Kit: No. 2647
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Italeri, from Model Rectifier Corp., 732-225-2100, www.modelrectifier.com
Price: $65
Comments: Injection-molded, 189 parts, decals
Pros: Good detail, clear instructions, straightforward assembly
Cons: Some minor fit problems, flat-finish decals silvered slightly
The ACH-47A Chinook was the U.S. Army's attempt at a heavily armed helicopter to provide support for the AH-1 Cobra. Although successful, the need for its transport and heavy-lifting capabilities resulted in the termination of the project.
Italeri's kit comes molded in olive-drab plastic on five sprues. It comes with two 20mm guns, two multirocket rocket tubes, five .50-caliber machine guns, and one 40mm grenade launcher in the nose. The kit provides building options, too. The forward part of the rear engine tower has doors that can be built open or closed. I built mine closed; the engine inside isn't terribly well detailed.
The side-entry door can be assembled open or closed, but with the gun mount in the door, I don't know why it would be open, except maybe for maintenance purposes. I posed it open just to utilize the parts. The rear ramp is hinged, but with the gun mount you'll want to pose it open to see the gun setup on the ramp.
The kit comes with markings for three different choppers, one from Aberdeen Proving Ground and two that served in Vietnam.
Assembly was fairly simple and straightforward throughout. Steps 1 and 32 deal with the cockpit and cabin floor. The overhead console in the cockpit is molded in relief, but the center console and instrument panel are decals. Decals are also provided for the seat belts. Parts 19 and 20A will have to be filed down a little before the cockpit glass will fit flush with the main fuselage.
The "second skin" went together easily and fit into the outer fuselage halves nicely. The engine-pod assemblies left a few gaps at the front and rear when cemented to the fuselage. A little Micro Kristal Klear in the seams and a quick wipe with a damp cotton swab cleaned it up nicely.
When assembling the fuselage bottom, it's best to cement one side at a time for easier part alignment. Also you're supposed to install the ramp at the same time, trapping the hinges between the cabin floor and fuselage bottom. I snipped off the hinge pins so I could slip the assembly in later. Without doing this it would be flopping around for the rest of the assembly, painting, and decaling process.
In step 16, you can assemble the forward part of the rear engine compartment open or closed. I chose the closed position, but I had to shim the rear and bottom of the door assembly to bring it up and out so it would fit flush with the rest of the engine compartment.
The rest of the assembly went off without a hitch.
The decals had a flat appearance on the decal sheet. They went on OK, but there was a little silvering on a few of the decals.
Italeri's Chinook is a fairly simple build and it doesn't require a lot of room on the shelf. Someone with a couple of years' experience should not have a problem. It took me about 30 hours to complete the model - about right for a kit of this complexity.
- Larry Schramm