Special Hobby have chosen something a little unusual for the latest boxing of their excellent 1:48 Huey Cobra. While the classic AH-1G is synonymous with US Army operations in the Vietnam War, the U.S. Marine Corps also operated the type for a short time as an interim measure while they waited for the twin-engine AH-1J. A total of 38 ex-Army AH-1Gs was used by the Marines following their transfer in 1969. Source: Wikipedia

The Kit

The new release is packaged in a tough and attractive top-opening box with the clear parts and decals bagged separately from the main runners for protection. Everything in the sample kit arrived in perfect condition. The kit comprises:

172 x grey styrene parts (plus 13 not needed)

11 x clear styrene parts (plus 13 not used)  

While some of Special Hobby's recent releases have been welcome revisits to the days when the company produced short-run kits, the AH-1G is moulded to the latest mainstream standards - CAD-produced and very crisply detailed throughout. Most of surface finish comprises precisely engraved lines and with some applique panels, but the rear fuselage correctly features raised rivets too. Looking at walkaround photos of the full-sized aircraft, these seem a bit on the heavy side to me, so I'll knock them back a bit with a sponge-sander (which will also make applying the decals easier). As you'd hope with what's still effectively a new tool kit, I couldn't find any flash or any moulding problems in the sample, and ejector pin marks are light and kept out of harm's way.

The fuselage is constructed of three main parts - the sides and a belly panel. The fit was great when I reviewed the Hi Tech boxing and the parts are unchanged for this release so the same should be true again.

A Few Details

Obviously, the cockpit's not going to be in the same league as the Hi Tech version, but it's still nicely fitted-out with 31 parts. These include neatly-moulded instrument panels that are provided with decals for the faces and 4-part seats. Special Hobby don't include any seat harnesses and I think most people will want to add them because their absence is going to be very obvious thanks to the crystal clear canopy that can be posed open.

The kit includes a choice of nose turrets with either a single minigun or a minigun and a 40mm grenade launcher, but the instructions only show the latter type fitted and all the colour schemes show that style.

The rotors are straightforward and quite nicely detailed with the main rotor having a 12-part hub assembly.

The landing skids can be modelled in two ways - plane or with dolly wheels attached for ground handling. If you go for the latter option a neat touch is that Special Hobby have included a tow-bar that opens up some neat options for dioramas and vignettes.

The kit comes with an impressive array of ordnance for the Cobra's pylons:

1 x M35 20mm cannon

2 x 2.75 inch 7-tube XM157 rocket pods

2 x 2.75 inch 7-tube XM158 rocket pods  

4 x 2.75 inch 19-tube XM159 rocket pods

2 x M18 7.62 mm Minigun pods

Note: The instructions state that Marines and Navy AH-1Gs were not equipped with the M35 cannon and Special Hobby recommend not to use it, but the parts have been included anyway.

Instructions & Decals

Special Hobby provide a classy 20-page A4 instruction booklet that's printed in colour on high quality stock. The diagrams are large and very clear, so there shouldn't be any problems for modellers at most levels of experience. The suggested assembly sequence is pretty logical, but I'd leave installing the canopy until last to make handing the kit easier. Colour matches for the details are included throughout and these are for Gunze Sangyo paints.

The kit includes decals for four Cobras - 3 x US Marines and 1 x US Navy. 

A. AH-1G, s/n 68-17108, VT-26, HMA-367 Scarface, US Marine Corps, Vietnam, 1969-70

B. AH-1G, s/n 68-15085, Marine Observation Squadron VMO-2, 1969-70

C. AH-1G, s/n 68-15194, US Navy Test Pilot School, NAS Jacksonville, 1974

D. AH-1G, s/n 68-17105, VT-26, HMA-169 (VMO-2), US Marine Corps, Camp Pendelton, California, 1972

The decals are good quality, being thin and glossy and printed in precise register. There's a fair bit of excess carrier film, but my experience with recent Special Hobby decals has shown this snuggles down and disappears with no problem using standard decal solutions.

If you examine the decals with a strong magnifier, you can see that the colours are produced with a pattern of ultra-fine dots. It's not my preferred type of printing, but the dots here are so tiny, they are invisible at normal viewing range. What's not so good in this instance is that it's resulted in the blue of the national insignia looking a bit washed out on the sheet. It might look OK once the decals are applied, though - and I guess you could always argue that the markings were slightly faded from the sun. Otherwise, there are plenty of aftermarket sets offering US national insignia.

Conclusion

Special Hobby's AH-1G Cobra is a very impressive kit. This standard boxing is obviously much more affordable than the Hi Tech edition (see here: https://aeroscale.net/news/bell-ah-1g-cobra-over-vietnam-with-m-35-gun-system) and it will also appeal to anyone looking for a simpler build.

Kit #SH48235 is available now from Special Hobby - Price: 43.90 Euros

Many thanks to Special Hobby for the review sample.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE