LEM 1/35 Mi-4A Hound Armament Set First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | August 2010 | Manufacturer | LEM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Mi-4A Hound Armament Set | Scale | 1/35 |
| Kit Number | - | Primary Media | Resin |
| Pros | Nice resin castings | Cons | nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $35.00 + shippiing |
First Look
There I was rummaging through eBay one evening and I happened across a listing for a 1/35 Mi-8/Mi-17 Armament set in resin. I looked at the images, looked at the seller's feedback, and looked at the price - $35 USD (nobody was bidding on this). I decided to take a risk and bought the set. The seller is from Kiev in the Ukraine, so there is a very good chance that the details were going to be as good as the images. You may recall that I had previously purchased a 1/32 MiG-27M Flogger J kit from this same chap and I am still pleased with the purchase.
A week later, a box arrived from the Ukraine inside a huge envelope smothered in stamps. My detail set had arrived. The first thing I was curious about was the company that was producing this kit. The company is called LEM and they sell their kits and detail sets on eBay under the name of ruporator.
Here we are with one of two armament sets for the Trumpeter 1/35 Mi-4 Hound kit. This set replicates the armed scout version of the Mi-4A flown by the Czech Army. This set has a pair of external racks to carry a total of four UB-16-57 16-shot rocket pods.
The kit is packed in a box with all of the parts safely wrapped in bubblewrap and stored inside a large zip-lock bag. Everything arrived safe and sound. Among the features of the set:
- Four complete UB-16-57 rocket pods
- Two dual-pylon fuselage racks
- Fuselage suspension braces
This armament set is nicely engineered with integral brass wires in the resin mounts and braces to provide some essential strength to the weapons assemblies.
If you have one of Trumpeter's beautiful Mi-4 kits or perhaps have wanted to build one in other than a utility aircraft configuration, here is one of the armament options from LEM that will make your build stand out on the contest table. This Mi-4A is a nice addition to the external appearance of the aircraft providing fire support capability over and above its normal utility missions.
It is amazing some of the kits and detail sets that are coming through the market place from unusual places. I've done business with this company a few times now and I still don't even know their product line name. If you want one of your own, the only place I can find this kit is on eBay from seller ruporator.