AH-64 WIP

No, the photos do not show on your post... 

Problem solved.  Learning has occurred.

Nice start.

Its common with resin cockpits to have to do some thinning of the kit.

Took a little surgery but managed to get the rotors in and cockpit muscled in.  All in all not too painful, but a real test of patience.  It'll take on plenty of putty and sanding to fill the seams and gaps once everything sets.  

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 Now to work on the engines.  Fit was absolutely, well, bad.  A bunch of putty, lots of sanding, some flat black to critique, more putty and more sanding.  

Pit looks quite nice!

Helpful tip (maybe?!!)...

Having the rotors installed, this early in the game, makes for much more trouble than it's worth as you proceed. I know, most if not all instructions have you install them early bcause of the tab or whatever piece, needs to be there to keep the rotors from coming out. Personally, I eiter cut the tab off the shaft, or just leave off the piece that gets glued to the bottom of the shaft. Having the rotors loose/removable makes for a far easier time, down the road.

fermis

Pit looks quite nice!

 

Helpful tip (maybe?!!)...

Having the rotors installed, this early in the game, makes for much more trouble than it's worth as you proceed. I know, most if not all instructions have you install them early bcause of the tab or whatever piece, needs to be there to keep the rotors from coming out. Personally, I eiter cut the tab off the shaft, or just leave off the piece that gets glued to the bottom of the shaft. Having the rotors loose/removable makes for a far easier time, down the road.

 

Thanks for the tip, that's actually very helpful.  I was dreading moving forward with the rotors in the way but didn't see many options to do it otherwise at the time.  Might steal a page from your book and get them removed.  Luckily they fit pretty shotty too so the shaft/tab are barely together underneath so I should be able to pop them apart without much trouble.

Skycop, I have the same Apache kit in my stash so I'm going to school on your build. I'll be using the kit supplied cockpit rather than using a resin cockpit though. The removable rotor idea makes sense so I'll keep that in mind when I begin my Apache.

BTW: I went through the Green Monster the first week of January 1967. 3708 BMTS.

fotofrank

Skycop, I have the same Apache kit in my stash so I'm going to school on your build. I'll be using the kit supplied cockpit rather than using a resin cockpit though. The removable rotor idea makes sense so I'll keep that in mind when I begin my Apache.

BTW: I went through the Green Monster the first week of January 1967. 3708 BMTS.

 

fotofrank,

The kit cockpit has plenty of detail to work with and I didn't notice any ejector pin marks in the way at all so you should be good to go where that's concerned.  I have been fighting flash and fit problems every step of the way this far, but everything I've read says that's par for this kit.  I'll be sure to include any other hard lessons learned as I go for you. 

I went through in Aug 2003, pretty sure the only thing to change is the uniforms they handed out.  Now I'm stationed at Lackland again and get to see the new rainbows now and then. Funny how they currently think this is the hardest it'll ever be.  Boy what they don't know!