Sitting here trapped in the house due to the hurricane and I was looking over the “to do” stack and this question came up.
Does anyone know of a conversion or AM set out there to take the Cobra to the Zulu standard? I’ve got a pair of 1/35 MRC Cobras and I wanted to make one into the newest 4 bladed version. I’ve got a Whiskey Cobra and the T+ version sitting here right now.
I checked Cobra’s website, and they have the NTS upgrade but nothing (yet) for the Z model.
Thanks for your time.
Found this great website from Bell Helos that has all sorts of info. http://www.bellhelicopter.textron.com/en/aircraft/military/bellAH-1Z.cfm
It also has a link to a AH-1Z pocket guide that shows all sorts of images and talks about all the upgrades. Should have all you need. Pocketguide: http://www.bellhelicopter.textron.com/en/aircraft/military/pdf/AH1Z_PG_04_web.pdf
Sounds like an intrerresting conversion. Keep us updated.
The only thing I’ve seen are scratchbuilt details (mostly using Whiskey model detail/update sets) and an Eduard PE set on Italeri 1/48 scale AH-1Zs. Kelly Quirk did a really good update on this model at Aircraft Resource Center.
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/
Kelly’s looks good, but is not an accurate Z model. Look at the profile of his sail and compare it to the picture below. Good effort, but I wouldn’t use it for a referance.
Kelly Quirk-modeler extradonaire [bow]
Cheers,
Albert [:o)]
Guys,
That’s not a Z Cobra. That’s the AH-1-4BW, the initial 4 bladed rotor demonstrator.
Which one, Quirk’s?
Jon’s right. The Italeri kit is based on the AH-1-4BW prototype, not the AH-1Z. Because of that, scratchbuilding the fairing on the sail is the ONLY option. I guess Kelly didn’t want to go through all of that.
Thanks for all the links and advice. I’m not sure if I’m up to making a scratch conversion just yet, but I know I want to so something different with one of these snakes.
Actually the Italeri AH-1Z is much closer to an AH-1Z than the 4BW. The 4BW differed from the AH-1W in only the main rotor and the end caps on the horizontal stabilizers.
The Italeri AH-1Z sprue has a lot of items that are new to the AH-1Z and not on the 4BW, including wet stub wings, 4 bladed tailrotor, and new doghouse with APU.
Granted the Italeri kit doesn’t look like the current config for the Z but it is still closer to a Z than a 4BW. Problem is the look of the Z keeps changing. Italeri did their kit when all there was were Bell drawings - and it looks like those drawings. Sicne then the larger doghouse has been added, the stabs have been moved back, the TSS was added, etc. In fact the look of the Z is still changing. The two most recent changes are a redesigned tail stnger and exhaust stacks canted 90 degrees. Don’t anticipate any more significant changes but modelling a Z is a snapshot - even with current references a Z you make now might not look like the Z the fleet will get.
Maybe I’ll just wait on that one then…no real hurry, just thought I’d see what was out there. Thanks!