AH-1G Cobra and Jolly Green Giant

Fujimi had the AH-1G in 1/48 scale however, I don't believe it is in production anymore. Revell had a CH-53A in 1/48 scale and I believe it is still availble thru Revell of Germany. Both kits are good representations of the actual aircraft and were easy to assemble although both are lacking in interior detail.

I believe MPC-Hasagwa has the cobra in 1/35
As for the Jolly Green Giant. . .you do mean the Sikorsky HH-3F Air Force version not the Navy version correct? Hmm, I haven't seen one of those in quite a while.Looks as if they were replaced by the Super Jolly Green Giant.

Don

Midnight,

If you're looking for a detailing job, the way to go for the Cobra is the 1/32 AH-1G. Its an older kit, but the external detail is fantastic. Interior leaves a lot to be desired, but that's why you get the Cobra Company interior! Fantastic model overall!

Jon

Both Matchbox and Monogram made decent 1:72 scale Cobras. That Fujimi 1:48 AH-1G is pretty outdated and just plain lousy, IMHO.

A better AH-1G can be made from a Fujimi 1:48 scale AH-1S Tow Cobra (the one without the I.R.-suppressed turbine exhaust), and a Fujimi AH-1J (the twin-engined variant)... use the nose and canopy from the -J to make a decent representation of a -G from the base AH-1S. These Cobras were waaaay different from Fujimi's early AH-1G, which was NOT a part of the newer series. BTW, the same kit was also released under a Minicraft label and, I believe, as a Lindberg kit.

Yes, the cockpit leaves much to be desired; either scratch-build a new "tub" and seats or use the interior from the Monogram AH-1S.

Aurora made a pretty decent Jolly Green Giant, but I doubt that you'll be able to find one now (unless you raid MY stash...).

Sorry, but I'm not selling my stuff. MAYBE I'll get around to building it all someday!

FITTER out

Okay, here are some follow-up pics. The first one shows a comparison between the earlier Fujimi 1:48 scale AH-1G (still in the bag here) and the newer AH-1S, also by Fujimi. Most of the parts in this -S model are shared by the Fujimi AH-1J Sea Cobra. Testors later sold the Fujimi -S in their own packaging, but I'm not sure about the Sea Cobra.



You can see by examining the bare fuselages that the earlier -G model just doesn't compare, especially by today's standards. The shape is all wrong, and it even appears to be undersized. By virtue of the fact that the two later Fujimi kits share many major components, combining the two variants would yield a decent AH-1G with a minimum of cutting and grafting, leaving the cockpit as the major obstacle. The Monogram Tow Cobra could be called upon here to relinquish its interior for a good cause!


The second photo shows a few boxes of Cobra kits; whether they are still available is questionable. The 1:72 scale Cobras shown here are the old Monogram kit, which I like VERY much, and the Matchbox kit, which I cannot comment on, as I have never opened the box. I have heard that it's a good kit, FWIW.



The Monogram Cobra has the tail rotor on the left side, which represents an earlier aircraft; be sure to check your reference photos carefully here! The Matchbox kit has the tail rotor on the right side of the tail boom, as has been standard practice since the changeover in the late 1960's. Incidentally, Fujimi/Testors has/had a 1:72 scale series similar to the 1:48 Cobras in that the variants shared common parts, i.e. main fuselage, rotors, skids, etc. The main differences in these kits, both in 1:48 and 1:72 scales is in the doghouses and the canopies.

HTH...

FITTER out (edited to correct a minor typo)

Hey Fitter, how do you get pics to post????
I'd love to get some of my Cobras up on the list.

Rolling in hot!

Jon

Cobrahistorian:

I wondered why I didn't see any pics at this site... must be so new that no one figured it out yet! Here's the poop:

Posting pics is no problem and I'd be glad to pass this on. First, you'll need a host site for your pics... a good one, and free (that's the best kind!) is Snapfish. Find their site and create an account... again, this is free. Once you get that sorted out you can start uploading pics to that site. You'll need to convert them to jpeg format first, or they won't upload. Of course, you can scan your images in from standard photos if you have a scanner, or you can get them put on a floppy when you get them processed, but the best way is with a digital camera. Since I got my digital a few years ago, I haven't touched my old reliable Canon. It's really the way to go these days.

Once your pics are there, locate the one you want to post in its album and click on it; it will then enlarge itself. Right-click on this larger pic and click on "properties" in the drop-down menu. Copy the url that is displayed... it's the location of that pic and of your photo server.

Now, come back to this site and compose your post... when you decide where you want the image to appear , type "{img}" and then the url, followed by "{/img}", without the quotes, of course. NOTE: use the [brackets] instead of the {brackets} shown... if I typed it in here using the [brackets], the site would think there was an image there and the text in between wouldn't show up (I know... it just happened!). IMPORTANT: be sure not to leave any spaces between the brackets and the url, or it won't work. Good luck; looking forward to seeing your work! maybe it'll inspire me to complete some of my stuff!


FITTER out

Fitter,

Thanks!

Gimme a week and I'll have some pics up. This book is kickin my butt, but I gotta get it out!

Rolling in hot!

Jon