Hey there… just put another pic of my progress up on my website. http://cobrahistorian.tripod.com Its on the Photo Album page at the bottom.
Hey Jon,
Boy, you have been busy with it, haven’t you! Looking good! Can start imagining the desert tan paint scheme on it now!
Bravo!
Frank
Hey Jon,
It’s looking great man! Can’t wait to see it finished and painted. Did you modify the blades that came with the kit to get the K747 blades? If so, how did you modify the rotor head? It looks very different from the 540 head. By the way, a question for you. I want to build a Cobra that’s up-gunned with the 20mm turret cannon. Also has the flat plate canopy and the old 540 rotor system with metal blades. Also has the Strela suppression kit for IR protection. What’s the proper designation for this aircraft? I know this was an up-grade process during the days when they were all called ‘S’ models but what’s this version called?
Thanks for your help and keep up the good work.
Paul
Paul,
I basically modified the existing blades. There may be some discrepancy as far as chord and length, but they’re pretty close and for my purposes, they look good. The rotor head, from what I’ve seen is narrower, so I stole a 540 head from a 1/35th UH-1C and lengthened it a bit. I’m still working on it, as it needs a bit of work yet. Its getting there though. Right now I’m concentrating on the exhaust cowling. What a royal pain in the butt.
As for the model you’re interested in, it was designated the AH-1S ECAS (Enhanced Cobra Armament System) initially, but then when the designation changed for the flat plate canopied Cobras, those became AH-1Es and the later ones with the composite blades and IR suppressors became AH-1Fs. The AH-1P retained the M-28 turret and metal blades as well. I think they became P models after the designation change as well, to denote differences between the E and P models. It gets kinda confusing!
The AH-1F is now sitting next to my “Afghanistan 2002” AH-64A and looking pretty cool. I think I’m gonna have to build a Desert Storm Apache just to keep my Desert Storm Cobra company…
ok, that didn’t work…
lets try this
nope.
Hey Jon,
Trying to post a picture in the message? Hmmm… haven’t tried that, lets see if this works…
“Bong Son Arty, Go-Go’s rolling hot”
FITTER
Fitter,
You kick ass!
THANKS!
Hey Fitter,
Any chance you got the same on the Strela Suppresion Kit for the older Cobras? That’s what I’m putting on my old version. Jon says it would be an AH-1E or the older designation AH-1S (ECAS). I can use all the pics I can get. So far I’ve only found a couple of pics of an aircraft on display at the Ft. Rucker museum and it’s hanging from the ceiling.
Paul
Paul,
I’ll be back home on Tuesday. I’ll go through my manuals and see if I’ve got any good shots of the toilet bowl exhaust. The auxiliary scoops should be really easy to replicate with sheet styrene.
I’ll let you know then!
Thanks Jon!
I just finished a 1/48th scale Huey and then all I have left is the main rotor on my 1/48th Bell 222. After that, it’s time for the Cobra conversion! Your photos have inspired!
Paul
Ok, so I’ve gone and done it AGAIN.
I just got another 32nd scale AH-64. Once the F Cobra is done, I’m gonna convert this to a D model Apache DWO. Thankfully the basic fuselage is the same. The sponsons have to be completely rebuilt, as do both control panels and numerous other detail bits. The first 32nd Apache I built was an A model, but it needed tons of details added to bring it up to current standard. Most of those need to be repeated for the D model, so it shouldn’t be too hard.
That left side sponson is gonna be the real killer, that and the new a/c intakes aft of the sponsons.
Mr. Roebuck, am I missing anything?
Paul:
Is this it??
Don’t forget that little Ty-D-Bol flapper inside the bowl on the starboard side…
… and the little spoiler just before the exhaust outlet, on the fuselage itself.
(this last image was just to show where that enlargement came from)
FITTER
Fitter,
You ARE DAH MAN!!!
This will be a tremendous help! I reallly appreciate your posting this for me.
Paul
What would be the best way to get that elliptical shape?
take a tube and bend it to say 45deg then cut along the 0 deg plane?
I haven’t done this yet, but I would be inclined to take the Fujimi 1:48 scale piece, scale it up, and carve a wooden master, in two halves. Separate the halves and vacu-form the parts out of styrene.
FITTER
Is that thier Cobra kit?
Hey everyone,
Sorry I haven’t put any updates up in a while. I haven’t been doing much work on models since the semester started. Morning PT has been kickin my butt and my class schedule and teaching schedule is running me ragged… and then there’s my thesis. BUT, I did just finish both crew doors, glass and everything. They’re looking pretty good. Don’t know when I’ll be able to post pics, as I’ve gotta get to Museum Law in a few minutes.
Can someone say “overextended”?
Later