The Mi-4 was designed and built by Mil in the Soviet Union, with its first flight in 1952. It was introduced into service the following year, and at least 4,000 were produced. The design looks similar to the Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw, but the “Hound” is larger and has greater lift capacity.
The release of the Trumpeter 1/48 scale Mi-4a Hound plastic model kit came as a complete surprise, and as of this writing, it is the only 1/48 scale kit of the Mi-4 in any variant, and this is the second of three variants released so far.
This might be the best-packaged kit I have seen, with every sprue in a separate bag and clear sprues wrapped with foam. The excellent surface detail features engraved panel lines and recessed rivets, and the clear parts are crystal clear. The instructions are easy to follow and provide four available paint schemes on a two-sided color sheet. The color callouts suggested by Trumpeter appear correct, with a handy color reference grid for five common paint brands.
The cockpit instrument panel has raised details covered by a decal that settles nicely with setting solution. Many of the kit’s parts are keyed to only work together one way.
The great detail continues with the cargo hold, engine, and rotors. You won’t be able to see much of the beautiful radial engine when everything is closed up, which is a shame. The only place I needed to fill and sand was along the mating halves of the fuselage. I shimmed the top of the fuselage in front of the cockpit because I couldn’t get it to close up. I suspect that was my fault and not the kit. The instructions call for weight in the nose, which you’ll definitely want to include.
The rotor head should have a forward tilt, and it’s not clear when you attach the pin (Part B46) how it should actually sit in the hole provided. By the time you get to the rotor attachment, it will be too late to change the angle of the pin. I would have liked a more positive attachment point to help get this angle right.
With this done, it was time to paint. First, I temporarily glued various hatches and doors in place with white glue. I found images of East German No. 569: one as shown in the instructions and another with the more recent color red-brown over green paint scheme and went with the latter so I didn’t have to change the decals. After a coat of gloss, decals, weathering, and a dull coat sealer, I popped off the white-glued parts, did a little touch-up, and added the final details. I reattached the clamshell doors with bent metal pins to show them open.
I really enjoyed building the Trumpeter 1/48 scale Mi-4a Hound plastic model kit, and it took me about 30 hours to finish. This is a suitable kit for any modeler with intermediate experience or more. A reasonable parts count coupled with the excellent fit made the build go smoothly, and if you follow the directions, you will be rewarded with a nicely detailed Hound.