Ludvík Kružík 著者
I still miss this small helicopter in my collection of flying machines used in Czechoslovakia. The time has come for me to rectify that. 😉

Villiers de Vos
I will follow along.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Welcome Villiers! 🙂

Greg Baker
Oh. I built a 1/72 version of the Mi-1M... This should be interesting.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Hello, Greg. I know there's a Mi-1M kit in 1/72nd scale. Unfortunately, only this and a rather old kit from Special Hobby exists in 1/48 scale. In addition, this kit is an older version of the Mi-1A, which is different from the upgraded version of the Mi-1M. It has a different nose shape, different cockpit glazing and other minor changes. And since I decided to build the upgraded version of the Mi-1M, I will not avoid modifications to the kit.
To give you a better idea of the extent of the modifications to the kit, I've included a picture with the differences between the Mi-1A and Mi-1M versions color coded.

Greg Baker
Oh, neat! I didn't realize there were so many changes between the versions. This is going to look great!

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Greg, thank you for your support.
____________________
I started building the model by making new transparent parts.

Alec K
Taking a seat, this brings back memories of ABC magazine 😜👍

gorby
Nice work moulding the new transparent parts.

Greg Baker
Yeah. Nice work on the heat-n-smash moulding for the clear parts. That can be tricky to do.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
@Alec K
I used to buy ABC magazine regularly as a kid and eagerly awaited each new issue 🙂. I assume your mention of ABC magazine refers to the occasional modeling tutorial section.

@gorby, @Greg Baker
It's not too difficult to make new transparent parts by stretching warmed transparent foil over a pre-made template. Preparing the template is the most work. Stretching the warmed foil onto the template is just a routine that anyone can do after a few attempts.

Alec K
Correct 🙂👍👍

Robert Podkoński
How have I missed this? Taking a seat for sure! 🙂

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Hello, Robert! Good to see you here. You haven't missed much so far. Up to this point I've been more concerned with preparation than building the model.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
I want to try to use the sandwich construction in the production of new glass parts for the coptics. So I made (using the same process as the transparent parts) parts out of white plastic sheeting. These parts will have holes cut out for the windows. The transparent part will then be inserted between these two parts. The white outer and inner parts will form the embossed framing of the transparent part.

Jennifer Franklin
That looks great (as per usual 😛)

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Welcome, Jennifer, we're glad to have you on board and thank you for your goodwill. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík 著者
I came back from vacation and it started to rain. Ideal conditions for modelling. 🙂

So I'm back and continuing to work on the model. I need to glue the finished nose to the glued fuselage so the cockpit overlay fits exactly. That determines the workflow. First I have to finish the nose and the inside of the fuselage and glue all the parts that need to be glued to the fuselage halves from the inside. After gluing the fuselage halves together, I would no longer be able to get to these parts (or only with great difficulty).

Photos of the work progress will be coming soon.

Alexander Grivonev
Oh some modeling for big boys, not glueing perfectly fitting parts together and throwing on some paint! Following 👍

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Welcome, Alexander! 🙂

Ludvík Kružík 著者
I glued several parts to both halves of the fuselage. These parts are glued from the inside, so they have to be glued before the fuselage is closed.
I also started working on making new parts for the cockpit.

Landlubber Mike
Wow, this is incredible work Ludvik! Thank you for sharing your steps - I've learned a lot from your pictures and descriptions!

Villiers de Vos
Fantastic scratch build skills.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
@Landlubber Mike
Mike, thank you for your interest. Welcome aboard!
I've had the idea for this rebuild in my head for a few years now. Mainly because I've been waiting to see if anyone would start making 1:48 scale Mi-1M kits. Unfortunately, to this day, no manufacturer has this kit in their lineup. So I decided not to wait any longer and start building a model from what I have available.
My rebuild is just beginning. Most of the work on the model is yet to be done. I'd also like to try some new techniques that came to mind while planning to build this model.

@Villiers
Thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it very much.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
I didn't have much time today, so I didn't make much progress on the build. But every little bit of progress counts. 😉

J35J
Great progress and detailing! Following

Bruce Huxtable
Wow! You don't shy away from challenges! Watchinh with admiration, and hoping to learn lots too. Hoping you are not amongst the floods? Stay safe!

Ludvík Kružík 著者
J35J welcome! I hope you like it here.

Bruce, I like a challenge like that. I like to experiment and enjoy thinking of and then implementing ways to improve my model.

I appreciate your concern for my safety. I live in a town in the highlands that wasn't badly affected by the floods. Only the river that runs through our town has increased flow, but it hasn't spilled out of its bed. Moreover, our house is 80 metres above the river, so even if the river had spilled out of its bed, it would certainly not have reached our house.

Bruce Huxtable
It sounds an idyllic location.....Opravdu, česka příroda je krasná....

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Bruce, thank you for the compliment. I'm sure the nature is beautiful in England too. 😉

Ludvík Kružík 著者
I'm slowly continuing to make small parts.

Alec K
Nice progress, this will be a beauty 👍

bughunter
Another big bunch of parts, not to mention some kit parts, come together to form one big model! Not to be missed!
I'm late, but I have an excuse. First I was on holiday, and then this stupid C-virus knocked me out.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Alec, thank you for your support and your kind words.

Welcome, Frank. I hope you're okay, and I'm really glad you're one of my guests.
It's definitely not too late. I still have most of my work ahead of me. In fact, you could say I'm just getting started.

Thomas Haberl - TH SCALE MODELS
Uhhhhhh … this is going to be another good one from you! I'm in 👍

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Thomas, welcome. It's good to see you among my guests. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík 著者
I'm struggling with time rather than the model at the moment. At least I managed to draw a new dashboard. After printing it in scale (1/48) on photo paper I will use it instead of the kit part.

John
Another Ludvik conversion build with all the accuracy and attention to detail.we've come to expect. It's looking good, can't wait to see the final result! 👍

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Welcome, John. Please have a little patience. This project is quite demanding and I will need a lot of time to complete it.

John
Ok, I aimed that to "I can wait to see the final result" (but I'm still eager) 😉

Alec K
Wow, the dashboard looks amazing. I can only imagine how much time that took. Really interested how it looks completed 👍

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Alec, I drew the dashboard in the evenings for 5 days (about 3 to 4 hours each day). Add to that additional time (about 5 hours) for test printing and subsequent corrections.

I am attaching a photo of a test black and white print of the dashboard after all the modifications are complete. I will print the dashboard for the model in color later.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
According to the photos I modified the fuselage where the main landing gear is attached to it.

Guy Rump
Looking good, following. 👍

Jakub Biganovsky
Good morning.
Realy nice and fine work.

Robert Podkoński
These modifications are just perfect, Ludviku...

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Guy, Jakub and Robert thank you for your comments, it's a nice encouragement for further work.

After today, the hull is glued together. Now I'm adjusting the shape of the transparent cockpit cover.

Ben M
I continue to enjoy seeing this one take shape. Quite the effort to convert it!

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Hello, Ben. I'm glad you're interested in my project.

Greg Baker
This is looking good!

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Thank you Greg!

Villiers de Vos
Starting to take shape.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Villiers, the completion of the fuselage is only temporary at this time. It's only to modify the shape of the transparent cockpit cover.
Once the cockpit cover is the correct shape, I will take the fuselage nose down again to continue work on the cockpit interior.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Work on the model continues with the production of the cockpit.

Greg Baker
This is becoming a scratchbuilding masterclass!

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Greg, thank you for the compliment.

A small shift in the work on the internal equipment of the helicopter's nose.

Jennifer Franklin
Ludvik, I greatly admire your skill.

Rando
Ludvik, a modeling god. The detail and scratchbuilding is just otherworldly and I always learn so much from your build logs

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Jennifer, thank you for your kind words.

Randa, thank you so much for your contribution. Although I don't consider myself a modeling god, your comment made me very happy. Thank you.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
This afternoon I continued making details for the nose of the helicopter.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Little progress today. The cockpit got a floor, internal construction and a coat of grey paint. Now I can start to get the cockpit "settled in".

Alec K
Great job on that instrument panel, turned out great 👍

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Thanks Alec! The dashboard isn't complete yet. I still need to add a few more details. But I'll add those after gluing the dashboard to the nose of the helicopter, because I would (very likely) break them off while gluing the dashboard to the nose.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Again, little progress. I'm prepping the seats for the helicopter crew.

Jennifer Franklin
The red on the seat and cushion pops, starting to look natural.

Alec K
This build made me cautiously open the MPM 1/72 version of this chopper. I closed it back up very quickly… 🤣

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Alec, I don't blame you for making that decision. The MPM kit isn't very good. To build a nice model out of this kit requires a really large amount of work on virtually all parts of the kit. Plus the plastic the kit is made of is quite hard and cracks easily.

Alec K
Agreed. The original MPM kits are now almost in the same category as the original KP: collectors' items. To be sighed over, but not disturbed 😁

Ludvík Kružík 著者
I'm continuing to work on the seats. I finished the backrest of the rear bench and glued the assembled bench into the cockpit.

Alec K
Nice progress Ludviku. The dash and the canopy look super 👍

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Thanks Alec! 😄

Ludvík Kružík 著者
The new cockpit cover is slowly starting to resemble its model. The inner frame inserted into the transparent part of the cockpit and attached to the fuselage already shows the future shape of the cockpit cover.

gorby
Excellent work on the canopy.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Thank you gorby, glad you like it.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
After a short break I continue building the model. I have finished the instruments and controls in the cockpit and am now working on the details located on the inside of the canopy.

bughunter
Not much of this coarse kits are build. And among those is no model with details like yours! To scratch all little things needs time but is worth the effort. Your hard way to do the canopy frame is a good example.
I think the instrument panel will not very visible at the end but for more contrast individual decals for the instruments are an option. Tom Anyz offers greatly printed universal dials in black and white, e.g. Universal cockpit dials 1.00 mm - 1.80mm (ANYZ AN037, No)

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Bughunter thank you for the recommendation. Looks like the ANYZ decals are a great idea for simplifying dashboard fabrication.

bughunter
Yes! And Tom is a modeler too, so he provides things he need for his own models. So from modeler to modeler 🙂
The decals are well designed and printed by Cartograf.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
It's always good to have someone who has experience from their own practice.
I had a look at Tom's site and apart from the cockpit decals, I liked the other nifty bits. Looks like I'll do myself a favor and buy some of Tom's accessories. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík 著者
After a short break I am resuming work on the model. I finished the interior and glued the cockpit canopy. Now I have to finish the outer cabin window frames.

Bart Goesaert
Some brilliant and very nice modelling... Nice work

John
Really great bit of scratchbuilding, Ludvik! 👍 cockpit details are fantastic.

Villiers de Vos
Amazing detailed work.

Robert Podkoński
The canopy is an impressive masterpiece in itself, Ludviku. Chapeau bas!

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Work on the cabin canopy is complete. The model has been sprayed with surfacer for the first time.

Jennifer Franklin
Starting to look like a helicopter. It's going to be a true work of art.

bughunter
This sandwich framing of the windows seems to be a lot of work but gives an awesome result 👍

Ludvík Kružík 著者
The method of layering multiple layers on top of each other was my first time.
When I was thinking how best to make the new bow and cockpit cover, I thought of making these new parts as a sandwich. It seemed like a good solution and I wanted to give it a try.
Truth be told, the fabrication was more challenging than I had originally imagined. But I'm glad I took the plunge. I'm happy with the result.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
After a break caused by the Christmas and New Year holidays, I returned to work on MI-1 again. According to the drawing I started to engrave new panel lines on the fuselage.
It's slow going and there's nothing to photograph yet.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
I've finished the first round of engraving the panel lines. The lines will still need some aftercare to achieve the final look.

gorby
Nice work with the rescribing. It couldn't have been easy with such an awkwardly shaped model.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Gorby, you got it exactly right. The shape of the helicopter fuselage with its rounded surfaces and large number of panels and various covers makes it difficult to overwrite the lines.
I found Dymo tape very helpful in transcribing the lines. I use it instead of a ruler when transcribing lines on rounded and complex model shapes. The Dymo tape is flexible yet strong enough. When taped to the model, the tape conforms to the shape of the fuselage and holds well in place (unlike a flexible ruler). And once the line is engraved, the tape can be peeled off easily.

Alec K
I was thinking the same thing. Fine saw blade works for me on curved areas, in conjunction with a good scriber.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
After a short break I'm going back to work on the model. According to the drawing and photos I started to add details on the fuselage.

Jennifer Franklin
Ludvik, how are you getting all the details for how the helicopter should look?

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Jennifer, in building this helicopter, I am drawing information from an article on the history of the development of the helicopter, descriptions of the various versions, technical data, a detailed drawing and photos of the actual machine.
Most of the information and photographs I tracked down on the internet, and detailed photos of the interior and various details were provided by a friend who took photos of the helicopter at an aviation museum.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Another shift in the work on the model. I've added small covers to the fuselage.

Desert Marlin
Excellent vacuum forming! This is first rate detail!

Jennifer Franklin
Any updates coming?

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Jennifer, unfortunately I had very little free time lately. But I'm better with time now and can continue building the Mi-1. Look forward to an update soon.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
This afternoon I experimented with creating vents on the fuselage of the helicopter.
After a few trials and trying different materials, it turned out that the best method for making vents on the fuselage is to make a whole panel with vents out of thin aluminum sheet and create the vents in the panel.

Desert Marlin
Makes perfect sense!

Desert Marlin
In picture 90, do you know what these vents are for?

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Hello, Merlin. 🙂

The helicopter is powered by a radial combustion engine that is cooled by airflow. The air for cooling the engine enters the fuselage through an opening above the cabin (the amount of air can be controlled by the air intake louvers). And openings on the bottom and sides of the fuselage serve as its outlets.

Desert Marlin
Makes sense! Thanks!

Jennifer Franklin
The attention to detail you put into your projects is exceptional. Do you keep a notebook with all the planned changes and extra work you want done?

bughunter
Those vents panels are nicely done!
I also have a stalled Ansaldo project where I don't like the way the cooling vents are shown in the plastic. But there are so damn many vents ...

Ludvík Kružík 著者
@Jennifer
I'm not so consistent that I take notes on model building. Before building a model, I study the materials and photos of the machine I want to build, think about what I'm going to do and how I'm going to do it. I work out the minor details as I build the model.
My notebook is my head 😄

@Frank
Originally I was going to replace the air vent projections with plastic profiles. But I couldn't find any profile with the right shape and size. So I had to find another solution. I basically copied the panel making method for a real helicopter. Only instead of a press I used less sophisticated tools. 🙂

I know your Ansaldo project and I plan to build an Ansaldo too, only it will be a two-seater version. That's why I know that in terms of number of vents, Ansaldo can easily compete with MI-1.

Ludvík Kružík 著者
I finished adding details to the fuselage and sprayed the model with surfacer. Surfacer unified the fuselage color and as always pointed out areas that will need to be repaired.

Clearly, sandpaper and putty will keep me company for the next few days.

Jennifer Franklin
What is surfacer? Is it similar to primer?

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Jennifer, you're basically right. Surfacer and primer are close. Both are used to prepare the surface of the model before applying the paint. But there is a difference between a surfacer and a primer.
SURFACER is a fine putty that is designed to be applied with a spray gun. It prepares the surface of the model for paint application and also covers minor surface damage. Once sprayed on the model surface, surfacer is matte and can be polished with fine sandpaper.
PRIMER is a base paint with high opacity. The primer unifies the colour of the model surface and prepares it for paint application. Unlike surfacer, primer is glossy and does not need to be polished.

Marcel Klemmer
The production of the ventilation holes is incredible 😳
It goes on with the details, even when you think: More is not possible 👍

Bart Goesaert
Fantastic work so far... need to keep this method in mind

bughunter
It's an "Arctic Tiger" now 🙂

Landlubber Mike
This is incredible - such great work!

Jennifer Franklin
Ludvik, what brand of surfacer would you recommend?

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Jennifer, I can't say which surfacer is the best. I use Surfacer GSI/Gunze. Since I am happy with it, I have no reason to change.
Gunze offers Surfacers in three variations based on grit - Surfacer 500, 1000 and 1500. The higher the number, the finer the Surfacer. I use Surfacer 500.
I wrote that Surfacer can correct minor surface irregularities. That means really fine damage, like hairline scratches. Cracked joints or deeper grooves Surfacer won't fix. You have to use a sealer for that.

Jennifer Franklin
Do you lose surface details like paneling with the surfacer? Do you then re-scribe all the lines?

Ludvík Kružík 著者
Surfacer is sprayed on the surface of the model in a thin layer and therefore its ability to seal is limited. Surfacer can only repair subtle damage, but more significant damage and detail on the surface of the model, including panel lines, will remain after Surfacer application. The great advantage is that the color uniform and matte finish (after Surfacer application) will reveal all imperfections and flaws. It will show you the areas that deserve repair before you start applying the final paint. You will only need to restore panel lines and small details if there has been a subsequent repair after Surfacer application that has damaged them.
For a better idea of how the model looks after surfacer application, see Figure 99.