Revell 1/32 scale Bell AH-1G Cobra helicopter

Kit: No. 4677
Scale: 1/32
Manufacturer: Revell-Monogram,
847-770-6100,
www.revell-monogram.com
Price: $31.98
Comments: Injection-molded, 89 parts
(1 metal retaining ring), decals
Pros: Still the only early Cobra in large
scale, accurate overall shapes, fine
raised rivet detail, excellent decals, new
parts added to original kit
Cons: Basic details overall, poor fit,
misshapen parts

When Monogram's AH-1G was
first released in the late 1960s, the
Vietnam War was in full swing. The modeling
industry wasn't what it is today, but
this was a fairly decent kit, for its time.

Monogram has re-released the AH-1G
Cobra with a sprue of updated parts. It's
molded in gray as opposed to the original
olive drab. It features a removable panel
on the right side of the fuselage to show
a basic engine/transmission assembly, but
there is no internal framing to the open
bay. A pair of two-part crew figures are
included.

The new parts include large and small
rocket pods, minigun pods, a replacement
anticollision beacon for the tiny one
molded on top of the fuselage, and two
small antenna fairings for the aft fuselage
(which I misplaced). Fine decals by
Cartograf feature a choice of 1st Armored
Cavalry with shark's teeth, and another
from the 11th Armored Cavalry.

The original molds are long in the
tooth. Some parts were badly misshapen,
especially the muzzle for the minigun in
the nose turret. I had to trim flash from
most of the original parts. The cockpit
went together well, but closing the fuselage
halves left seams all the way around. I
filled them with gap-filling super glue.

I had to file and sand down the top
of the nose so it would be level with the
canopy, and even then I had to fill large
gaps at the front and rear of the canopy
with Micro Kristal Kleer.

After painting and glossing, the decals
went down without incident. A final flat
coat and some pastels finished the job.

It's good to see this old chestnut back
on the hobby-shop shelves. It took only
14 hours to build. It's not difficult, but
be prepared for "classic" fit problems.
Experience with seam filling and curing
fit problems will be helpful. Fanatics will
want to upgrade the old kit with aftermarket
detail sets.

- Larry Schramm