1/48 Italeri KA-50 'Hokum'  

by Said 'Shark' Ordaz

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This is the Italeri KA-50, built OOB, except for added detail made out of wire and plastic card. This model will eventually be a part of a diorama involving a T90 and a city corner, but that will be done at some point in the future. The model depicts a Hokum in flight. Wire was added to the gun, aerials are made from copper wire, antennas are plasticard.

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The Hokum was offered to the Russian Army as the next generation attack helicopter, but it lost to the Mil-28. However, a number of Hokums were produced and they saw action successfully in Chechnya as per pictures I've seen in the Internet. It is a single crew (a pilot) aircraft, and this was it's downfall. Otherwise it is a machine that can hold it's own in actual combat.

The model was finished with Tamiya Acrylics, received a wash and was weathered using a very fine dust from Whether-All. It gave the effect of a front line airship. In my opinion, it really has the shape of a shark, which am partial to :). I might built another one, and will use a shark mouth on it then. Decals are half from the kit and half from ProDecals from Russia, secured in place with Future (instead of Solvaset).

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The pilot's door was intentionally left off the kit, because I wanted to show the work done in the cockpit. The HUD is scratch built and there is a pilot. This is also the first time I incorporate a figure into a kit, so I wanted that to be visible. The pilot was kit-bashed from figures that came from the Monogram Hind and Harrier. The face was also painted, but the pictures did not show details of the work done on it.

Said

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Photos and text © by Said 'Shark' Ordaz