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AH-1W SuperCobra

by Chris Beaumont

 

US Marines, Persian Gulf, 1987

 


Italeri's 1/48 scale AH-1Z SuperCobra is available online from Squadron.com

 

Introduction

 

I've long been attracted to the super sleek body of the Bell Huey AH-1 Cobra helicopter gunship. My first exposure to this attractive chopper was via photos and film of them in action during the Vietnam War. This versatile and enduring chopper also served more recently in Desert Storm.

The most recent version is the AH-1W Super Cobra. The Italeri kit gave me the opportunity to build the latest version of the Cobra in 1/48 scale. It is built straight Out-Of-The-Box. You should be able to get some idea of the injection molded detail of the kit in the additional images below. The "A" in the designation of the AH-1W stands for "Attack". Its long service in the attack helicopter role proves the success of Huey's design. Similar to the UH-1 series, early versions of the AH-1 had one engine. The AH-1W had two engines that improved performance and reliability. This model is finished as a US Marines machine in the 3 tone "Persian Gulf 1987" camouflage scheme described in Italeri's instructions.

 

R e f e r e n c e s


The paint finish was attentively reproduced with the aid of the 3 photographic references below:

                       

  • Ref # 1: Japanese, Burin-Do publication "Famous Aircraft of the World No.34
    AH-1 Cobra, Ah-64 Apache" ; provides some super detailed color shots of the Super Cobra.
  • Ref # 2: Japanese Koku Fan January 1994 No.1; The key reference shot from this magazine is
    the spotted glow yellow & white chaff / flare dispenser.
  • Ref # 3: Osprey / Motorbooks International Publication, " COBRA "
    all color photos with captions album.


 

A d d i t i o n a l   I m a g e s

 

Click on the thumbnail images below to view the image full sized. Use the "Back" arrow on your browser to return to this page.

 

                   

                 

 

Model, Text and Photographs Copyright © 1999 by Chris Beaumont
Page Created on 30 April, 1998
Last updated 04 June, 2007

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