Mil Mi-8/17/171 Hip Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | February 2020 | Title | Mil Mi-8/17/171 Hip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Jakub Fojtik | Publisher | Mushroom Model Publications |
| Published | 2019 | ISBN | 978-8365958280 |
| Format | 240 pages, softbound | MSRP (GBP) | £29.00 |
Review
Reliable, rugged Hip helicopters serve military and civil customers in “at least 130 countries” throughout the world.
Now author Jakub Fojtik tells the terrific tale in Mil Mi-8/17/171 Hip from MMP Books.
Fojtik capably chronicles the amazing number of multi-role Hip variants across nine chapters and 240 fact-filled, picture-packed pages.
Hundreds of photos – mostly color – spice the study. Detail shots help trick-out your Hip kit. And 17 beautifully executed, color profiles survey the stunning swath of Hip heraldry.
How about that striking Peruvian scheme on page 116 – and that dazzling, “non-traditional” Turkmen Mi-8 livery on page 232?
Fojtik also liberally seasons his story with metaphorical mountains of minutiae.
Interior layouts. Weapons loads. Landing gear. Glazing variations. Rotors. Avionics. Fuselage details. Power plants. Upgrades.
And on. And on.
Did you know that a single Mi-8AV mine-laying helicopter carried an astonishing 8,352 mines?
Fojtik’s meaty monograph also includes remarks on efforts to cross-pollinate Hind and Hip technologies – and even clarifies the decidedly complicated Hip production coding.
No proverbial stone remains unturned!
Tables chart every Hip variant in every country throughout the globe. And a technical description, selected bibliography, and abbreviations list nicely conclude contents.
I just wish Fojtik included images of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Mi-171s with long-range “Quader” [sic: Qader] anti-ship missiles – and Romanian Hips with 490 liter external fuel tanks from MiG-21 supersonic fighters!
Impressive. Illuminating. And informative. That’s MMP’s Mil Mi-8/17/171 Hip.
Sure, diction sounds awfully awkward in spots. And punctuation occasionally proves problematic. But most modelers buy MMP titles for pretty pictures – not for proper prose. And this one doesn’t disappoint.
If your library contains just one book on the incredibly versatile, incredibly ubiquitous Hip, make it this one.
Recommended!
With thanks to MMP for the review copy.