MiL Mi-35 Helicopter Gunship

This was a challenging kit to build because of its multiple detailed sub-assemblies and many small parts. I chose to leave all door and access panels open to show off the very detailed interior and engines. If you choose to close up all the door and panels, you could save a lot of time and effort and still have a nice helicopter to display. The cockpit used all decals for the instrument panels. The builder also can choose between the exhaust covers and the older style without them. You also get to choose between extra fuel tanks or gun pods. The rocket pods and anti-tank missile tubes are the other under-wing weapons. You'll have to fashion your own seat harnesses if you don't use the two pilot figures (both very nicely posed and sculpted). You can display the two cockpit entry doors open or closed, but be prepared for some delicate gluing work if you choose to leave them open. Displaying the other hatches and panels open also requires dexterous work to position hatches and hydraulic openers together. These tested my patience, eyes and skills. The pay off is that they look good once installed. The scribed panel lines also look very good under a coat of paint. Most of the join seams fell along panel lines, so that minimized putty and sanding, but did not eliminate it entirely. I still had to use putty in a few places. The two rotors spin, but the main rotor is not attached permanently to the rest of the model - it only uses friction to hold it in place. Decals were extensive and required several sessions over multiple days to apply them all. They all look great when down, but there are a lot of them. Overall, this is a very nice kit of a rather large helicopter, but it's not a weekend build and I'd recommend several kits under your belt before taking this one on. If you like helicopters or Russian aircraft, this kit might be for you.