John - I bet you turned your back to the model when it was flying towards you, and watched it over your shoulder. That's what I did, anyway.
I used to fly a Yak52 with Russian horizons, but I don't think I ever looked at the AH much, if at all. IIRC these instruments were driven by AC electricity, produced from the aircraft's DC supply by a motor/alternator set behind the seat. It worked, but it must have been very heavy.
Having been brought up on the western propaganda that all Russian kit is rather inferior rubbish, I was very pleased to be disabused of that notion by my aquaintance with the Yak. It did seem strange at first after the very British Chipmunk, but I soon found that the Yak was not 'rough' or 'agricultural' - it was just 'different', and in many ways far superior to the Chippy. I particularly liked the eggshell-blue instrument panels instaed of the matt black of western cockpits - so much brighter! And that vertical black line up the middle of the panel that makes centreing the ailerons much easier. The Russian approach to engineering and aeroplanes betrays a very different mindset - hugely practical and pragmatic in approach (their bang seats, the best in the world, used clockwork timers, for instance). Once you get your head around that, the whole experience of flying the machine become so much more enjoyable.
At least that was my experience.
SSD