1:48 Mil Mi-8/Mi-17 wipers

Quickboost (Aires) — windshield wipers, Mil Mi-8/Mi-17, 1:48

This item is not a kit of the helicopter but a resin detail accessory. It contains the windshield wipers of the pilots' cockpit of the Soviet, or rather Russian, Mil Mi-8 / Mi-17 transport helicopter and is intended for a plastic kit in 1:48 scale. The Quickboost brand belongs to the Czech firm Aires and concentrates on small castings that replace the finest parts from a kit.

Why replace the wipers

The Mi-8 and its export and modernized variant the Mi-17 have a large, heavily glazed cockpit front — the wipers are therefore immediately visible on the model and are among the first elements the eye registers on a finished build. Injection-molded plastic necessarily renders them thicker, often with a blurred arm. Resin allows a thin arm and a blade with sharp edges to be cast, so that once painted the cockpit looks convincing and not rounded off.

Use and fitting

• Wash the parts in warm soapy water — that rids them of mold release residue.
• Cut the casting blocks off with a sharp knife or a fine saw, never break them off.
• Fit the wipers only after the paint and the glazing are finished, as one of the last steps.
• Glue them with cyanoacrylate; cement for polystyrene does not hold on resin.
• Sand wet and with respiratory protection; use a primer before painting.

Who the accessory is for

For modelers building the Mi-8 or the Mi-17 in 1:48 who want the small things on the exposed cockpit front to be right as well. The parts are fragile, so a patient hand and tweezers come in handy — otherwise it is a quick job with a very clearly visible result.

An accessory for a kit, not a standalone model. The plastic kit, paints and glue are not included in the package unless stated otherwise.