First photo is a little late in the game... it's been on my shelf of doom since joining Scalemates. Primary assembly is done, but the fit of this Italeri offering is going to require quite a bit of filing, sanding, and filling!
Cockpit using Airwaves photoetch. I'm not convinced I like photoetch yet, might be a bit beyond my skill and patience levels. But I'm satisfied with this interior.
"After" shot, with Airwaves photoetch applied. Better than before, but the metal parts didn't conform to the shape of the molded part as well as I had hoped.
Main assembly and pre-painting done! Yes, I am one of those philistines who doesn't prime first. I've never had a problem with peeling because I use enamels and lacquers.
The Italari AGM-114 Hellfire missiles (green) looked a little too "pointy," so I compared them to the ones in a Hasegawa kit (gray). The nose of the Hasegawa missiles looked much more accurate, but the tail kit was wrong (middle). I corrected by filing off the square edges (bottom). I'll be using the Hasegawa missiles on this build.
Used Vallejo back acrylic wash on all grills and the exhaust vents, and touched up the base paint. This will dry overnight before getting a coat of matte lacquer.
Decaled the helicopter, gave it a matte coat, then did some final assembly and painting. Painted the weapons and gave the missiles a gloss coat for decals. Getting close to the home stretch!
Assembled the photoetch canopy frame, then decaled the missiles. Without Microsol, these thick Hasegawa decals would have been impossible. With it, they will look great (some are still wet in this photo). Definitely a must-have product!
Two big lessons learned on this step. First - don't glue a Hellfire missile rack to the helicopter before attaching the missiles. What was I thinking? Second - if you purchase photoetch canopy frames, put them on after attaching the canopy to the fuselage. I did it before, and the fit ended up being terrible. Now I'm hoping Mr. Dissolved Putty will save this build from the hammer!
Thankfully, fumes from the Mr. Dissolved Putty did not craze the clear plastic. I'm still not satisfied with the canopy, but at least I can say the build as a whole doesn't deserve the hammer anymore! I painted some clear acrylics over the sensors, lights, and countermeasures. Last step, attached the photoetch hand holds and cable cutters.
AH-64A Apache
Operator: US Army 4th Aviation
Location: Butts Army Airfield, Fort Carson, CO (USA)
Timeframe: 1991-1993
Loadout: Close air support
- Inboard: 8x AGM-114 Hellfire
- Outboard: 2x M261 rocket launchers (19x Hydra-70 each)
Personal Interest:
This model represents the AH-64A Apache that was just being introduced into 4th Aviation during my tour of duty at Fort Carson. Because the AH-1F Cobra gunships used by 4th Aviation were among the most modern in the US Army, the AH-64 supplemented them rather than replacing them. During exercises, AH-64A Apaches operated with OH-58D Kiowa scout helicopters in a hunter/killer configuration. In large scale exercises at the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, I frequently saw AH-64A Apaches operating in conjunction with USAF A-10A Thunderbolt II close air support aircraft.
The AH-64A was first used in combat during Operation Just Cause in 1989. The Apache was used to strafe various Panamanian Defense Forces targets, mostly at night. I was serving as an Air Force ROTC cadet in the Air Forces Reserves during this operation, which impressed upon me the importance of joint Air Force and Army operations.
Dean Harpster
Łukasz Gliński
