Classic AMT Airwolf (OOB)

[Faust]

Quick question: What's black and white and is technologically -inconsistent-with-modern-military-hardware all over? Think about it... Nothing? Okay, I'll give you a hint; it's also retro-as-heck (and involves Ernest Borgnine). No? Well, if you're stuck, I forgive you. If you're not, though,  you've already reached the right answer:
Airwolf!!

This ridiculously overpowered Bell 222 was one of the most popular of the '80s TV supervehices, and with Hellfire missiles, machine guns and afterburners, it tore up the screen in the mid-80s! No wonder then that Airwolf was also made available as a model, since kids were still into modelling at that time.

I came across this particular kit recently and thought that the winter was a perfect time to dive into some cool retro '80s sci-fi. Check out this decent, although somewhat minimal-effort offering from AMT at the link below, and make sure you've got your mesh T-Shirt on and synth ready while you do it!


https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/amt-1-48-airwolf-oob/

[AeroplaneDriver]

Absolutely loved this show in the 80s.  Years later in my aviation career I ran into a friend of the guy who flew the helo for the show.  He said with all the fiberglass that tacked onto it it was lucky to see 90 knots.       

Still loved the show though and will be watching this build! 

[Devilfish]

I remember building that kit in the 90's.  More recently I built the much better Aoshima kit.

[Wardukw]

I had this kit donkeys years ago and yup it sucked ..typical AMT of the times but back then there was nothing else ...but it was still so cool and I watched every episode when I was a young one.

[Captain Canada]

I've got one in the stash. Airwolf defo needs a rotor upgrade tho

[The Wooksta!]

I have the remains of several but over the years, two of the very similar Hobbycraft Bell 222B and the super new tool Aoshima kit.

It's not bad, builds okay, but the guns look awful deployed, the undercarriage is very simplified and the rotor head is crude. Plenty o scope for extra detailing, especially underneath as it's simply blank.

It's real problem are the camera fairings above the turbo thrusters. They flare out too much at the base and it makes her look squashed from the front. IMO the Aoshima has the same issue.

[Weaver]

and with Hellfire missiles, machine guns and afterburners, it tore up the screen in the mid-80s!

If I remember correctly, the spec sheet that flashed up on screen during the credits claimed the loadout to be ten Bullpups (oddly) and two Sidewinders: all fired from the three, three-foot long tubes that flicked out of the belly. Not a bad trick since a Sidewinder is nine feet long!    Almost as good as the telescoping gun barrels: it's amazing how the military STILL havn't cottoned on to that simple trick...

[Devilfish]

and with Hellfire missiles, machine guns and afterburners, it tore up the screen in the mid-80s!

If I remember correctly, the spec sheet that flashed up on screen during the credits claimed the loadout to be ten Bullpups (oddly) and two Sidewinders: all fired from the three, three-foot long tubes that flicked out of the belly. Not a bad trick since a Sidewinder is nine feet long!    Almost as good as the telescoping gun barrels: it's amazing how the military STILL havn't cottoned on to that simple trick...

Anything was possible in the 80's!  We had a 200mph turbine powered indestructible Trans Am, A Gazelle that thought it was a stealth Apache, a pair of "undercover" cops that stood out like a sore thumb in their Ferrari and a bunch of war criminals righting wrongs but never actually shooting anybody....And that's just the believable stuff!

[Weaver]

and with Hellfire missiles, machine guns and afterburners, it tore up the screen in the mid-80s!

If I remember correctly, the spec sheet that flashed up on screen during the credits claimed the loadout to be ten Bullpups (oddly) and two Sidewinders: all fired from the three, three-foot long tubes that flicked out of the belly. Not a bad trick since a Sidewinder is nine feet long!    Almost as good as the telescoping gun barrels: it's amazing how the military STILL havn't cottoned on to that simple trick...

Anything was possible in the 80's!  We had a 200mph turbine powered indestructible Trans Am, A Gazelle that thought it was a stealth Apache, a pair of "undercover" cops that stood out like a sore thumb in their Ferrari and a bunch of war criminals righting wrongs but never actually shooting anybody....And that's just the believable stuff!

Uh-huh: I've literally just been looking up the Yamaha XT500s with machine-guns in their front indicators from For Your Eyes Only (1981):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogCTonrtlvQ

Wanted one then, and still do....    

[Devilfish]

and with Hellfire missiles, machine guns and afterburners, it tore up the screen in the mid-80s!

If I remember correctly, the spec sheet that flashed up on screen during the credits claimed the loadout to be ten Bullpups (oddly) and two Sidewinders: all fired from the three, three-foot long tubes that flicked out of the belly. Not a bad trick since a Sidewinder is nine feet long!    Almost as good as the telescoping gun barrels: it's amazing how the military STILL havn't cottoned on to that simple trick...

Anything was possible in the 80's!  We had a 200mph turbine powered indestructible Trans Am, A Gazelle that thought it was a stealth Apache, a pair of "undercover" cops that stood out like a sore thumb in their Ferrari and a bunch of war criminals righting wrongs but never actually shooting anybody....And that's just the believable stuff!

Uh-huh: I've literally just been looking up the Yamaha XT500s with machine-guns in their front indicators from For Your Eyes Only (1981):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogCTonrtlvQ

Wanted one then, and still do....    

Never mind that...what about Streethawk?

This is Jesse Mach, an ex-motorcycle cop, injured in the line of duty. Now a police troubleshooter, he's been recruited for a top secret government mission to ride Street Hawk -- an all-terrain attack motorcycle designed to fight urban crime, capable of incredible speeds up to three hundred miles an hour, and immense firepower. Only one man, federal agent Norman Tuttle, knows Jesse Mach's true identity. The man...the machine...Street Hawk.

[PR19_Kit]

THREE hundred miles per hour? On a motorbike? 

[Weaver]

THREE hundred miles per hour? On a motorbike? 

And a trail bike weighed down with a load of "sci-fibreglass" at that...

The stunt riders always used to turn Street Hawk around by holding the front brake on and dramatically skidding the back wheel around in a circle, even if there was enough room for a conventional U-turn. They did it so often that it became known as the "Street Hawk Turn" and real life boy-racers began to practice it along with wheelies and stoppies. At the time, everyone just assumed that they did it because it looked cool. It only came out after the show had finished that the real reason the stunt riders developed the Street Hawk Turn was that the fibreglass bodywork restricted the steering lock so badly that it was the ONLY way to turn the bike around without looking like a little old lady on a moped...

[PR19_Kit]

      

Love it!   

[scooter]

The 80s were a weird and wonderful time for prime time TV.

[PR19_Kit]

They were a weird and wonderful time for almost everything elseas well!