AH-64 Apache rebuild

Kevin Farrell
This is the box art for the "Illinois" version of the 4575 Apache wich I will attempt to bebuild.

Kevin Farrell
The box art in the album is the kit. (Notice the eagle and "Birds of Prey" in the lower left corner.

Kevin Farrell
I started the photo-journal late - but I have commented earlier that the older kits WILL have bowed or warped fuselages. I was able to get the halves fairly flush using very hot water, cinching bands (rubber & zip-ties) and clips.
The biggest hassle I had with my other build was with the canopy. You will find that the hassle-factor comes standard in all issues! Here you see a dry-fit . What you will have to do is some filing of the fore and aft portions of the lower edges. Then, fit and hold the aft section of the canopy against the fuselage and gently bend the nose of the fuselage out. It will "form-fit" itself doing it his way. The Key take-away here is to install the canopy onto the left fuselage BEFORE you mate the fuselage halves. Once you lose the flexibility, it's hand-to-hand combat!

Kevin Farrell
Another tip while we are at this stage, if you were to follow the instructions step-by-step, you would find out too late about the canopy installation tip/trick. Also, they have you building and installing the complete rotor assembly (which attaches to the cockpit assembly) PRIOR to mating the fuselage halves. Again, don't do it yet. You can attach/install the rotor head without the rotor blades until that time when you are ready to do so. I followed the directions like a trained seal the last time and the grandkids learned some new words from Poppa!

Holger Kranich
Something like: fkn sht?;)
Thx for The hints for building this kit!;)

Kevin Farrell
That was before I got REALLY pissed-off!

leslie vandiver
Yes I recently built this same kit myself and I used fiber optics, with the optics I ran 5 lines each to the upper and lower cockpit for a lighted instrument panel with a green line for the night vision, then ran lights for the landing lights and the tail rotor works well with the clear plastic light covers and at the bottom of the Apache that plastic piece which comes out between the landing gear and the turret gun is mounted on, I was able to cut out a very small square for on/off switch, then place it without gluing it (it's made to hold without glue) I use it as an access panel for placing the 2 AA batteries would I do it again NO...... I do have this same kit as an extra if anyone wants its it being a 1/32 scale great detail good luck and hopefully no health issues on this build sir.....

Kevin Farrell
Thanks Leslie!
Let's see, the Roswell incident was in '47, I think. So you're either 66 in Earth years + the time on your planet or you are second generation! The stuff that some you Mates turn out is astounding and outstanding! I feel like a tiny Earthling scurrying away from the giants from outer space. WOW 🙂

Kevin Farrell
If anybody has been paying attention 🙂 I have made many comments about the amount of warping that I have encountered with this kit. To the unbelievers out there, check out the picture of the canopy. Notice the stress crazing at the corner? I said that you MUST install the left side/top canopy BEFORE mating the fuse halves. I had the canopy mounted and secure then began the mating process. (Kinda like Panda bears in the zoo!) Once I filed the warps down and saw at least the potential of a flush mount - I committed to the adhesives. I had several clamps, including a large wood vise to hold everything together for a day or two. The crazing is a testament to the amount of stress that's in the assembly. You can see the crazing in the photos at the top of the post.

leslie vandiver
Hey Kevin I sent you this kit last week but it was return the day before yesterday(Wrong zip code my fault) I will attempt to re mail it tomorrow Friday at the latest this kit I am going to send you the mailing numbers (I cant thing right now you understand) anyway I am going to send out UPS 2 day and maybe you can just start from scratch lol Best of luck this time around its same kit from 85 correct ?

Holger Kranich
I hope that i dont need to tackle the same issues like you, when it comes to my build...

Clifford Keesler
I have 2 of these monsters,sure glad I read you guys post,so there will not be any suprises when I go to build them,gotta be in Cav markings though.

Clifford Keesler
I checked both my kits today,fuselages fit tighter fine no warps? What gives,do you still think I will have canopy fit problems?

Kevin Farrell
Is this the number for Dunkin' Decals? I wanna place an order.

Kevin Farrell
Cliff, does the cover art on your kit look like this one? Or is the Title Banner White with Red Lettering? And does the p/n have an 85- prefix? Then you got the "good one." If the box art looks lie the one above with "Birds of Prey? on it - and the fuse halves dry-mated OK, then you got lucky. Nevertheless, I would STILL install the canopy before you commit to the mating the halves. As a matter of fact - just rubber-band the fuse together and then try to get the canopy in. You may have an "aha" moment. (Where are my donuts? In the DOG BOWL?? I don;t want them!)

Clifford Keesler
Very funny, you are a card. No my kits do not have the birds of prey on the box. will follow your advice anyway.

Kevin Farrell
If you have the red-lettering kit, it's not as ancient as the one I had. That was pure, Texas-cage match, hand to hand combat! I think the crazing shows he amount of stress that is on the canopy.
Your decals went out yesterday. And I STILL have another set if you decide to take a shower with the new ones. (I couldn't trust you with both! You're an A&P for pete's sake! You're the guys who buy factory-new parts to see if it fixes the problem. (yuk, yuk)
Funny story - Keith Baker that we discussed bought a new (to him) PA-31 Panther-Chieftain. I picked it up from the paint shop up in Taylorsville and when I got back to CPS I dropped the gear and the rudder pedals "kicked" when the nose wheel extended. (Hmmmmm???) Well, the lights looked good so I landed and when the nose touched-down we started to head for the weeds but got it recovered. What had happened is this bird didn't have the nose gear disconnect mod yet and the paint shop over-steered it with the tug. (Big fight over that one!) On another occasion, he had a new set of motors from (name escapes me) and his personal mechanic finished the top end ass'y. Keith asked if I would take it around the patch. "Sure! I just got my test pilot endorsement from the FSDO! But Steve (A&P) is going with me!" So we taxied all the way down to 30L and did a run-up. The left Mag check was bad and I couldn't get it to clear. I asked the tower for a high-speed taxi down to the end and got the OK. Went to full power about half-way down the runway and taxied off - still no good on the Mag check. I told Steve it was the bottom plug on #3. He chuckled and I dropped him off and did some stuff and came back. He moseyed out with a plug in his hand and told me to buy a lottery ticket. (Bottom plug on #3) I said "Hey, I KNOW my 'Ho's!" You have to admit that was a pretty good guess considering there are 12 spark plugs!

Clifford Keesler
Yep. I agree with that. But sometimes the Mechs can be right when the pilot has his head up and locked. Case in point F-106 pilot says emergency gear extinson system improperly rigged,Ie gear hits inner door and forces them open before,gear extends. I say ok,I will replace the main gear sequencing valve.Pilot and maintaince officer tell me no way,main gear sequencing valve has nothing to do with emergency gear system. Ok so book dosent show one way or the other. I say change the valve and it will work. we argue about this for 4 days while the airplane sits on jacks in the hanger.Finally maintance officer tells me to order a valve and replace it,but if it does not work its my a.. Well changed the valve purged the system and fired up the mule,climbed the ladder and pulled the gear up,all three went up and got three greens.Moment of truth,shut the mule down,and pulled the emergency handle and lo and behold inner doors came full down and gear dropped down and locked three greens,4 times in a row.Problem solved.Made them eat crow.I do know how to fly by the way guess I forgot to tell you that.Both fixed wing and Heilo,Lost my medical in 2000. Used to test fly the cobras we modified to carry sidewinders when I worked at AEL{Honeywell) at STL Regional in Bethalto

Clifford Keesler
P.S. I wasn,t trying to be a smarta.. LOL .

Kevin Farrell
You have to go a looong way with me to get my goat. I love the back and forth. Regarding aviating, I bow to the master. I hope we have a chance to get together and tell lies!
On the "R&R" part of aircraft Mtx & repair, I've been on the wrong side of a bill by mech going to school on my airplane more than once! I once asked the Chief Mech to give me the worst possible $$ damage I could expect. I doubled THAT number and asked ARE YOU SURE that this will cover it? Yes, he said. Two weeks later I got a bill that was 3x the absolute worst case! And without ANY comm during the process. Bad memories!

Clifford Keesler
I can bet. I always made sure they knew exactly what I was doing and if I came across something unexpected I made sure to let them know.

Clifford Keesler
When it comes to aviating you are the master,I never got to fly some of the stuff you did. Biggest thing I ever flew non military was a citation for a whole 2 hours. Most of my time is in 182s, C-421s and Navahos. MY oldest son flies Black Hawks for the MO.NG.He just got home from Afigianistan yesterday.My little brother used to fly buses,DC-10s,but got furled,and now works in an office. So I am far from master.

Kevin Farrell
I used Euro Gray because I needed a rattle-can. (Long story). But the "El Correcto" color for modern, non-desert helo's is: FS34031
This info is from Hobbylinc.com
Model Master US Army Helo Drab FS34031 1/2 oz
Product Number: TES4723
Manufacturer: Testors

Clifford Keesler
I want to do one in the grey camo,and the other one in the helio drab, already have 4 bottles of that for my other apache,cobra and Chinook. Thanks. I saw last night that academy put out a grey 1/48 version of the AH-64 it is a limited edtion production run. Do you know if it is any good. P.S. payment for the huskie will be made Sat.or Sun.

Kevin Farrell
I don't want to insult your intelligence (and I'm being serious) but if you go up to the Search box at the top of this page and type in Boeing, you'll get a pull-down list and you'll see AH-64. Make sure the little box to the left is on "products". Click over to that and scroll down and you'll see the "Gray Camo" Ltd Ed by Academy. Click in the box art and it will take you to another page with a bigger picture. Scroll down again and you'll see a review by IPMS (or just use this link and forget the above) Anyway, it reads like hand-to-hand combat assembling the thing! Reading it makes me think of the "Explosives Defusing Manual" printed by the lowest bidder.
Step 5. Cut the Blue Wire (turn the page) but FIRST . . .

web.ipmsusa3.org/con..2003-limited-edition

And I forgot that I had a deadbeat on my Accounts Receivable list! You could have sneaked by! (Har!)

I don't know about you - but I ALWAYS read the reviews or "first looks" before I buy anything. I find no joy in re-engineering models. That sort of work is right in YOUR wheelhouse - but I want to be able to follow directions and hope to hell that they are in the correct sequence and the parts mesh in a generally flush manner! Another thing I wish they would do is identify the part by name so that you could learn something while you are gluing parts together.
But one funny quirk that most model kit critics/reviewers have with helo's is to talk about the "rudder pedals" I want them to walk around the aircraft with me and show me where the "rudder" is that the pedals operate! But that just makes me a smug bastard so I'll shut up!

Clifford Keesler
I agree,with the rudder pedal comment.Would not want to mess you over there may come another time when you have something I want and may have to do that again, and you will know I will do what I say I will do.

Clifford Keesler
I just got an Esci/Ertl 1/48 scale B-26B at the flea market for 12.00 bucks. Cheapest I could find on E-bay was 45.00 so guess I did alright.

Clifford Keesler
That 1/24 scale Huey that guy wanted 60.00 bucks for,said no thanks.Sure I can find it cheaper somewhere.

Kevin Farrell
You do know I was teasing about the Huskie, right?

That was a great deal on the Martin and you can still get the Huey Gunship at Hobby Lobby with a 40% coupon!

I'm going over to your email for some other ideas