Airwolf: The Classic Collection Boxset 1
01/10/2002 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 

Pub: Universal Playback 9062983. 6hr 54 minute 3 VHS videos. Price: £19.99 (UK). Stars: Jan-Michael Vincent, Jean Bruce Scott, Alex Cord and Ernest Borgnine.

Check out website: www.universal-playback.com With the recent release of Season One episodes in chronological order of this series, I had high hopes that when they did a boxset that they might have kept to this consecutive pattern.

As a boxset, 3 tapes together are cheaper than buying separately after all. Nope! These episodes all come from the late end of Season Two. Without getting too boring with details, they are essentially in mixed order episodes 2-11 to 2-21 missing 2-18 and 2-19.

All right, Universal thought showing the later episodes would be OK but a little more care and attention, and they could have had least had them in the right order.

Being one of the last real live-action TV series that relied on physical than computer-generated effects, 'Airwolf' frequently ran into heavy budget expenditure and invariably ended up using stock plots set in the US rather than exotic missions as played out in the first season.

'The Lady' as Airwolf was frequently referred to was really too awesome a weapon that could beat anything that wasn't state of the art technology didn't help matters very much either.

All the armed helicopters in the world wouldn't help against computer-guided missiles that could target and take them out in a blink of an eye.

The introduction of ex-police officer/helicopter pilot Caitlin O'Shannssy (ck sp) (actress Jean Bruce Scott) earlier in Season Two - which must confuse first-time buyers of this boxset as to where she came from - was to show the series wasn't all male driven and to lighten up Stringfellow Hawke's sombre mood.

It's a shame that she wasn't better used in the series although she did shine a little in 2-12: 'Condemned' here by giving a more normal reaction compared to the military types in the story.

If you're after commercial tapes of 'Airwolf' you'll probably add this to your collection anyway. One can only hope someone will come to their senses at Universal and start releasing the rest of the episodes from Season One.

GF Willmetts