Italeri 1/48 ACH-47A Chinook
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Overview
 When
it comes to helicopter models, Italeri is at the top of the list of manufacturers
of good quality 1/48 helos. Knowing that, it was only a matter of time
before they tackled the venerable Chinook, and here is the first iteration
of this famous helicopter in the guise of the ACH-47A. The ACH-47A was
a modification of the regular CH-47A, of which only four were completed.
These had some limited offensive capabilities in the form of a minigun
in the nose, and stub wings that held additional 20mm guns outboard and
rocket pods on hardpoints. Other weapons included grenade launchers and
more machine guns in the rear and at the crew doors. Three of these served
in Vietnam, where they operated quite effectively in the support role.
However, the expense of converting these big helos into assault choppers
was prohibitive, and no more were completed.
The Kit
 This
is a scaled up version of Italeri's nice 1/72 Chinook, so for those familiar
with that kit, there is not going to be much new here (other than the
size). The kit is molded in green plastic, with one sprue of clear parts.
The breakdown indicates future variant potential, and I am sure we will
see a CH-47D before too long. The detailing is recessed throughout, with
a few panels scribed rather heavy-handed, but overall it should look quite
decent under a coat of paint. The decals provide options for three of
the four ACH-47As.
 The
first stop in the instructions is with the interior, and this is one area
that really shines in this kit. You get both a detailed cockpit as well
as an excellent start to the cargo area. This starts out with a one-piece
floor for both the cabin and cockpit, with a five-piece bulkhead arrangement
separating the two sections. These bulkheads are beautifully detailed,
with one side having radio detail molded in place, and the other having
a cloth texture. The cockpit seats are also well done, and once all the
various details are in place, the finished cockpit will really look nice.
Undoubtedly, though, we will see some aftermarket detail sets for this
kit, so for those who have to have every button, knob, and dial in place,
just give it a bit of time.
 Moving
to the cabin area, this is nicely done with separate sides providing nearly
flawless interior detailing. Separate folded bench seats help cover those
few ejector pin marks on these walls. Since this is the gunship version,
several of the windows get gun mounts with brass collecting bags. A separate
cabin roof completes the assembly, which then fits inbetween the two fuselage
halves. Before joining the halves, though, make sure you glue in the windows,
as there won't be any way to get them in afterwards. The inner seam on
these windows is hidden by the cabin walls, leaving a flawless seam. The
front windscreen contains much of the nose as well, so the seams will
be reduced in this area as well.
 The
engine pods are fairly simple, but by no means lacking in detail. The
main engine pod is made up of three pieces, while the nose bullet fairing
is made up of two pieces. The completed assembly fits into a notch in
the rear fuselage, making alignment quite simple and sturdy. While looking
at the back, the rear ramp is also nicely detailed, and can be positioned
in either the up or down position. The landing gear, although mostly hidden,
accurately captures the look of the original. As this is the gunship,
the next step is to add all the weaponry to this helo, and these are equally
well done. Since these weapons are really the only change to a stock CH-47,
one could toss them all into the spare parts bin and build a regular Army
Chinook.
 Another
interesting feature in this kit is the option to open up the front of
the rear rotor mount. There is detail molded into the inside of these
pieces, and some detail pieces are provided. The rotor hubs are well done
as well, and with a bit of cleanup and maybe a touch of extra detailing,
will look quite good. The rotor blades have what appear to be very positive
attachment points, so this should not be a weak spot on this kit. Finally,
there are a myriad of external antenna supports provided, increasing the
busy factor of the finished model.
 Decal
options are pretty basic, with all three helos finished in overall olive
drab. Two of the options are of Vietnam ACH-47As, with the first being
"Easy Money," assigned to 1st Av, Detachment 2/20 ARA in 1967.
This option carries the name "Easy Money" on the left side,
with basic markings everywhere else. The second Vietnam ACH-47A is from
the same unit and carries the name "Stump Jumper." It also has
two strings of mission markings under the name. The final choice is a
bit more colorful in that it has stars and bars on the fuselage, yellow
US ARMY and serial on the tail, and white ARMY on the side. This is an
ACH-47A from Aberdeen Proving Grounds in 1966. The decals are well printed
and should have no problem in going down on the kit.
Now, when I first saw this kit, I immediately thought of how it compared
to the other 1/48 injection-molded CH-47 kit available. As I happened
to have one close at hand, I did a quick comparison. On first glance,
it looks like both worked from the same information, most likely manufacturer
drawings. Lining the two kit halves next to one another shows that they
are very close indeed. True, the surface detailing is better on the Italeri
kit, and the interior is all but nonexistant on the Aurora kit, but in
terms of the basics, I'd say that both nailed it pretty close. One rather
dramatic difference, though, has to do with the price. Somehow, I don't
think we'll see the Italeri kit sell for the $1.98 the Aurora kit sold
for.
  
Conclusion
This is a great kit of the Chinook, simply put. Considering that we
have not seen a 1/48 Chinook kit since the Aurora kit, and that one was
so long ago that it wasn't even called a CH-47, but an HC-1, this is one
that has been long overdue. Well done Italeri, and I look forward to seeing
other variants. My thanks to MRC for the review sample.
By the way, if anyone wants to offer me an obscene amount of money for
the Aurora HC-1B, I could be persuaded to part with it. Just make sure
it's a really obscene amount.
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