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Crocodile Bay

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"A couple of MI-24 Ds (aka Crocodile) make way through the mountainous region towards their mission area after departing from the soviet-captured Kabul airfield." - Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)

Lately I have been gaining some interest in the Soviet-Afghan War, which, IMO, is quite relevant to ISAF's (and mainly US) nowadays operations in the region. I guess this was due to the rediscovery of my old Mi-24 D miniature beneath the endless layers of fuzz that grey the top shelf of my bedroom. 

It is a formidable aircraft for its capabilities and where some find it cumbersome and ugly, I find the helicopter rather bulky, rigid and most importantly, predatory. My taste for the legendary russian gunship was only bolstered by a two-part documentary I watched on YouTube called "Wings of Russia", which covers the USSR's development (mainly by Mil) of helicopters and their increasing importance in the modern age battlefield (ex. Vietnam). Obviously, in this journey, the NATO-designated "Hind" was the crown jewel of Mil, receiving constant improvements over the years having been ultimately put to the test with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the late 70's, which served commendably and still does today in several conflicts and commercial endeavors, although replaced by its descendant, the MI-28, in the russian armed forces.

As some of you might know, I still suck at painting, although there are some minor improvements I'm kinda proud of, like the moon. Should give :iconspell: credit for her fantastic tutorial!

Yet, I don't feel like I gave the aircraft the tribute it deserves, I'd probably do it better with a shaded black and white drawing, but I also wanted to train some landscapes and Afghanistan felt like a good start. I might give it another go someday...

Soundtracks: Far Cry 3 OST, 300 OST and Shokran


What do you guys think? Any suggestions, comments and tips are appreciated! :P
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