Thanks to Brengun for providing this most excellent upgrade set for the Special Hobby AH-1G cobra; and to IPMS USA for sending it to me to review!

If you are interested in the “Snake”, the Special Hobby 1/72 kit is well worth acquiring. Y etc…turbine exhaust is a first in ANY scale, and two types of tail rotor mounts, one port side, one Starboard side based on the version you are building. And you get a set of not only 2.75” rocket pods, but minigun pods as well if you don’t use them. I purchased the M-35 kit, which has the externally mounted .20MM Vulcan short-barreled cannon, and the associated saddle magazine set for it. I hope they pantograph this one up to 1/48 or even 1/35, as it’s that good… and it’s appropriate for the Vietnam-era builders out there like me. The old 1/32 Revell kit is a bit long in the tooth…

Back to Special hobby’s kit: One area which can be improved on is the cockpit interior. I’ll say it up front, I am sold on the new color PE interior sets, as they provide so much more than I can do… and in 1/72 scale, are worth their weight in gold. That said, the Brengun set provides more than enough to satisfy in this scale.

I used the film and PE instrument panels, along with the other detail parts, to upgrade this kit. Paint the back of the panel film white, cut it out, and use clear cement to install behind the PE panel with instrument bezels. The one area I really messed up in was “plinking” the lap belts for one of the seats into the carpet monster. No worries, they are sitting next to the seat armor where you can’t see them, right? : )

Switch boxes, the gunners collective lever, and a few other areas are addressed. The interior of the clear cockpit itself receives full PE treatment, including grab handles, canopy opening rams, and other details. The gunsight has a new clear lens as well.. and this is all in 1/72, so be prepared for a bit of patience-testing of your micro-detail skills.

Exterior details; the upgrade adds resin intake screens to the kit; both fit perfectly with a bit of careful sanding and slight filling with Vallejo putty. Also included are Myriad PE details for the external stores sway braces to be used on the rocket pods, and a set of “V” braces for the inboard pylons if 7.62MM minigun pods are carried. On the actual aircraft, these addressed the issue of ‘stiffness’ on the pylons when they carried the minigun pods, thereby increasing their accuracy when fired.

One area I did NOT complete was that of the lower replacement PE setup for the ammunition pannier. Try as I might, it was beyond my ability to bend, fold, and make work…. These guys are masters at PE, and I am not.

When complete, this kit is about six inches long or so. It is testament to the Brengun team that they were able to bring this off… Thanks again to Brengun for the review item and to IPMS USA leadership for trusting my work once again!