Bell AH-1G Cobra (Late Production)

Inside the large box you will find one clear and six medium grey-coloured sprues. Surface detail is a mix of engraved panel lines and rivets with raised rivets on the tail boom. The revisions to the kit basically are the use of the later style of tail, revised landing  skids, the new blisters on the mid-fuselage sides and the use of the two-gun nose turret. The rest of construction remains much as before with the cockpit interior built up in a single-piece 'tub' with multi-part seats, control yokes and instrument panels; the latter with decal overlays if you wish, as the mouldings lack any detail for things like the dial faces etc. The transmission is a multi-part unit that can be exposed via the separate access covers on each side, but there is not actual engine itself, just the part visible with the covers off. There are a number of alternative parts for the exterior, dealing with upgrades specific to the decal options, so you really need to decide early on which scheme you are building. The winglets have nicely detailed pylons for which later you have the option of a gatling gun on the port one along with either rocket launchers, gun pods or missiles. The canopy is multi-part and finely moulded with no flaws we could see in our example. The sighting head in the upper port front is a separate item, with a decal for details, so be careful with the cement. The side sections, front and rear, are separate, with the option to have this hinged open to port at the front and to starboard at the rear; these have support stays as per the real thing. Each rotor blade is two-part with the hub another six parts, whilst the pitch linkage and drive shaft are also all separate. The main skids are single parts on each side, but the transit wheels are multi-part sub-assembles with the special bridle to go at the front for towing also included. The instructions include a set of templates to allow you to cut out paint masks from masking tape for the main canopy sections and the nose cap. 
 
Markings
The kit comes with the following decal options:
• AH-1G, S/No.68-17074 'The Gladiator' of C Troop, 16th Air Cavalry, Can Tho, January 1962
• AH-1G, S/No. 68-15031, 'Pandora's Box' 238th AWC, Vietnam, 1971)
• AH-1G, S/No. 68-15012, '#1 Du Me Mi', F Troop, 4th Air Cavalry, Phu Bai, 1972
The decal sheet is very glossy with excellent colour and register, just remember that ICM decals don't like solvents and movement needs to be kept to a minimum using a lot of water. It included all the unique markings for each option along with the national insignia and an extensive series of stencils, including those for the ordnance. The sheet also has the instrument panel dial decal, but these are rather simple black/white items and the sheet also lacks any seat belts.

Conclusion
Like the early version, this new kit is excellent, so it is highly recommended to all fans of the AH-1 Cobra and helicopter modellers in genera

Our thanks to ICM (www.icm.com.ua) for the review sample, UK modellers can obtain this kit from Hannants here.