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Just saw this on the perthmilitarymodelling website...... AFV company (normally Armor and wheeled vehicles) is producing a

AH-1W Super cobra NTS updated in 1/35. Their products are very good, hope they get it right. :salute:

Edited by hueycrew
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I just had a look over at the site and didn't find the info....you have a link to it.

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/newkitnews/afvclub.htm

IIRC, AFV Club released a reboxed version of the original Academy AH-1W with Taiwanese markings and metal gun barrels. Could this kit be another reboxing of the recently revised Academy kit?

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Thanks Joe,

I also think your right about the re-box. I was hoping that it was a new molding.

Joe

Why? What's wrong with the Academy Cobra? It's a gorgeous kit, and I really can't see how, unless someone wanted to do a $150 überkit, it could really be bettered in any meaningful way.

J

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Thats good, because (as you already know) the kit doesn't either.

The MRC/Academy kit *is* an NTS upgrade. It was just reissued recently (I know, I did the NTS decals for it), and the molds were permanently modified to the NTS configuration.

J

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And how about a vac canopy!! Turned exhaust. 1/35th of course. Just venting.

Chuck

How would you turn the exhaust for an AH-1W? It's oval. I guess you could put an eccentric cam on your lathe...

:shoot:

J

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The MRC/Academy kit *is* an NTS upgrade.

Unfortunately they short-cutted quite a bit of it, so no, unfortunately it's not a correct NTS aircraft. You still would need to pick up the Cobra Co. correction set or spend a lot of time reshaping the nose, adding details, and fixing the cockpit.

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....;hl=Academy+NTS

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....147379&st=0

Edited by David Walker
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The MRC/Academy kit *is* an NTS upgrade. It was just reissued recently (I know, I did the NTS decals for it), and the molds were permanently modified to the NTS configuration.

J

I'm curious what you mean by "I did the NTS decals for it". Are you claiming you did the artwork? If not disregard the rest of this post but if that was your role:

The new decals that come in the kit were lifted directly from the TwoBobs "Whiskeys in the Mix" - someone changed the layout a little but the artwork itself is TwoBobs. I know because I gave TwoBobs photos of all of the schemes and I just spent a long time comparing the MRC decals to the TwoBobs decals and to the original photos. The MRC decals are an exact duplicate of TwoBobs' artwork. The same errors/subtle differences that TwoBobs had are copied in the MRC decals. Since the TwoBobs decals were issued well before the new MRC kit I think it is obvious who copied whom. I'm not trying to imply infringement here - maybe MRC had TwoBobs' consent - but a more accurate statement would have been that you "copied the NTS decals for it."

As far as accuracy of the kit, I personally think MRC took the lazy way out (and not just with the decals) and there is a lot of improvement they could have made - see my comments in the post that was linked to previously.

Randy

Edited by SuperCobra
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I'm curious what you mean by "I did the NTS decals for it". Are you claiming you did the artwork? If not disregard the rest of this post but if that was your role:

The new decals that come in the kit were lifted directly from the TwoBobs "Whiskeys in the Mix" - someone changed the layout a little but the artwork itself is TwoBobs. I know because I gave TwoBobs photos of all of the schemes and I just spent a long time comparing the MRC decals to the TwoBobs decals and to the original photos. The MRC decals are an exact duplicate of TwoBobs' artwork. The same errors/subtle differences that TwoBobs had are copied in the MRC decals. Since the TwoBobs decals were issued well before the new MRC kit I think it is obvious who copied whom. I'm not trying to imply infringement here - maybe MRC had TwoBobs' consent - but a more accurate statement would have been that you "copied the NTS decals for it."

As far as accuracy of the kit, I personally think MRC took the lazy way out (and not just with the decals) and there is a lot of improvement they could have made - see my comments in the post that was linked to previously.

Randy

Always with the negative waves Moriarty....

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I’ll look again tonight but off the top of my head the only new pieces are four small AAR-47 antennas. The only other changes are the fuselage was modified with a taller nose and raised panel lines were added to place the formation light decals and the previously mentioned antennas. They did not add other major features needed to bring it up to NTS standards (NTS sensor itself and a new front cockpit). Nor did they fix some of the previously identified shortcomings (no details on the belly or transmission cowling, no cockpit or engine compartment firewalls, ammo can that doesn’t fit into the ammo bay, etc). In short, they should have used the approach they took with the decals and copied someone else’s work. Verlinden, Eduard, and Cobra Company all picked up on what MRC missed the first time. Heck, they could have looked to their own kits for references – the ALQ and Hellfires in the OH-58 kit are great – the AH-1W’s suck. They should have had someone with a critical eye look at the kit rather than someone who thought it was the best thing since black underwear. Sorry to come across with the negative vibs – I am happy someone made the subject in the first place – just wish they would listen to us self designated experts and research a little more. This appears to me just another marketing plow to get another boxing out on the market (similar to their AH-1T+ kit).

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