With a deep breath and mucho nervousness, I've decided to post a few pics of my recently completed Academy AH-1W. This is my first attempt at a helicopter and my first attempt at some heavy weathering and washes, as well as the use of aftermarket decals.

It's been painted with Tamiya rattle cans (AS series) and a mixture of various brands of acrylics. If it couldn't be sprayed, it was brush painted. After painting, it was coated with Future via brush, aftermarket decals applied, decals sealed in with more Future, then washed & weathered using acrylic tube paints. It was flat coated with Testor's Dullcote Lacquer spray.

The overall scheme was inspired by a picture I'd seen over at the Aircraft Resource Center of a very dirty Cobra. I still haven't decided on a weapons load-out and may just leave it as is.

Be gentle, kind sirs (and ladies, of course!)

I think it looks great, especially since you used spray cans for the paint, very nice work

Hey Gunfighter, for your first attempt at a helicopter, you did a great job. Paint looks smooth and the decals came out on top. You got the sharks mouth decals to lay down perfect, where there any problums with that. Looks fantastic man great job.

Gunfighter,

thanks for "jumping In" and posting your work. The first step is the hardest. Nice Cobra! Go ahead and give it some fangs!

Thanks all!

Mother - the decals were actually easier than I thought. They're from Two Bobs and they settled down quite nicely. I had to use a bit of setting solution here and there, but they set down very well into seams and over rivets. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy they went on, especially for a larger decal.

Frag - I've got the parts sitting on the work mat, just need to decide which ones to use. I was thinking about having the load out partially done and put the helo into a diorama. Just need to track down some figures that might work well for ordinance team.

Welcome to the world of frustration and anxiousness waiting for the next poster (I know I'm not alone!). Good job. Does the Academy come with the engine like that? I've been eyeballing one for a while now.

Jeff

Very impressive. Can't wait to see what kind of payload you hang on there. I think the shark mouth along with some killer weapons will just be awesome

Very nice build. I love how you did your panel lines, this really has the feel of a Cobra, one of my favorite birds.
IIRC, the rotor hub was unpainted metal, rather than the same black as the blades. Same with the tail rotor. You might want to check references, there was usually a color, yellow or red and white stripes, at the tips of the tail rotor, at least, to prevent walking into it. That's also present in some main rotor tips.

impressive, I never thought you could do so well with spray cans.
good choice on the decals too, gotta love that gold tooth.

keep it coming.

Very nice cobra, really looks the part and I love the shark mouth :-) This is particularly well done considering that you used rattle cans, you are to be congratulated. In my opinion you should definately hang some ordnance on this, it will look twice as mean. Do post pics again if you do so.
Mal

nice cobra!
i really like it.I laso paint with those spraycnas because i don't have an AB.Nice weathering too!
maybe some paint chips on the rotor blades?

Q.

USNavy2534 - you're so right! The people on this site make it easier to post your work. Always great, helpful comments. As for the Academy kit, you have the option of opening up the engine area as well as the compartment under the cockpit (ammo?). For what it's worth, the Academy and Italeri kits are both the same MRC kits just reboxed. Easy build. I plan to do another of them in the future.

AJLaFleche - thanks for the tips. The rotors were tough as most of the online reference material I could find was of close-ups of the helo itself. The rotors were typically left out of the picture. The ones I did find had the rotor hub similar in color, but that might have been grime. Definitely worth looking into for the next time!

LordQ - from what I'd read, the rotors didn't really get knicked up. Surprising to me, but most of the references I found claimed that the majority of the wear was most evident nearest the rotor hub. I left them off since I couldn't find much in the way of photos of actual wear.

Thanks all. I really appreciate the feedback!

okay, this isnt understandable:



how can you be nervous to show such awsome work?

good job buddy, the wash looks great, awsome i should say, or maybe even splendid!

show us soem more work! iam sure the rest deserves to be shown!
Frank

Hi,

I'm not superskilled but I always can find something negatif on a model, UNTIL NOW.

It's just great done, nothing negatif to say, put it on a nice airfield-dio and I would ask myself if it's real or a model, very nice m8, wished i had that skills too...

greetz

nice work! How did you mask the canopy?
I've doen Bare metal foil, tape, parfilm, the new Glad Press and seal, and have never gotten the results I'd like.

Mike

3442 - I couldn't help but be nervous. All of the modelers on here are fantastic! I'm just happy that my effort has been so well received. Thank you for your post and your compliments! Great name, too (my name is also Frank).

Ratticus - Thank you! And for the record, I'd more than welcome your input if you did find something that wasn't quite right. Can't learn unless you know something's wrong!

MLD - I used a combination of Tamiya tape and low-tack painter's tape. The cockpit frame definition is pretty evident on the mold and it's mostly straight lines. Much easier than the WWII bombers I've attempted. Also, I just made sure I trimmed away any tape that wasn't quite lined up right. Afterwards, I used a toothpick to rub away any errant paint.

Going back to the comments regarding using rattle cans. I've been very impressed with the Tamiya sprays. I've found that they give very good coverage that's very tough when dry. I just make sure that I put on coats rather than one heavy one. It usually only takes a couple of coats to get a nice finish. I haven't tried them on any armor kits yet, but they work wonders for aircraft. At least until I've got the room to finally get an airbrush.

Happy Holidays!
Frank

When do we see the weapons?? Is there a wide assortment of options in the kit as far as firepower?

ShermiesRule - Soon! After the holidays. I'm using the kitchen table as work area these days. Guests and modeling don't mix well at all!

As for ordinance, it comes with a plethora of goodies: 2.75" Rocket Pods, Hellfire Missles, and TOW's. Choices, choices...

Most impressive work, I like it. I have the SuperCobra in my build pile ... now I must build it!

I looked and looked and couldn't even find anything to nitpick.

Dave

Dave - by all means, build that puppy! It's a pleasure to build. If you really want to take it further, Cobra has aftermarket upgrades for it, in addition to the Two Bobs decals. The decal set is quite nice and they lay down with little effort. The sheets even include kill tally markers for tanks and trucks!