Special hobby AH-1G Cobra Early

[Flipper]

Hello, I am not sure, if it was already posted here. Special hobby bought Cobra from ICM and will be producing it as a HighTech kit.

 

https://www.specialhobby.net/2021/09/sh32082-ah-1g-cobra-early-tails-over.html

[Neo]

Looks solid. Weird move considering we just got a new ah-1

[Rick Griewski]

Oh stop!  This is becoming waaay to complicated.  

[Flipper]

Correct me if I am wrong. ICM did their Cobra based on SH data. So this is a kind of payback (?). If they issue just a high tech, it will not be a competition to ICM.

[Dave Williams]

Mentioned a couple of days ago in the big Cobra thread.

 

 

[Dave Williams]

Instructions up for the SH release

 

https://www.specialhobby.eu/out/ftp/media/SH32082.pdf
 

A lot of VERY nice upgrades for the kit, especially for the cockpit.  I think I’ll use the Quinta set for the IP and seat belts, though.

 

Price is decent, although Hannants preorder price seems better.

 

https://www.specialhobby.eu/en/our-own-production/ah-1g-cobra-early-tails-over-vietnam-hi-tech-kit.html

 

I wonder if they’ll do a similar boxing of the Late release too, although all of the plastic parts, except for the XM-35 gun system, are in the box already.

[Out2gtcha]

Very cool. A lot of that, especially the cockpit stuff is going to be a really nice addition.   I have the Russian cockpit and chin turret upgrade, but did not using it when finishing my AH-1G build as I had already completed the pit. 
I'm not sure what the M134 looks like in the SH kit, but the ones that came with my Russian pit and chin turret upgrade were just ok. They looked decent, but the tips are not evidently open, so would like to see what SH is offering.
Even as good as the resin ones can be, I would still probably go with the RB Productions brass 35th unit as it is quite big for 1/35th scale, and seems to fit the new ICM/SH Cobra perfectly.

The other and even MORE needed upgrade than the cockpit update stuff is an updated/AM set of early and late skids. The OOB skids are seriously weak, and I know if I hadn't strengthened mine with carbon fiber, I would have broken them many, many more times than the one time I did break them clean off. 
I'm hoping Ali and Aerocraft come to the rescue with a brass gear set, as it is 100% needed. 

[Dave Williams]

Don’t know about the minigun barrels as I haven’t seen a high resolution closeup of the parts.  I did get the Live Resin barrels in the other day, but their tips are also solid, but at least they are individual tips, instead of the solid 6 leaf clover of the kit part.  I don’t know if they can actually make the tiny nubs in the mold to make holes in each barrel tip, and have the mold last for many castings.  At worst, it may be possible to use a pin and make the holes yourself.  We’ll see when someone actually gets the SH kit.

 

I do have the RB barrels, and they look very nice, but they also look like a pain to get assembled and aligned, and glued without making a mess.

[Dennis7423]

More photos over here, but I still can't make out the ends of the minigun barrels. They do, however, look like a great improvement over the kit parts. Lots of goodies here.

 

Still holding out for an upgrade for the XM-35 for the late model I picked up.

 

AH-1G Cobra `Early Tails Over Vietnam` Hi-Tech Kit (Plastic model) - HobbySearch Military Model Store (1999.co.jp)

 

- Dennis S.

   Thornton, CO USA

[Out2gtcha]

1 hour ago, Dave Williams said:

Don’t know about the minigun barrels as I haven’t seen a high resolution closeup of the parts.  I did get the Live Resin barrels in the other day, but their tips are also solid, but at least they are individual tips, instead of the solid 6 leaf clover of the kit part.  I don’t know if they can actually make the tiny nubs in the mold to make holes in each barrel tip, and have the mold last for many castings.  At worst, it may be possible to use a pin and make the holes yourself.  We’ll see when someone actually gets the SH kit.

 

I do have the RB barrels, and they look very nice, but they also look like a pain to get assembled and aligned, and glued without making a mess.

 

 

Surprisingly, they were not that bad really. Using the barrels themselves to align things, all in all it went fairly smooth and they definitely do look the part IMHO

 

 

 

Now the Master Model M61 on the other hand, that felt impossible. The way they had it designed with the 3 curved panels but joined to the previous round panel, I just couldn't seem manage it.  I gave up in the middle of it after I discovered what I actually had. 

[thierry laurent]

I'm restarting this old thread with good news for the ones who purchased the ICM Cobra 1/32 releases before the arrival of the Special Hobby one: Special hobby will sell the photoetched and 3d parts separately as a new CMK detail set!