1/48 Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip Helicopter Markings Bonanza

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Way back when, I planned to release a couple of 1/48 Mi-8 and Mi-17 Hip helicopter full multimedia kits. We got the masters finished to within a gnat’s eyelash of completion, but never released the kits. There was very little left to do, but the masters got misplaced (I’ve since found them) and we went on to other projects (really, really, really hate it when that happens!).

Frankly, I’m pretty proud of these decal sets. I did a ton of research on these schemes back then–and remember that information from Eastern Europe and the non-NATO world was pretty hard to come by in those days. These two decal sets cover a total of 29 different Mi-8 and Mi-17 schemes from 21 different countries that flew the Hip prior to the early 1990s.

A couple of them are great examples of early “fancy” art on former WARPAC aircraft. I really like the scheme (which I call the “Mick Jagger” scheme for obvious reasons) that our friends at the Czech modeling magazine Zlinek sponsored on a Czech Air Force Hip.

The US Army’s formerly TOP SECRET program that used fully operational Soviet equipment in the OPFOR role included a very nice Hip. It’s here, including the “Dave’s Deluxe” and fully-loaded cheeseburger nose art.

The (West) German (this was right after the country was reunited and we still thought in terms of “West Germany” and “East Germany”) red eagle scheme is another prime example of the exuberation felt in those heady days of hope and real change. It’s also a real show-stopping model scheme! One of the jokers working at Meteor in those days insisted on calling it the “red chicken” scheme, but I’ll let that pass without comment.

Anyway, here are the two 1/48 sets (I never produced 1/32 or 1/72 versions). I have a very limited number of each set available.

1/48

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Mi-8/Mi-17 Hips #1. This huge (8-1/2″ x 11″) decal sheet contains markings for an even dozen (12) Hip helicopters. Countries represented in this set are Czechoslovakia, the Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Pakistan, Hungary (two insignia variations), the United Nations, Afghanistan (communist), Vietnam (communist), and Sandinista (communist Nicaragua). It also includes the formerly TOP SECRET US Army OPFOR Hip, with the “Dave’s Deluxe” nose art with the fully loaded cheeseburger nose art. The Czech scheme is the famous and amazing “Mick Jagger” scheme motivated by our fellow modelers at Zlinek Magazine.

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Mi-8/Mi-17 Hips #2. This huge (8-1/2″ x 11″) decal sheet contains markings for SEVENTEEN Hip helicopters. Countries represented in this set are East Germany, (West) Germany (actually just “Germany,” the reunited country that inherited the former East German air force’s men and equipment), USSR, Poland, Soviet Aeroflot, Israel (captured from the Egyptian Air Force), Cambodia, Guinea-Bissau (can’t for the life of me recall why I included this one, but the insignia is kinda cool), and Czechoslovakia. One of the (West) German schemes is the spectacular “red eagle” scheme, which has to be seen to be believed This one will be THE eye-catching model of any collection!