Oktober Guard: Attack Helicopter XMi-24 Hind-E

Last but not least on my list of Oktober Guard customs is Russian Mi-24 Hind-E Attack Gunship. This is my real-world, all-time favorite helicopter! I think the double-bubble canopy and large wings just give the Hind-E an ominous look. Hence, soldiers often refer to it as "The Crocodile."

I wanted, so bad, for Hind-E toy. I had missed the BBi grey/blue, tiger-stripe version of this helicopter (if anyone has one for sale at a decent price--please email me). So, I was very excited when Elite Force rereleased the Mi-24 Hind-E even if the exterior deco was not near as detailed as before.

First and foremost, I always planned to change out the main rotor and to somehow drop the wings for a more "real-world" look. Luckily, I found an Eaglehawk on clearance and cannibalized parts from it for both of my Russian helicopter customs.

Originally, I wanted to customize the cockpit to make it a two-seater. I even took the helicopter apart to see how it would work. I figured I could make an old Dragonfly twin-seat work in the cockpit but at the expense of losing the nice detailed interior. So, I figured if I ever found another Elite Force Mi-24, I would try a double seat custom on that one.

For the side wings, I marked on the helicopter about where they fall in real life taking into consideration the windows on the toy. I Dremelled a curve to the wings so that it would match the curvature of the cargo area. Then I screwed and glued the wings to the body.

Of course, this left this weird flat area where the wings originally attached. On the real-world Hind-E, this is actually where the engine exhaust comes out. So, I glued the exhaust pipes from the Eaglehawk to cover where the wings snap in and then glued these little Lego vents to the front of the exhaust pipes. The cargo door still opens. You can even fold the upper section back with the wing sticking straight up.

For the rotor, I Dremelled away the mounting area of the old two-blade rotor. Then I glued the rotor mount from the Eaglehawk. Given the blade lengths, I had to glue it a little high so that the blades do not hit the tail.

I also gave Hind-E a custom paint job which included masking and painting the cockpit, a camo paint job, and custom weathering-battle damage. The stickers are custom Oktober Guard decals from Rattler Repros.

Custom blueprints based on real-world Hind-E.