Airwolf is one of those shows that I was certainly aware of as a kid, but for whatever reason, I never got into it. I think I showed more interest in Knight Rider because it was more accessible. A talking car, I could get behind, but a futuristic helicopter, was a little too much for an eight-year-old to handle. Wrapping my mind around a the intricacies of a helicopter was challenging enough in itself.

Upon viewing the series today, I was surprised to find that the show actually held some inter…st for me. If I had been a fan in the 80’s, I think I would have found even greater interest in this set. Of course, while the storylines are surprisingly good, the special effects are simply laughable. At the time, nobody would dare spend the money required to get state-of-the-art special effects on a television program. As a result, these effects are no better than those from shows such as Wonder Woman, or even the original Star Trek series. While hokey special effects had an endearing charm on those shows, their existence on a “serious” show such as this one is simply inexcusable.

Audio

The audio track here is not that great, but it is much better than I thought it was going to be. Now, I don’t think any attempts were made to restore the quality of the audio track, I think the studio just lucked out with a combination of a well-preserved track and well-recorded source material. It’s far from perfect, however, as dialog is sometimes hard to hear at lower volume levels, and many of the sound effects are a little tinny. The good news is, the track does have surprisingly decent low end on occasion, which is a welcome occurance.

Video

I realize this set is not going to be a big seller, but I still expected the picture quality to be a little better than it is. Grain, scratches, dust and other artifacts show up on each and every episode, making the show look little better than it did on its original broadcast. It would be easy for anyone who had never seen this show to place its creation in the 80’s.

Special Features

The only extras on this two disc set are some trailers for similar TV fare Northern Exposure, Magnum P.I., Knight Rider and The A Team, as well as a trailer for the modern remake of Assault on Precinct 13. Surely there could have been more extras added to this set for a low additional production cost.

Conclusion

If you were a fan of this show in the 80’s, you will probably be pleased with this set. It has held up surprisingly well over time. If you are not a fan, it is still possible that you might find something to like here. Personally, I would choose not to buy the set, but it wouldn’t be a complete tragedy if I were forced to watch it again, either.

Special Features List

• Trailers