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AH-1G 20mm Solution!

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  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
AH-1G 20mm Solution!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 12:30 AM
Ok, for all of you out there dying to build a 20mm Cobra in 1/32 scale I've got a decent solution for you!

I just purchased the Italeri M-163A1 PIVAD (Basically an M-113 APC with a Vulcan cannon on top) in 1/35 scale. While the two scales are different, the're close enought to work with. Some scratchbuilding is still necessary (the gun mount itself) but the barrels are supplied, as is the breech mechanism and feed chutes for the gun. The barrels will need to be shortened a bit, since the M195 gun was a cut down and de-rated version of the M61.

The ammo containers are up to you. I've found that laminating sheet styrene and then sanding to shape works best. I've done two already and they look pretty good. This is the first non-scratchbuilt gun that I'm doing, however. I'll keep everyone posted on how it turns out.

And the cool thing is, once you're done with your Cobra, you can take a break from aircraft with a a nice M-113 ACAV to complete the diorama!

Rolling in hot!

Jon
"1-6 is in hot"
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by FITTER on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 8:55 AM
Wow... that's a great idea! It'll be even BETTER when (if) they finally produce a 1:35 scale AH-1G. I'm not sure how well the following image will turn out, but if it's of any use to you perhaps I can post enlargements of certain segments of it.



BTW, does anyone know where I can get some nice scale Cobra plans? All I have is the set that came in the Verlinden Lock-On #6, and they are of the AH-1S.

FITTER out
IBTL
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 9:57 AM
Fitter,

If you can wait till September, my book is going to have a 1/72 three view of the G model. Now why couldn't you have posted that drawing six months ago!!! LOL I could have used it to send to my profile artist to illustrate the cannon installation!
Anyhow, I'm about to start Spring Break on Friday, so I'm going to get some modeling done over the next twelve days! Maybe I'll actually post some pics too!



"1-6 is in hot"
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by FITTER on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 10:18 AM
Jeeeeze... Too bad I didn't know you then. I have a lot of this kind of stuff. Let me know what you need in the future and I can e-mail a full-sized scan. My photo host limits both the size and resolution of the images I post.

Here's a close-up from the page shown above:




... and here's another:




FITTER out
IBTL
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 6:51 PM
Fitter,

FANTASTIC!!! The only manuals I've got are for S and F models. No illustrations of the M-35 system. Now I've gotta find a good 20mm bird from D/229th AHB that flew in Cambodia, May/June 1970. That's the last one of the four I'm building. Don't have any markings for it as of yet.

"1-6 is in hot"
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: East Bethel, MN
Posted by midnightprowler on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 4:25 AM
Hey Jon, can you give us any teasers from your book? Who is publishing it? Do you know how much it will cost?
Lee

Hi, I am Lee, I am a plastiholic.

Co. A, 682 Engineers, Ltchfield, MN, 1980-1986

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

Ask me about Speedway Decals

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 8:31 AM
Lee,

The book is part of the Osprey Combat Aircraft Series and is titled simply "US Army AH-1 Cobra Units In Vietnam." It will be out in September and should be $18.95 (that's what the rest of the series has gone for).

I can't show you any of the artwork yet, but the cover art has been done by Mark Postelthwaite and profile art is by Jim Laurier. Both are UNBELIEVEABLE artists. The cover art depicts the incidents of the early afternoon, 24 May 1970. Two Cobras were flying medevac escort into Cambodia and things got hairy.

The book is 96 pages with 115 photographs, and 36 aircraft profiles. Of course cramming 7 years and 42 units that operated the type into 96 pages is going to cut a lot of information out, but Its a good overview of Cobra ops in Vietnam.

I'm almost as anxious as everyone else to see it on the shelves!

"1-6 is in hot"
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Brooklyn
Posted by wibhi2 on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 10:54 AM
I got some info from Bell on the AH-1G (cockpit and gun systems) - If I can dig them out, I'll scan them in.

Cobra produced a pretty good detail set for the revell kit. One of the problems with the revell kit is the the rear rotor is on the wrong side of the tail boom (or at least all of my references suggest that). Even though I have the detail set - it dosen't really match the info from bell, so I think I am going to do some serious scratch building on the front office.

When building the mini gun, couldn't you also use 1/16 telescoping tubing?
3d modelling is an option a true mental excercise in frusrtation
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 2:59 PM
Wibhi,

The tail rotor started out on the left side, but in 1971 they began switching them over to the right. This negated the "running out of left pedal" at high power/high torque settings. On the left hand ones, the tail rotor rotated towards the nose of the aircraft and was a tractor-type rotor (pulled the tailboom to the left). With the switch to the right side, it rotated away from the nose and became a pusher-type rotor which was much more efficient. A very late-Vietnam Cobra MAY or may not have a right side tail rotor. Any subsequent model (P/Q/S/E/F) would have it on the right side.

As far as the Cobra Company cockpit sets, they are perfect for a Vietnam-era Cobra. There's a little scratcbuilding necessary if you want to add the 20mm cannon (there's an additional panel that needs to be added to the main control panel). If the references you have aren't matching, they may not be of a G model. Probably an S, which had significant internal changes (I just backdated a real front cockpit. LOTS of stuff to take out!)

With regard to the guns... the 20mm cannon under the left wing can be made with tubing. I did it once already and it looks really good. I just wanted something fairly simple to do it with and saw the M-163 with the Vulcan cannon and figured "why not!" its working out rather well. The ammo containers and feed mechanisms are all scratchbuilt, so its a bit of a conversion, but not too bad. I've basically built up the containers with laminated sheet styrene and then sanded them to the proper shape. Detailing from there is easy.

The minigun, however, is a royal pain in the butt. I've stolen miniguns from the 1/35 MRC UH-1C kits FIVE times now. (I have 4 G models building, one of em with twin miniguns in the turret) My poor Charlie models are all gunless!

I'm going to get some photos up soon of "Heather Dawn", the first one I've completed.

"1-6 is in hot"
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: East Bethel, MN
Posted by midnightprowler on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 3:24 PM
Looking forward to those photos Jon, and your book. It will be on the B-day and Christmas list. Do you think I can get it at Barnes and Knoble or Waldenbooks? If not, where can we get it?
Lee

Hi, I am Lee, I am a plastiholic.

Co. A, 682 Engineers, Ltchfield, MN, 1980-1986

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

Ask me about Speedway Decals

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Brooklyn
Posted by wibhi2 on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 5:27 PM
Thanks cobrahistorian for the quick rundown. I guess all the photos I got are from the later years.

The one in particular that I want to model is on the opposite side.

I also look forward to your book and photos
3d modelling is an option a true mental excercise in frusrtation
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 6:10 PM
Midnight,

It should be at B&N or Borders. If not, the Zenith Books catalog will definitely have it. B&N and Borders both carry the Osprey "Aircraft of the Aces" and "Combat Aircraft" series. Mine will be one of the Combat Aircraft volumes.
"1-6 is in hot"
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 8:41 PM
Back to the 20mm for a sec...
I've built up the cannon from the M-163 kit. goes together easily and looks good. The only modifications that need to be made are the barrel muzzles need to be sanded down and the center bolt needs to be drilled out. The faceplate on the M195 cannon had a hole in the center and the barrel muzzles were almost flush with the faceplate itself. I wouldn't worry about cutting down the barrels either. I think the difference in scale between 32 and 35 takes care of that. I test-positioned it today on the wing and it fit perfectly.
Also, the ejector chute needs to be removed because the 195's chutes were angled down and away from the fuselage to keep spent shells from hitting the tail rotor.
The only other suggestion I can think of is to remove the "drive motor" which is a nasty little blob of semi-cylindrical plastic above the ejector chute. It should be a complete cylinder (See Fitter's diagrams above) and not this molded on hunk of plastic.
"1-6 is in hot"
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: NE Georgia
Posted by Keyworth on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 8:45 PM
Can't get the book in my hands. Cobras are one of my favorite helos-personal experience on the ground-side of things 30+ years ago. Looking forward to reading it. -Ed
"There's no problem that can't be solved with a suitable application of high explosives"
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Friday, March 14, 2003 12:24 PM
Ok guys, the book is OFF TO OSPREY!!!
I've finally finished the Cambodia chapter and have sent it, along with the rest of the book, photos, bibliography, etc, to Tony Holmes for edits, production, etc.

I'm already researching the next volume, which will be USMC Cobras (should be out summer 2005).

"1-6 is in hot"
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 15, 2003 3:18 AM
Gun Pilots -
Check the following web site. I think it may assist in your efforts.
http://tri.army.mil/LC/CS/csa/aa.htm
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by FITTER on Saturday, March 15, 2003 9:44 AM
Great link, Wade. Quite a few nice detail photos there.

FITTER out
IBTL
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 4:03 PM
I am planning on building the G model that my father flew in SE Asia, and I called Cobra Company about the 20mm. They said that they will be producing one this summer for the Revell 1-32 AH-1G. Don't have any specifics on when or how much, but hope this helps.
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 7:36 PM
Sapper,

What unit was your father with? If you want, I can probably get you all the records for that Cobra. If you can get me the tail number, I'll email you the data I've got on it.

Jon
"1-6 is in hot"
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