Monogram

Kit Number 85-4677

1/32 Bell AH-1G Cobra Helicopter

Reviewed By Frank Kranick, #20352

Yet another ‘blast from the past’ for me, this Hueycobra kit brought back fond memories of flying around the backyard, blasting my “bucket ‘o army men” in never ending orbits around hot LZ’s.  It seems a long time since I’ve seen this kit released – I can’t recall seeing it in quite a few years.  As Revell-Monogram has gone through some corporate changes in the recent past, so too have their products.  This kit is now molded in Poland and Korea while the Cartograph decals are from Italy.  Previously, Revell alone offered this kit, now it’s under the Monogram banner.  Go figure…

What you’re greeted with are the original sprues, now molded in Poland in a light grey.  The molds have held up well, with very little flash.  Panel lines are a mix of raised and recessed, more of the former, with rivets being raised and perhaps a wee bit oversized.  The clear, one-piece canopy is nicely rendered and separately wrapped.  A new twist is the sprue from Korea which adds rockets pods; two, seven shot pods and two 19 shot pods, hardpoints for said pods, new stub-wing bottoms and intake grilles for the turbine engine.  This sprue is very reminiscent of the sprues for the 1/32nd Revell RF-4C which was also molded in Korea – very crisp and clean with high detail.  This new sprue gives you the choice to replace the original twin Minigun pods and rocket pods which are still included in the kit.

You have a choice of two US Army machines from either the 1st or 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, circa 1969 Vietnam.  The decals offer some color for the overall Olive Drab paint schemes and are thin and well-rendered.  The instructions are typical late-model Monogram – clear and well illustrated.  Paint callouts are via FS numbers.

While the parts are nicely molded, considering the kit’s pedigree, it’s definitely showing its age.  The engine’s detail is a bit soft and sparse and the cockpit needs help – not surprising for a kit dating back to the dark ages of modeling (ca 1970’s).  There are decal gauges for the front office which help matters but the seats are plain-Jane, with no detail whatsoever.  The pilot and gunner figures are molded front-and-back without separate arms or heads.  They aren’t extraordinarily bad but still not too much better than the figures you’d find in a typical Revell 1/32nd aircraft kit of the ‘60’s or ‘70’s.

While MRC has several Cobra versions in 1/35th scale, these are newer varieties and not of the Vietnam era.  It would appear this is still the only game in town for a 1/32nd Vietnam Hueycobra.  The Cobra Company offers an extensive resin cockpit upgrade and Minigun pods that breathe new life into this old soldier.  So, it’s still a big, bad attack copter, looking for trouble in countless backyards of forty-something modelers everywhere.  In the right hands, this kit can still shine.

Thank you Revell-Monogram for the review sample and the trip back to years long forgotten!

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