CMK AH-1G Cobra Cockpit (6008 for ICM) 1:35

[Mike]

AH-1G Cobra Cockpit (6008 for ICM)

1:35 CMK by Special Hobby

 

 

ICM released a brand-new AH-1 Cobra tooling last year, in what seems to be the prevailing larger scale for helicopters presently, 1:35.  You can our review of one of the boxings here in case you missed it first time around.  It’s a well-detailed kit, but you can always improve on injection- moulded styrene with resin and Photo-Etch (PE), which is why we now have this cockpit set from CMK.  The set arrives in a small yellow-themed cardboard box, and inside are twenty-three grey cast resin parts, sixteen orange resin parts squeezed into a small 3D print base, a small slip of clear acetate printed with HUD glass shapes, and the detail as you would expect is excellent.  Another bag contains the thick instruction sheet and two frets of PE, one in bare brass, the other nickel-plated and pre-painted with exceptional detail.

 

 

 

 

The photo above shows the 3D printed resin with the canopy removed so that more of the parts and their detail can be seen.

 

Construction begins with the seats, which are both built in the same manner around differing bases, the rear pilot’s seat with “mickey mouse ears”, the gunner’s having full-width head armour.  They both have seat base cushions added, and four-point pre-painted crew belts from the PE sheet, basing the front seat on another resin part that raises it in the cockpit.  The rear seat has some small resin and 3D parts glued to the bottom rear, then they are both inserted in the kit cockpit tub after removing a block to the left of the gunner’s seat.  That block is replaced by a resin part, adding another to the gunner’s opposite side, and both crew have foot-pegs inserted into their compartments, as shown by a scrap diagram nearby.  The gunner’s controls are made from two 3D printed parts, while the pilot’s collective and cyclic sticks are made from a selection of resin and 3D printed parts, with a little 0.4mm wire from your own stores included.  They are attached to the cockpit, adding other controls to the gunner’s side consoles, then making up a pair of instrument panels from the kit coamings and panels that have been stripped of their moulded-in detail, leaving a flat plate on which to glue the two layers of pre-painted PE that will represent the instruments, dials and their glossy lenses, using a clear gloss varnish to mount the front part, taking care not to let the gloss overflow onto the matt surrounds.  They are installed in the cockpit as per the kit instructions, then the pilot’s HUD is built from a 3D part, adding two PE details, and two clear lenses cut from the acetate sheet, noting the scrap diagram nearby to see how it should look once finished.  Two more spacers are affixed to the coaming between the two crew stations, fitting a fire extinguisher to the port side, which will inject a little colour into the interior, which has colour call-outs made throughout the instructions.

 

The completed cockpit is then trapped between the two fuselage halves along with other kit parts, augmenting the detail on the shelf behind the pilot with two new resin parts and some detailed painting instructions, then sliding armour panels down the sides of the cockpit in place of the kit parts, the starboard side having extra parts fitted during assembly.  A pair of corrugated hoses are found on the 3D base, linking the crew seats to the bulkheads behind them, and you are instructed to cut a small area from the port forward armour panel if you have the canopy open on your model.  The remaining parts are used to improve the canopy, starting with the long narrow windscreen/roof that stretches between the nose and the rear of the cockpit.  A large PE part is Z-folded to create a thick block to install under the rear of the canopy, adding a resin handle to the middle, and four grab-handles to the sides of the glazing.  A rear-view mirror is installed at the top of the windscreen, and a triangular instrument binnacle is glued to the left screen frame, then the part can be mated with the cockpit after detail painting.  If you are posing the canopy sides open, the forward port door/window has a replacement for the portion of the armour you cut out earlier glued to it first, with a handle made from wire.  The open canopies both have handles made from wire, plus a pair of PE props to hold them at the correct angle, both of which aren’t needed if you intend to leave the canopy closed for flight.  A couple of scrap diagrams show the location of the props in blue to assist with their location.

 

 

Markings

The instructions have a series of colour call-outs in every step, with a letter code converted to colour names and Gunze Sangyo Mr Color codes in both H and C ranges in a list at the top of the instruction booklet, so-called because the three A4 pages are stapled into an A5 booklet, with adverts for other Special Hobby products on the back two pages.

 

 

Conclusion

The combination of traditional and 3D printed resin and PE leads to an excellent level of detail, and a pair of instrument panels that few modellers could aspire to emulate.  The large clear windows will show off the work you have put into the improvements, regardless of whether you leave the canopies open or closed.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of