So I have this kit since -forever. ( AH-1T+ Super Cobra “Gold Cobra”, Fujimi 09108 (1996) (scalemates.com))
I noticed that the decals are getting yellowed, so here’s the chance to build it. Only I can’t find the instructions. Can anyone help me out with that problem, please? Thank you.
Here are the instructions for the MRC/Academy AH-1W. They are the same kit, only with different decals.
Thank you, that helps a lot. (I still will have to figure out the decal placement, but I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.)
You guys are awesome. (Normally a couple of scale model shops carry the instructions, but this is an old model I guess.)
Do you have a suggestion for the black paint? Painting it jet black would make it look a bit toy-like I think. I was thinking about priming it light grey, and layering on different tones of dark grays, almost grays (with perhaps a touch of blue added so it does not look very monochrome) until I get to a very dark, but not completely black, and varied finish. The box art looks breathtakingly good, but I am afraid a completely dark helicopter would be… not as good.
This was like a show bird.
That was in the 83 and by 1990 is was a W with 4 blades in the 3 tone scheme of the day.
Something is tell me it didn’t stay painted in black long so I don’t think the paint faded at all.
That makes sense since the Gold Cobra was a test for the W and the W(4B) was a test for the four-bladed AH-1Z.
Even shorter than I recalled.
EDWMatt posted :
"Oooh, the AH-1T+ in the ‘Gold Cobra Scheme’. I was at Plant 6 when they were building this aircraft and watched it come together. My friend Bill Spruce was in charge of this aircraft. Had a big countdown board in front of it in the hangar that said “The Marines are arriving in XX days”.
The helo only flew a couple of flights in this scheme. When the Marine test team arrived from Pax, they refused to fly it until it was re-painted Marine green.
So gloss black would be choice if building it to match.
Some more information on that particular aircraft. She was lots of types and Fleet, Testing, then Fleet helicopter again before crashing.
“Guys, maybe I can shed some light on 161022. I have some history with her. I was an AH-1W pilot with HMLA-167 at New River MCAS. 161022 started life as a AH-1T (there was supposed to be something in her historical file that it started as an AH-1J, but I never saw it…so she may have started life as an AH-1J), then was retrofitted for the TOW package. She was then the original “T+”. She then got turned into Bell for retrofit as part of the “Block Mod” program from the late '80s. She was the prototype AH-1W painted as above with the gold snake. What they did was take so many parts (under 50) from an AH-1T, make it a retrofit to the AH-1W, then call it a mod not a new aircraft. Made it alot less expensive, and was alot more palatable from the procurement people. After it flew as a “Whiskey”, Bell kept it for Operational Test and Evaluation. After so many block Mods got put into service with the Marines and OT&E was done on the “Whiskey”, Bell made it into the AH-1(4BW) for “four bladed Whiskey”. She flew for a couple of years to get the OT&E done, try to sell it to the Corps, then when we balked on buying the 4 bladed version, she was then retrofitted to a straight Whiskey and returned to the Marine Corps. I picked her up in '93 at Bell and flew it back to New River, and subsequently, took her to Bosnia as part of my 2nd 6th Fleet deployment. I left the squadron in '94, but when I was returning from my 3rd deployment in April of '95 (I was part of HMLA-369), she was finishing another retrofit for the Night Targeting System upgrade. On the way home to North Carolina, she lost her tail rotor gearbox over Georgia, and crashed killing both pilots. I used to call her Sybil because she never really knew what she was… J, T, T+, W, W(NTS)”
Thank you all for the information. It makes it much more “personal” to build this model. The ending is quite tragic, though 
Dear all,
One more question - I can only find one product that offers colored instrument panels, and it is quite pricey for me right now. (27 dollars) I cannot find any other AM available -perhaps someone knows of something, perhaps oop I could look for on ebay. Thank you.
Unfortunately there is nothing colored for the kit. It was released in the time before even Eduard started color pe. Everything was hand pained then. That set is the only one I am aware of.
Oh well, then I am doing it the old fashioned way… (I am not even sure it would fit the Verlinden interior set, anyhow.) Thank you for the response.
