1:100 Mil-Mi-8/17 Hip Transport Helicopter

The Mil Mi-8 (Russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. In addition to its most common role as a transport helicopter, the Mi-8 is also used as an airborne command post, armed gunship, and reconnaissance platform.

What I have here for your printing pleasure is a richly detailed rendition of the Soviet's Cold War Workhorse, the Mil-Mi-8 which can be printed in 3 different versions; with the side sponsons, without the side sponsons, or stripped down and plane Jane. There's also a fair collection of weapons that can be mounted on the sponsons if you prefer to build it as a gunship. You also have the option of adding the back clamshell doors closed or open, or in the event it's needed for special operations tasks, you can leave them off altogether which was customary for such missions. A great deal of time and research went into this model and it's a major upgrade over my previous rendition of it which we won't talk about lol. For the more ambitious and skilled printers, you can slice the tail boom off, mirror it, and you have an Mil-Mi-17 which is realistically one of the only difference most people will notice at this scale.

Printing Destructions:


I have not broken this model up too much. I prefer to print these on my Peopoly so not only can I print them in 1 piece I can print 12 at a time.

Aside from that, on printers like Elegoo Mars and Anycubic Photon, if you rotate the model 60 degrees with the end down, just add your supports and print away. I would HIGHLY suggest printing the weapons out individually from the fuselage.

For resin I prefer to use Siraya Tech Simple Clear mixed with Tenacious. I use 75-80 Simple to 20-25% Tenacious. This has not given me any problems since I started this mix and the only time I get failures now is when I am experimenting with things or forget to do my supports right.