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AH-1 Cobra Walk Around

By Wayne Mutza

Color by Don Greer & Rich Dann
Illustrated by John Lowe & Richard Hudson

 

 

Squadron/Signal Publications

 

S u m m a r y
Catalogue Number: Walk Around Number 29
ISBN: 0-89747-438-4
Media: Soft cover, landscape format, 80 pages plus covers (incl. 40 pages in full colour).
Price: US$12.96 from Squadron.com
Review Type: First Read
Advantages: Perfect format for modellers; variants covered from prototype to AH-1Z; effective use of colour; packed with images; useful captions; helpful scrap-view drawings to illustrate ordnance and specific features; 12 colour profiles.
Disadvantages: Per the rest of the Walk Around series, very brief introductory text; no contents/index page
Recommendation: Recommended

 

Reviewed by Brett Green


 AH-1 Cobra Walk Around is available online from Squadron.com

 

F i r s t   L o o k

 

Squadron/Signal's latest Walk Around title focuses on the AH-1 Cobra  

This book follows the familiar Squadron Walk Around formula. Its soft cardboard covers contain 80 pages in landscape format. The book presents two pages in black-and-white, then two in colour, for the whole book. It is packed full of relevant and well captioned photographs. Many of the Super Cobra images are credited to Dave Roof, an active Marine who frequents this site. The 40 full-colour pages are used to good effect with many detail and operational photos, nice colour profiles and detail illustrations - even some colour detail illustrations this time. 

However, it should be pointed out that this book does not (nor does it claim to) provide any detailed history, operational or technical information beyond the text of the captions. Nevertheless, the captions are very informative.

The contents are organised in roughly chronological order. Coverage commences with the Bell Model 209, then the AH-1G (including colour operational photos from the Vietnam war - check out the full-page image of the 1967 Tan and Dark Green Cobra!), AH-1S, AH-1P, AH-1J, AH-1F, AH-1W and even a few shots of the brand-new Marines mount, the AH-1Z .

Cover art is by Don Greer and profile credit is shared with HyperScale regular Rich Dann. The rear cover artwork is noteworthy. It appears to be a nice rendering of a heavily Desert Storm Cobra superimposed over a photograph of a real desert scene.

The twelve colour profiles should provide ample inspiration for modellers, with a mixture of colour (greys, greens, sand and various disruptive variations), garish shark-mouths and unit markings.

 

 

Conclusion

 

This book maintains the high standard of Squadron's Walk Around series.

There is a decent selection of Cobra variants available in plastic across the 1/72, 1/48 and 1/35 scales. This book will be a very helpful and inexpensive resource for anyone building these kits.

Recommended.

Thanks to Squadron for the review sample.

Review Copyright © 2002 by Brett Green
This Page Created on 15 May, 2002
Last updated 22 July, 2003

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