the 80s when I was a kid, fun build.

Ludvík Kružík
Welcome, Eric! I hope you have as much fun with my build as you did with yours back in the 80s.

John
I too built this kit back in the day, fun build for sure. Great outcome on the fuselage surgery! It's going to look great sitting on its wheels with the tilt. I know the kit is supposed to be poor, but outside details are not bad at all. The 4+ books are great references. 👍

bughunter
A new show - I'm in!
You are right with pic 9. No helicopter is horizontal, at least in the air. The main rotor must compensate for the thrust of the tail rotor so that the helicopter does not shift sideways. Some helicopters stand straight on the skids, but then take off with one skid first.

Robert Podkoński
I want to watch the show too! 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
@John
I like old kits with all their faults. They give me room to develop my skills. And this kit is very good from my point of view. I certainly wouldn't guess it's 40 years old. If you don't insist on a perfect match to the kit, it can be a nice model without modification.

@bughunter
@Robert
Welcome to my new show. Sit back and make yourself comfortable. I'm very honored by your kindness.

Ludvík Kružík
To make matters worse, I did some more cutting today. 😄

John
Ludvik, I totally agree on old kits, especially old Monogram/Revell. They are usually very detailed even if fits is not great. Accuracy is also pretty good most times, at least for western subjects. I get the feeling for the Hind they only had access to pictures but it's a good kit all the same, glad to see you doing it justice.

Alec K
Another chopper? I am in 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Hey, Alec, welcome aboard. That's right, there's another helicopter. And as the first photos of the model build showed, it's definitely not OOB 😄. There's gonna be a lot of cutting, but relax, no blood will flow. Except maybe mine, if I'm not careful enough.

Ludvík Kružík
I didn't have much time to build the model this weekend, but I did manage to do something.

Thomas Haberl (th_scale_models)
You are crazy, mate ... 😆😆😆 I'm very interested in this build, even if I'm not that crazy as you ... I'm trying to get in my comfort zone with "normal" kits at the moment. 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Thomas, thank you for your interest in my project.

That's the beauty of this hobby. Anyone can modify it as they see fit. This craziness is my comfort zone ... ... and this kit is normal for me 😄 😄 😄
--------
I continue to work on the cockpits. Since I want to keep both cockpits and the right door to the transport cabin open, I'll have to play around with the interior. The cockpits are very simplified in the kit. It will be like working on a church. Cutting continues. I cut the base with both cockpits into smaller parts. I cut out all the excess. I've prepared new parts from plastic plates and I'm gluing them in place.

I didn't get a chance to take pictures today, so hopefully tomorrow.

Ludvík Kružík
I added some pictures of the model construction. Not much to brag about yet.

Ludvík Kružík
Apart from "enjoying" the cycles of puttying and sanding on the modified half of the fuselage, I started to gradually assemble the cockpits.
I've already cut everything that could be cut... it's time to start putting it all together. 😄

Guy Rump
Looking good, following. 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Welcome, Guy!

The installation of the cockpits into the fuselage will now follow. Due to the extensive modifications to the fuselage and interior, this will be a slow and time consuming process.

Ludvík Kružík
This weekend I had very little time for modelling (as expected). I practically only had a little time this afternoon. So progress is very moderate. But I still managed to get a few things done.

Alec K
I am always amazed how much modeling time you are able to put in. True dedication! It's coming along very nicely 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Alec, it's a little different. For me, working on a model is not a sacrifice, it's fun. The more work on the model, the more fun. 😄

Alec K
Wholeheartedly agree! I meant that I wonder, and envy, the amount of time you dedicate to the craft 👍. Modeling is about the journey, not the destination 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
I have the advantage of having grown children and free time after work. I usually have time to model in the afternoons. So I take advantage of that. I'd rather model for a little while every day than all day once a week 🙂.

Ludvík Kružík
The "sculpting work" on the model slowly continues. I spent this afternoon modifying the front undercarriage shaft.

Jakub Fiala
Excellent work, Ludvíku! I really like, how you pay attention to details.

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you, Jakub. I'm trying.

Ludvík Kružík
I've added more details to the landing gear shaft. All that's left is to cut off the open landing gear cover and I can glue the landing gear shaft into the fuselage.

Jennifer Franklin
ok wow, this is a major project. you are recreating the real thing using the basic model as the basis with a lot of adjustments. I am impressed. This is very inspiring. For someone just starting out with their first scale model this is a little mind-blowing. Something to aspire to.

Ludvík Kružík
The basis for building interiors is ready. Now I will start to gradually produce and add interior equipment.

Ludvík Kružík
Slowly, but still I continue. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
Jennifer, thank you for the kind words! I believe that as you build more models and gain more experience, you will be able to make different modifications to your models. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
After adjusting the shape and size of the exhaust holes, I continue to work on the interior parts.

bughunter
After a while I looked again in this build. OMG, you spent a lot of effort. Wouldn't it be easier to build this from a more modern kit? I mean Eduard is still offering the overtrees kit, to save money.
At least that is how I would act. Yes, you can certainly get everything right and I also scratch parts that are not available elsewhere. But if something modern is available, I'm lazy and save time for the next project. Maybe that comes with age. A friend used to say: life is too short for bad kits. 😉
But my worries need not bother you, if the way is the goal, just get on with it. 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Frank, I know Eduardo's kits very well. I have both the aforementioned Overtrees kit and the limited edition Mi-24D at home. I want to use them later to build other machines used by the Czech Air Force. I agree with you that Eduard's kits (which are Zvezda mouldings) are much better than this one from Monogram. I also know that most modelers prefer to reach for a nice new kit (if available). Your friend is right. But in my case I would add - life is too short for bad kits unless modifying them is your goal. 😉

Ludvík Kružík
I added details in the transport cabin and glued the partially assembled transport cabin to the right half of the fuselage.

Shar Dipree
Very nice. Following.

Ludvík Kružík
Welcome, Shar, thank you for your patronage.

Ludvík Kružík
I spent this afternoon modifying the port side of the transport cabin.

Robert Podkoński
Interior looks awesome, Ludviku!

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you, Robert.

Work continues on the left wall of the transport cabin.

Ludvík Kružík
The transport cab is almost complete, just need to finish the folding bench and install it in the cab.

Ludvík Kružík
I have added more photos from the construction. There is still a lot of work to be done before gluing the two halves of the fuselage together.

John
There always is, and if you're like me, you see something you forgot to do right after the glue dries.

Ludvík Kružík
Yes, John, I know that from personal experience. Murphy's Laws work in model building, too. "The likelihood that a part that's just glued on can be peeled off later without damage is less likely the more you need to peel it off." 😄

Ludvík Kružík
I'm continuing to edit other parts.

bughunter
A lot of detail work - it will convert every kit into a great model 👍

Alec K
Indeed, and very nice progress to boot 👍

Ludvík Kružík
I didn't work on the model today. Instead I visited the military airport in Čáslav. During the open day there were static and flight demonstrations of selected aircraft. Among others, this Mi-24V with a very nice anniversary paint job took part in this event.

Robert Podkoński
Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!

Jennifer Franklin
Indeed, beautiful photos. I love the tiger on the front.

Ludvík Kružík
I'm glad you like the photos.

More photos from the open day at the military airport in Čáslav can be seen here: eu.zonerama.com/LudvikKruzik/Album/9818004

Ludvík Kružík
After yesterday's rest I went back to work on the Hind.

Ludvík Kružík
I added a few parts to the interior of the helicopter.

Ludvík Kružík
I finished modifying the main rotor reducer part and added instrument panels to the cockpit.

Alec K
Lot of great progress Ludvíku 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Thanks, Alec. 🙂
Now the progress is even greater. I glued the fuselage halves together, extended the tail spar to the correct length and adjusted the rudder pitch. It's starting to look like a helicopter. 😄

Villiers de Vos
Very nice progress.

Jennifer Franklin
Not only is it starting to look like a helicopter Ludvik, it's starting to look exactly like the real thing 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
Before I glue the part with the air inlets to the engines and the oil cooler to the fuselage, I have to finish the corridor between the cockpit and the transport cabin.

Rui
Looking good 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you Rui!
Welcome aboard. 🙂

Slavo Hazucha
Well - with every step this gets closer & closer to building an actual Hind helicopter... 😉

Ludvík Kružík
Welcome, Slavo!
My goal is to make the built model as close as possible to the real machine. 🙂

Mr James
Scratch building 101 from Ludvik. Your dedication to authenticity is admirable. Bloody good work 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
Today I added the missing bits and pieces to the connecting corridor.

bughunter
This amount of detail helps definitely to give the impression of a real machine 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you, mates!
@Mr James
Thank you for your kind words, I appreciate them.
@bughunter
Unfortunately, some of these details won't be very visible. But it wouldn't be the same without them. 😉

Ludvík Kružík
Another little progress.
I've made a padded ceiling for the corridor between the cockpit and the transport cabin.

Ludvík Kružík
I continue to modify other parts of the kit.

Ludvík Kružík
Another partial progress in the build 🙂

Łukasz Gliński
Oh wow, that's an extensive refactor of an old kit. Hats off Ludviku! 👍

Neil
Gosh! This is fabulously accomplished work... Following with great interest 👍 Obviously I love an old (vintage!) kit being worked up! And with your skills Ludvik the end result is highly anticipated 👍

Alec K
The wire clamp is genious 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Welcome, Łukasz and Neil! Thank you for your kind comments 🙂
I have been planning to build this model for a long time. And when I found instructions on Czech modelling forum how to deflect the fuselage to make the model match the reality, it was decided. I was so impressed with the fuselage deflection procedure that I decided to try it. And since I had gone to the trouble of deflecting the fuselage, I decided to try to fix the other shape errors in this model (at least the ones I can fix). I recognize that with the existence of a good quality kit of this helicopter from Zvezda (the Eduard kit contains the same Zvezda parts), working on rebuilding this kit may seem like a waste of time. But the thing is, I love these rebuilds and even though they aren't perfect, I have a great time doing them. 😉

Ludvík Kružík
Alec, a wire clamp is basically improvisation. Once glued to the fuselage, the air intake section had to be held in place until the glue dried. The modeling clamp was unusable in this case, it was impossible to attach it so that the clamp would push the glued part to the back of the tail and down at the same time. So using wire was a simple solution that met all the requirements without fail 😄.

Ludvík Kružík
Although the cockpit seats are adapted for seated parachutists, due to the low altitude of operational flights, the crew did not usually use parachutes. Instead of a parachute, a part with a padded seat cushion was then inserted into the seat. Therefore, I made the seats with this padded part.

Villiers de Vos
Very nice progress.

bughunter
Nice seats and interesting information about the parachutes! Will the rotor be blown away when they want to get out?

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you, Villiers!

@bughunter
When we talk about the Mil Mi-24 helicopter, we should keep two things in mind.
First - the Mi-24 is a Russian machine
Second - its design was designed in the second half of the 60s. The first prototype flew in 1971 and the "D" version went into production in 1973, 50 years ago.
Russian (Soviet) aircraft designs are known for their expediency, everything is subordinated to the purpose and you won't find anything unnecessary. Crew comfort and safety are only marginally addressed and only to the extent necessary.

The crew rescue system, as we know it from modern Western designs, is not in the MI-24. Its seats are not ejection seats. The pilot's seat and the gunner's seat are only modified to allow sitting on them with a parachute attached. The flight engineer does not have a seat either (in Czech Mi-24 crews used an improvised seat in the corridor between the cockpit and the transport cabin). The flight engineer has his parachute placed in the transport cabin.

In case of serious damage to the helicopter, the rotor blades cannot be dropped. The crew would be rescued from the helicopter much like the pilots in World War II. The pilot would exit through the open door on the right side of the cabin, the gunner through the open door to his cabin, and the flight engineer through the open door to the transport cabin on the left or right side. All this with the rotor spinning overhead and the auxiliary wings behind the back.
That this is not a good solution is evidenced by one of the few known cases where a Russian crew attempted to jump out of a helicopter. Two crew members were killed and one suffered serious injuries.

Ludvík Kružík
The console with the control levers is ready. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
I finished the rear cabin (for the helicopter pilot) and started adding equipment to the front cabin (for the gunner).
Unlike the cockpit for the pilot, where I used photo-etched sheet metal parts, I will have to make a lot of new parts in the front cockpit for the gunner.

Ludvík Kružík
I'm continuing work on the gunner's cabin.

Ludvík Kružík
The instruments and equipment on the starboard side of the cockpit for the gunner are in place.

Alec K
Solid progress on the interior spaces 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you Alec! Progress on the interior continues.
I spent this afternoon gluing a lot of little pieces... and then gluing even smaller pieces on top of them... making a scope for the gunner's cockpit.

bughunter
Uff - forgot yesterday to save my comment 🙁
You re doing a great job detailing this heli 👍

Shar Dipree
Yes, awesome detailing!

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you my friends, I appreciate it very much.

There are just a few last details to finish the gunner's cabin. Then I'll continue with the cockpit covers.

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you all for the likes.

Ludvík Kružík
Nothing to photograph yet. I got to my "favorite" discipline, cabin masking. Since I don't have a cutting plotter or the original Monogram/Revell masks, I have no choice but to mask by gradually measuring, cutting and taping masking tape. And since I'll have both cabs open, I'll be masking both the outside and the inside. So far, I've masked off the hard part of the front cab cover from the inside.

While I'm masking the cab, I'm thinking about how to make "ridges" for the air distribution that blows away from the cab and prevents it from fogging up.

Ludvík Kružík
Another slight advancement in kit construction.

bughunter
Pic 148 looks like there is a real green light inside! 👍

Ludvík Kružík
@bughunter
Glad you like it.

I'm taking baby steps, but I'm moving forward. Today I finished installing the defogging system for the glass cockpit gunner cover.

Robert Podkoński
That's a superdetailed mastermodeller work - keep it up, Ludviku!

Zsolt Czegle
Awesome detailed "sick" work!!! 👍👍👍

Ludvík Kružík
@Robert
@Zsolt
Thank you both for your kind posts. It's a great motivation for me to continue my work. 🙂

I try to make the interior of the helicopter as close to reality as possible. Thanks to the selfless help of a Czech colleague I got very detailed photos. After studying the photos I found that there are many details in the cockpits that I didn't know about. That's why the work on the interior started to take a bit longer.

I have already finished the cockpit for the gunner-operator, now I am working on the cockpit for the captain-pilot. It's extra work, I have to make new, mostly very small parts, but it would be a great pity not to use detailed photos with information about the appearance of the interior of the helicopter. I'm a bit disappointed that some of the details are so small (in the 1:48 scale the model is in) that I can't produce them without simplifying, but I've come to terms with that. 😉

Jennifer Franklin
mind-blowing Ludviku, absolutely mind-blowing

Ludvík Kružík
Jennifer, thank you for your interest in my build and your comment.

Ludvík Kružík
I added a glass defogging system to the captain's cockpit.

Alexander
Absolutely breathtaking results - I am really in awe of your scratch-building skills! 👍👍👍
Definitely looking forward to the rest of the build.

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you Alexander, welcome aboard.

Ludvík Kružík
After I finished both cockpits, I glued on their transparent covers.

Bruce Huxtable
I'm very impressed by your detailed knowledge of the real deal, and your efforts to recreate so much in your creation. There is so much going on inside, is there any space left for the crew? 😉

Ludvík Kružík
Bruce, thank you for your kind words.

You're right, both cockpits are crammed with lots of instruments and controls. The design of this helicopter dates back to the late '60s. The machine doesn't have many of the conveniences we're familiar with in western designs. Most of the functions are operated manually, at best semi-automatically. To give you an idea, there are over 300 controls and instruments in both cockpits and the flight engineer's station. A relatively large number of controls are grouped together and can be operated together with a single lever, but there are still enough to keep the crew busy during the flight.

Ludvík Kružík
Work on the model continues. I glued the transparent cabin covers and some small parts on the fuselage.

Villiers de Vos
Very nice progress.

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you, Villiers. I try to work on the model every day for a little while, if time permits. 😉

Ludvík Kružík
No pictures today. There was nothing to take pictures of.
I lightly sanded the joint between the cabin and fuselage overlays. I also sanded the entire fuselage with fine sandpaper and prepared it for surfacer spray. I'll spray the surfacer tomorrow if I can. And I may be able to engrave new lines on part of the fuselage. We'll see.

Desert Marlin
Looks great so far!

Ludvík Kružík
Mark, welcome!

I've started carving new lines for the hull.

Ludvík Kružík
In between engraving new lines on the helicopter fuselage, I am gradually modifying other parts that I will need when I finish engraving.

Ludvík Kružík
I finished engraving the new lines on the fuselage and glued some minor surface details to the modified fuselage.

Agnius
Impressive!

Villiers de Vos
Very nice progress.

Ludvík Kružík
@Agnius, @Villiers
Thank you for your kind posts and I hope you continue to enjoy my modelling.

Ludvík Kružík
I've added photos of today's progress.

Ludvík Kružík
I spent this afternoon making the main landing gear.

Robert Podkoński
That's pure madness, Ludviku! Keep it up! 😄

Ludvík Kružík
Robert, you may be right. I think the current heat is to blame for my insanity. 😄 😄 😄
Now comes the even crazier stuff - the manufacture of hydraulic manifolds and landing gear tilting mechanism.

Ludvík Kružík
I started to make details for the main landing gear space.

Ludvík Kružík
Further advances in chassis detailing.

Ludvík Kružík
The first stage of work on the space for the landing gear is complete. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
Further progress in model building. I added wings to the fuselage and sprayed the whole model with surfacer.

Rando
Incredible build, learning a lot about the Hind and modeling in detail

Ludvík Kružík
Welcome, Rando! I'm glad you like my build, and I hope you have a good time.

Rando
It's very cool and also inspiration for my own F-8 Crusader build, which I'm attempting some scratchbuilding and modifications on. Definitely taking notes here!

Alec K
I see that the "great revealer" has been applied 🙂. This thing is getting to the finish line and it's going to look awesome 👍

Ludvík Kružík
@Rando
I'm really glad that building my model inspires you and I wish you that the F-8 Crusader will turn out the way you want.

@Alec K
Thank you for the kind words. Finishing won't be so fast. There is still a lot of work to do on the model ...
And I'm going on a short vacation in the middle of this week, so work on the model will stop for a few days.

Ludvík Kružík
I'm back from a short vacation. I missed Hind already, so as soon as I had some time I started working again. 😄

inkilas32
Wow.... I've never seen anybody so dedicated to a model.. Your work is amazing, you should run a youtube channel!

Ludvík Kružík
inkilas32 Welcome! Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it very much. It's an encouragement for me to keep working.

I don't intend to have my own YouTube channel (at least in the near future). There are several reasons, but the main one is that making quality videos is time consuming. I prefer to spend that time building my models. 😉

Ludvík Kružík
There has not been much progress today. I sanded off the putty at the wing/fuselage transition with fine sandpaper. After spraying the sanded areas with surfacer, there were a few spots that needed minor repairs. I reapplied putty to the damaged areas.
I finished the day's work where I started it. The circle has come full circle. 😄

Ludvík Kružík
So I added a job because of my stupidity. When I sanded the transitions between the wings and the fuselage, I tried so hard that I sanded the trailing edges of the wings into an arc. It wasn't catastrophic, but it was visible. So now I have to fix it.
Oh well... there's a price to pay for stupidity.

Ludvík Kružík
The repair of the trailing edges of the wings was successful, so I can continue working. 🙂

Villiers de Vos
All the parts blends in nicely.

Ludvík Kružík
@Villiers
It was a delay, but I think the fix was pretty successful. 😉
__________________________________
Thank you all for watching and your likes.

Ludvík Kružík
I started riveting.

bughunter
The effort you have put into this model is simply unbelievable!

Alexander
Agreed, but well worth it in the end considering how it looks already.

Ludvík Kružík
@bughunter
Yes, I spent a lot of time on this model and modified or made many parts. But that's what I enjoy most about it. I don't consider it time wasted, but time spent having great fun. 🙂
As far as I can tell, you enjoy building models too. I can't imagine you building your beautiful models if you didn't enjoy it 😉.

@Alexander
Thank you for your kind post. Even though I know my model won't be perfect, I try to make it look as good as possible.

John
Ludvik, looking really good. I have to say the desire to improve a kit, even if a more recent one is available is quite strong! At least if it can be made into a good model...some are nearly beyond hope like a Lindbergh F-11F for example. I "did my time" with the monogram Mi-24 many years ago and sadly binned it later after completion or I would post but my efforts were not nearly so extensive as yours. I have the Zvezda kit now because I don't want to "do it all again" but the lack of rivets is a well known issue with it, so a question: where did you obtain the prints you are using as a rivet guide? I'm not afraid of a rivet tool and don't want to pay so much for a set of the rivet decals!

Ludvík Kružík
John, thank you for your interest in my build. For riveting I use drawings from the "4+" publication dedicated to the Mi-24. I also have drawings that I have gradually traced on the Internet.

ice
Pure art! Just pure art! 👍

Ludvík Kružík
I finished riveting. Now I have to sand the whole hull with fine sandpaper. This will remove the extruded material on the edges of the rivets.

Ludvík Kružík
I sprayed white primer on the cleaned hull.

Ludvík Kružík
I ended today's day by spraying the preshading.

Ludvík Kružík
@led
Thank you, for your kind words. I really appreciate it. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
I sprayed light grey paint on the fuselage and wings of the helicopter.

Alec K
It's coming along! 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you Alec! One step closer to the goal again. But I still have a lot of work to do.

I had an interesting day today. When I was posting the last photos from the model building process on the Czech modelling forum, I found a message with a phone number and the phrase "call me". And so it happened that I had a chat with the pilot of the helicopter I am building. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
During my conversation with the pilot, I learned that the gray paint on the helicopter was very light (even lighter than the one I used). So I added two more coats of white paint and now the grey is the right shade.

bughunter
What a great surprise to talk to the pilot 👍 That's actually impossible with my projects, but it would be so nice. I would ask so many questions that we can never get an answer to today.

With paint our models will look even nicer.

Ludvík Kružík
You're right, Frank. Talking to the pilot was a big and mostly pleasant surprise. I learned a lot of interesting things. And if our plans work out, we'll meet in person. He'd love to see my model when it's ready.

Ludvík Kružík
As of today, Hind has an orange tail.

Ludvík Kružík
In the evening I still managed to apply some of the decals.

bughunter
I hear some voices: "Tiger, Tiger!" 👍

Ludvík Kružík
... and the tiger answers the call, "Where are my stripes?" 😄

Rando
Tigers and sharks on aircraft oh my! I see now why it's called the zipper

Robert Podkoński
So cool! I love all these special liveries on Czech aircraft 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
@Rando
This machine received a special paint job in April 1994 for the 20th anniversary of the Prostejov Helicopter Regiment. Hence the big blue 20s on the fuselage sides. The tiger accessories symbolize belonging to the Tiger Squadron. One of the authors of this paint is a pilot who flew this machine.

@Robert
I also like these special colors. If there is a special paint for the machine I want to build, my model usually gets it. The only exception is very complex paints, unless there are decals for them. Such as the Mi-24V known as the Alien. This paint job is beyond my capabilities and decals (unfortunately) do not exist.

Ludvík Kružík
I finished the tiger tail today. I must commend KoPro for the quality of the decals. The color matching is excellent, the small lettering is legible. Although the decals are beautifully thin, they don't break or tear, the color of the model doesn't show through, and they follow the surface beautifully once applied. Placing them on the model requires detective work in places, but with a little research it can be done.

Alexander
Coming together excellently! 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you Alexander! Glad you like it.

Shar Dipree
Absolutely incredible work! 👍👍👍👍👍

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you so much for the praise, it made me happy!

Villiers de Vos
Very nice progress.

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you, Williers. I think I've come a long way since I started building the Hind. 🙂

Richard Berrie
Outstanding!

Ludvík Kružík
Richard, thank you for your appreciation. It's an encouragement to my modeling soul. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
After assembling the decoy targets from PE parts, I found that the parts were too large. So I used parts from the Hind D kit from Eduard. The parts I used are designed for the "Hind V" version and are not needed when building the "D" version (from the Eduard kit).

Ludvík Kružík
I'm continuing the build by manufacturing the launcher for the Falanga missiles.

Villiers de Vos
Your scratch building skills are phenomenal. This project does not cease to amaze me.

Ludvík Kružík
Villiers, I appreciate your compliments. It's very kind of you, and I was pleased to hear it. I enjoy scratch building very much. Unlike "just" building models, it's an activity where I can create new things with my own hands. And that brings me great satisfaction. 🙂 But I think you overestimate my scratch building skills.

Robert Podkoński
Your skills cannot be overestimated, Ludviku!

Ludvík Kružík
Robert, my skills lie in a small amount of skill and a large amount of patience. 😉
-----------
Last time I finished the support frames for the Falanga anti-tank missiles, so today I started building the launcher. I used PE parts from the Eduard interior kit (for the Monogram kit).
So far I have finished one assembly. I have yet to build the second one.

Alexander
Patience is part of the skillset 😉

A skillset that is excellently demonstrated by the launchers - leagues better than the kit offering! 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Frames with anti-tank missile launchers are ready. Unfortunately the Falanga missiles that are in the kit are bad and cannot be used. Instead I will make a set of smoke bombs that were mounted on the launchers for the air show demonstrations. I'll have to make the smoke pipes from scratch, but their shape is very simple, so making them won't be a hassle.

Ludvík Kružík
After small moments, I'm busy building the model. This time it was the turn of the UB-16 rocket launchers. This afternoon I managed to prepare two rocket launchers, the other two will be ready tomorrow.

Ludvík Kružík
This week I'm in a bad way with free time, somehow I'm not getting enough time to model. I just managed to modify the remaining two rocket launchers. So not much progress . 🙁

Ludvík Kružík
Over the weekend I painted the rocket launchers and made new smoke tubes.

bughunter
The saga continues 👍

Jennifer Franklin
Glad you found some time

Ludvík Kružík
I'm back from vacation and again I'm continuing to work on the model. 🙂

John
Those launcher racks are amazing. I know how small those things are and that is some really delicate detail work!

Alec K
Welcome back! More info on the accessory test set please. Self made, or what?

Ludvík Kružík
Alec, you managed to ask while I was writing a message with more information 🙂.

The kit is made by 3D printing method, it is designed for 1:48 model by Zvezda and includes parts for modification of the model to Mi-24D version. The kit includes a rotary machine gun, sensors under the nose with targeting optics and homing antennas for the Falanga anti-tank missiles, 2 pieces of launchers for the Falanga missiles, cases for decoy targets and 2 pieces of the front landing reflector cover.

The kit, sent to me by a friend to try out (as I'm currently building a Hind), is a test copy and will be for sale once the minor details are fine-tuned. It will be available for purchase from MH models.

Ludvík Kružík
For this model, I decided to use a launcher that I made before the test kit was delivered. I will keep the parts of the new launcher from the test kit to build another Hind from the Eduard/Zvezda kit.
I've been short on time lately, so work on the model is progressing slowly. But there is a little progress. I finished one launcher and added a set of smoke tubes to it, used at air days.

Alec K
👍 👍 👍

Ludvík Kružík
🙂🙂🙂

Ludvík Kružík
The work is progressing slowly due to lack of time. 🙁
But there is some progress.

Ludvík Kružík
My free time is slowly returning to normal and work on the model is starting to pick up speed. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
Yesterday I repainted a few small parts with paint, repainted the silver rocket launchers white and the inside of the cargo door grey-blue. After the paint dried I still managed to glass the top half of the doors.
And today I finished the open cargo door.

Alec K
It's almost there!

Villiers de Vos
Phenomenal. A beautiful miniature.

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you, mates. 🙂

Just need to finish the landing gear and add some small details. But it's the small details that take the most work.

Ludvík Kružík
I didn't get to model this weekend. But this afternoon it was better.
I added airtight seals to the edges of the open cargo door and then started work on the landing gear.

Rando
Now is this one of the export Hinds with fixed gear?

Ludvík Kružík
Rando, this machine has a retractable chassis.

On my model the chassis is not yet finished. I still need to add the electrical cables, hydraulic lines and open landing gear shaft covers.
... and of course the wheels.

Ludvík Kružík
The front landing gear leg is almost complete. All that's left is to add the cover, the cover closing rods and the wheels.

Ludvík Kružík
I finished the front landing gear leg. The last thing that's still missing are the wheels. I'll add those when the main chassis is done as well.

Ludvík Kružík
Small correction. When I finished the front undercarriage shaft and posted the photos on the Czech modelling forum, I got the information that the piping in the rear part of the shaft is not beige, but light grey. So as always the correct information comes late. Fortunately it can still be corrected. Then the front landing gear will actually be finished.

Shar Dipree
I find it indescribable what you conjure up with the old kit. I'm really excited when the Mi-24 is ready. Plus a chic special paint job (I'm a fan of special paint jobs)

Ludvík Kružík
Shar Dipree thank you for your kind words. I appreciate them very much.
I like specialty polishes. Some of them are very nice. If there is an option for a special paint job, I prefer it over the regular military markings.

Ludvík Kružík
A mistake in the colour of the hydraulic pipe in the front chassis shaft has been corrected. It is now a light grey colour. The error was due to the poorer quality of the photos I had available. The photos were taken in poorer lighting conditions and the light grey colour looked like light beige in them.

Alexander
I am just silently watching here as I am too much in awe with your scratch-building skills.

Ludvík Kružík
Alexander, your words are very flattering. I'm very happy about them and I appreciate them. I enjoy scratch-building very much. I like creative work. That's why I like to invent and make small accessories for my models. The most work I do is figuring out what to make and how to make it. The production itself is not that difficult.

Ludvík Kružík
As of tonight, the Hind stands on its own two feet. A few small things (landing gear shaft covers, indicator lights on the main landing gear legs, red marks on the wheels) remain to be added and the landing gear will be ready. 🙂

Rando
Your work continues to inspire my own, Ludvik! Definitely going to try elastic sewing thread. Always enjoy seeing new updates on this amazing model

Ludvík Kružík
Rando, thank you for your kind words. I am very pleased that my way of building the model inspires you. 🙂

I bought the elastic sewing thread (picture 366) mainly for making various ropes, such as antennas or rigging on old aircraft types.
This elastic sewing thread is thin and strong enough. It stretches less than modeling elastic thread. However, unlike modeling elastic thread, this sewing thread is braided from several filaments and therefore its surface is more similar to steel rope, which has also been braided from several thin filaments. I don't know if the sewing thread mentioned is available in your area. In any case, be careful when choosing a sewing thread. The thread must be made of man-made fibres. Threads made of natural materials are not suitable because they are hairy.

CaptGPF
Wow! So much scratch building and mods on such a basic kit to make it shine! You sir, are a penultimate modeler who exemplifies the saying that the end result is not the kit, it's the modeler!

Ludvík Kružík
CaptGPF thank you so much for the compliment! It's a motivation for me to keep working.

With a bit of exaggeration I dare to apply the saying about women to modelers:
There are no bad kits, only unimaginative modelers. 😄

John
I still find it hard to believe this is the same old Monogram kit. It's looking amazing, Ludvik. I will slightly disagree with you about bad kits. The Lindbergh F-11F is terrible. 😉

Ludvík Kružík
John, thank you so much for the compliment. I appreciate it. I can assure you that it is still an old Monogram kit and there has been no secret swap for a better model. 😉

My words about bad kits were meant with a degree of hyperbole. Of course there are really bad kits. It's just that the threshold for when it's bad is somewhere different for every modeler.

Rando
Funny you mention John, I actually built that one earlier this year to practice building and painting 50-60s navy scheme. Was indeed a pig but it looks good enough hanging in my son's bedroom. You'd really have to love the plane to go above and beyond on that kit.

Gear is looking beautiful, Ludvik!! Nice decal on the gear door too.

Ludvík Kružík
Rando, that's really a coincidence. John mentioned the F-11F in response to my edited quote about models and modelers.

The nameplate has the names of the people involved in the special paint job on this helicopter.

Ludvík Kružík
The landing gear is complete. It's time to move on to the other details. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
Hind already has his first weapon - a rotary machine gun 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
The helicopter armament is ready for final assembly. I am now continuing the manufacture of the cockpits doors.

Villiers de Vos
Your fantastic detail work continues.

Ludvík Kružík
Yes, Villiers, work is continuing on the model. Time is pressing. I'd like to show off the finished model at a small non-competitive show my friend is hosting in early November. So I have three weeks to finish the model. So far it looks like I might be able to make it.

Ludvík Kružík
I am gradually finishing and adding the last missing parts for the helicopter.

Ludvík Kružík
I'm continuing work on the rotors. The rotors are not finished yet, but I was curious and took a picture of them mounted on the model. With the rotors on, the Hind already looks like a helicopter. 🙂

LUKAS Hrubes
super prace, obdivuji každy krok na MF

Ludvík Kružík
Lukas, thank you for your interest and admiration. I will soon add more photos of the continuation of the model building. 😉

Ludvík Kružík
I'm continuing final work on the helicopter. The finish line is in sight. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
Further advances in model building ...

Alec K
I know I said "it's almost there" a month ago, so it's high time to repeat it… 😂😂😂. Looking great, of course 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Thanks Alec, you're much closer to the truth this time. It's only a short distance to the finish line.

Ludvík Kružík
Work on the model continues with full commitment. 🙂

Rando
Amazing detail Ludvik. You continue to motivate me through my own Monogram build.

Villiers de Vos
A class in master model making.

Ludvík Kružík
Randa, I'm very flattered that you find motivation in following my modeling.

Ludvík Kružík
Villiers, you are too lenient, but I am still very pleased with your words. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
Work on the model continues at a nice pace. Only a few minor details remain to be completed. The target is in sight. 🙂

Shar Dipree
I wish you that everything goes well.

Ludvík Kružík
Shar Dipree thank you, I try to make the result as good as possible.

Ludvík Kružík
Tonight I finished applying the stencil decals to the underside of the main rotor blades. The stencils are 130 in total, they are really tiny and their application requires good nerves and a lot of time. But the result is worth the effort.

I already know what not to look forward to when I build the next Hind. 😛

Ludvík Kružík
Today I finished the last adjustments to the model and added the missing details. The model is finished.
As soon as I have time to take photos, I will add a new separate album with photos of the finished model.

Rando
It's one spectacular whirlybird, Ludvik, made all the better by everything we saw you add to it. I learned a lot about the Hind. My favorite part is probably the really bizarre asymmetric fuselage, which I had no idea about--makes this unique and distinctive helicopter all the more weird and cool. And the fact that you successfully modified the kit so it would accurately reflect this is so neat, definitely helped show me how much is possible in this hobby. I think I want to build a Hind someday! Excited to see the photoshoot

Robert Podkoński
Congrats, Ludviku! Awesome job!

Curatorm
Awesome...

Jakub Fiala
Very nicely done, Ludvíku! Excellent detailling. Looking forward to see it on saturday.

Alec K
Rando said it all, I can only echo his words. A commendable effort indeed 👍

Alexander
Speechless - that is all I can say. 😉
And that I am eagerly awaiting more pictures!

Shar Dipree
Highend - congratulations on this phenomenally great result. 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍

Łukasz Gliński
Outstanding job mate 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Rando, I'm very flattered by your words. I'm really glad that you were inspired by my build and that I was able to expand your knowledge of this interesting helicopter.

And if you want to build a model of this helicopter, without all the heavy modifications and repairs, I recommend the Eduard or Zvezda kits (both kits contain the same plastic parts, Eduard has more accessories). It will save you a lot of work.

Ludvík Kružík
Mates, thank you all so much for your interest and popdoru in watching this build. I really appreciate it and look forward to seeing you again for some of my other projects.

Thomas Haberl (th_scale_models)
Chapeau, Ludvik! I already told you that your are a little bit crazy, right? 😄 ... congratulations on consequently going your way on this build from the very first step to final stage! And the result is awesome!

Ludvík Kružík
Yes, Tomas, you already told me I was crazy 😄 And you weren't the only one who wondered why I was wasting my time with this old kit and its complicated modifications. Especially when there is a much better model from Eduard/Zvezda.
The reason for this build was pretty simple, I like to scratch out new parts and small details and modifying old kits is something I really enjoy. I don't claim to have perfect control of my builds, but it's enough for my needs and satisfaction.
I plan to build Eduard's Hind as well, so I'll be able to compare how much better this kit is. If I built the Eduard kit first, then I wouldn't want to get into modifying the Monogram kit.

Thomas Haberl (th_scale_models)
It's never wasting time … modelling is all about the journey 😊 for sure there are mor detailed kits on the market, but they all don't give you what you added to this old one … 💪

Ludvík Kružík
Thomas, you've captured exactly why I love the "crazy" modelling I did with Hind. 😉

Ludvík Kružík
Yesterday (Saturday 4.11.2023) my Hind had its public premiere. I brought it to a non-competitive modelers meeting connected with a public model exhibition, which was organized by my friend.
I was pleased that some visitors to the event thought my model was built from a Zvezda kit. 🙂

CaptGPF
Well done! I love the final result! The details definitely transformed this kit into a gem!

Ludvík Kružík
CaptGPF thank you for your words of praise. I'm glad you like the model. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík
Album with photos of the finished model is finished, you can find it here: Mi-24D Czech Air Force, 4011 Zipper - first design - Completed | Album by KLuK (1:48)

Villiers de Vos
Simply fantastic, Well done.

Spanjaard
a ton of amazing details added, what s great job

Ludvík Kružík
Thank you! 🙂