The third title in the 'topshots' series is this one on the Mi-24 'Hind' helo gunship, a uniquely Russian combination of troop transport and heavy attack helicopter. Able to travel at surprisingly fast speeds, thanks to its powerful engines and wings (which also allow it to be flown when the tail rotor has been shot away), the Mi-24 and export version Mi-25 have both seen a lot of use world-wide.

In concert with the previous editions, this one is basically in English with Polish caption titles. It begins with several pages of overall images of Polish Mi-24s and then goes into the details of the cockpit, cabin, airframe, engines and other details. No hatch is unopened, no portion of the airframe unphotographed and all of this is in color. It is further enhanced with drawings from tech manuals, which often are a bit more easy to understand than a mass of piping and wires!

Included in the book is a small decal sheet that covers three aircraft, all similarly painted. Were I to ask for a bit more, it would be to include some unit badges with the decal sheet, and to provide some color information in terms of FS 595 references. Perhaps this wouldn't be so interesting for the non-modeler, but the rest of us would appreciate it.

Overall, an excellent volume and one that I can most highly recommend to those of you who like to see the detail bits of various aircraft.

June 2005

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