AB 204 B / UH-1 F

Italeri

Reviewed by Glen Porter

Italeri's 1/72 scale OH-58D Kiowa will be available online from Squadron.com

There's not a lot I can say about this kit that hasn't been said before.

In my opinion, Italeri make the best helicopter kits on the market. I didn't really know if this was a new kit or a reissue and while rummaging around in my collection looking for an Italeri UH-1 B/C to compare it with I actually found the same kit in an older boxing. Doh!

Comparison of the old and the new shows the same plastic and decals with only the new box colours and the addition of UH-1 F in the title. The decals and clear parts are now sealed in a plastic bag.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

So, why do I think they are the best? Well, with heaps of detail inside and out, very cleanly and finely moulded main sprues and some of the best clear mouldings on the market, what more could you want. The rotor blades have that characteristic droop moulded in and the models tend to look as they should. I can't really see any-one bettering these kits for some time if ever.

The kit comes with markings for three aircraft, an Italian Air Force rescue chopper, an Austrian Air Force transport hello and a third example from the Dutch Navy. The decals, as we've come to expect from this Italian company, are well printed with all the markings relevant for the three options including quite a few stencils on nice glossy film. Colours are called out with FS numbers where known and Model master numbers for both enamels and acrylics.

So there you have it. Not a new one but a good one.

Recommended.

Thanks to Italeri for the review sample