Monogram/Revell AH-64A

Nice start.  Following along - big Apache fan.

One of the ugliest whirlybirds in existence, but ya gotta love it. Unless you're on the receiving end of its' sting that is. Nice start! 

I'm watchin'. I have this kit in my stash, and it's been on my build radar recently. I'm looking forward to your work and seeing how it goes together.

Cheers!

-O

Nice to see a helo around these parts. Not much action on this front. Looking forward to seeing this one come alive.

BK

Looks good. I built that same Revell kit 5443 a few years ago, and yes it's a nice easy build, except I got all the way to the end and had it under a bright lamp to inspect the pre decal clear coat and started smelling plastic fumes and melted the canopy, DOH! Stupid me had a 100 watt light bult in my lamp. I changed all my work bench light bulbs to LED from then on.

If you are looking for the correct paint color US Army AH-64 paint specs it is FS 34031. Revell just calls out Olive drab and the identical Italeri kit No.832 calls out FS34087 which is also incorrect. I've found only 2 close matches to FS34031 and those are water based acrylic Testors Model Master 4723 and Acrylic Lacquer - AK RC229

Cybermodeler.com is sometimes a go to for color specs if your want to check out model color specs that I've found to be a pretty accurate resource.

(Tip) If you want to put a natural rotor blade droop in your kit's main rotor blades, I take a deep enough (5 to 6 inches) tall insulated coffee cup, pour boiling water into it, then dip each blade in for 5 seconds or so and bend them until I get the right curvature I want then cool them with cold tap water. 

Looking forward to see your final build.

Thanks everyone.  As for the paint I might have to lean more towards Valejo's Olive Brown.  been unable to find Model Master's for awhile and I have to be mindful of the smell, so lacquers are a no go.  So it will basiclly be the color of the pilot's flight suits unless I can find an alternative.

Tamiya Khaki Drab XF-51 looks a faded version of Helo Drab. AK Real Color makes the 34031 color, RC 229.

If you don't like the smell of lacquers, AK 3rd Generation Acrylics AK11023 is listed as FS34031 also. AK calls the color Lead Gray though. I haven't tried that color yet though, but have used their other water based acrylic colors and spray and brush very well. 

The Choppers-Ahh!

      I am close to finishing a "Little Bird" and Halfway through a "Puma". Love them Whirly thingies! My Apachies and Cobras hang in the shop. I won't say they were my best work, but I build them for a change of pace and the fun involved! Plus, You can see so much of their office innards!

Afternoon everyone, here is another update.  As a test I went ahead and sprayed Vallejos Game Ink Black over the cockit parts to see how it will work.  It definitely darkened it from the dark gray to more or less gloss black.  I'm happy witht he results.  Pilots almost done, then it I should be just about ready to close her up.

SAM_8756 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

SAM_8757 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

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SAM_8764 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

 

Fuselage closed up.  Preparing to sand the seams next.

SAM_8768 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

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SAM_8779 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

Hi Mustang,

The dreaded seam filling and sanding, it's my least favorite part of model building, especially with raised panel lines on Revell kits, so I don't envy you :(

I picked up some AK 3rd generation AK11023, FS34031 last night to compare it to my color chips and it is a very dark forest green, it's close to FS34031, but I need to test how it scale fades and modulates to the theatre of operation still. None of our Apaches or Cobras looked too pretty in the hot Texas sun vs. cooler climates like in South Korea so it's kind of a challenge how much pre and post shading and color modulation you can get out of your base color.

You mentioned you are using Vallejo Olive Brown, if that is item no. 70.889, or FS 34084? Just be careful it might turn too brown if you scale fade or modulate the paint.  Vallejo 70.980, 70.896, 70.897, or 70.70.979 may stay more to the FS34031 green side than brown. But I find experimenting is half the fun in painting.

I switched to acrylic lacquers because they spray better with no tip dry and I find it easier to weather and modulate sun bleaching with oil pin washes on a gloss coat after decals. However you can still do the same with water based acrylics though, just slightly different techniques. 

Thanks for the suggestions on the paint.  I think I found a different color from yoru suggestions; the 70.980.  Since I have to be mindful of the smell from the fumes, I have to stay with acrylics and can't move to the acrylic lacquers.  I was also given Tamiya's XF-51 as an alternate that I am going to look into.

Stazie190

Hi Mustang,

The dreaded seam filling and sanding, it's my least favorite part of model building, especially with raised panel lines on Revell kits, so I don't envy you :(

I picked up some AK 3rd generation AK11023, FS34031 last night to compare it to my color chips and it is a very dark forest green, it's close to FS34031, but I need to test how it scale fades and modulates to the theatre of operation still. None of our Apaches or Cobras looked too pretty in the hot Texas sun vs. cooler climates like in South Korea so it's kind of a challenge how much pre and post shading and color modulation you can get out of your base color.

You mentioned you are using Vallejo Olive Brown, if that is item no. 70.889, or FS 34084? Just be careful it might turn too brown if you scale fade or modulate the paint.  Vallejo 70.980, 70.896, 70.897, or 70.70.979 may stay more to the FS34031 green side than brown. But I find experimenting is half the fun in painting.

 

I switched to acrylic lacquers because they spray better with no tip dry and I find it easier to weather and modulate sun bleaching with oil pin washes on a gloss coat after decals. However you can still do the same with water based acrylics though, just slightly different techniques. 

 

 

 

Have to love capillary action in regards to glue.  Had the pleasure of holding the canopy and using Tamiya's glue and the capillary action travelled up my fingerprints and right onto the windows.   At least I had the chance to sand it out and get some expereince doing that.  

SAM_8781 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

SAM_8783 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

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SAM_8797 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

Mustang8376

...travelled up my fingerprints and right onto the windows....

I hate when that happens! Hopefully you were able to save it. I'm enjoying your Apache, and your thread's making me want to pull a couple of mine (this boxing and Hasegawa's Longbow) out of the stash.

Must resist...must resist!

More to update.  Primed with Vallejo Black and I believe I have good approx. of for Helo Drab color.  Just used Vallejo Air's Olive Drab and mixed Vallejo Air's Black until I got the color I came up with.  Highly thinned over a marble coat of White and German Brown.  Enjoy.

SAM_8803 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

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SAM_8810 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

In case you have an Ollie's close by, you might check as they have the Revell AH-64 Apache on discount.

Meanwhile, I wouldn't worry too much about paint color.  Seems their kinda all over the place. 

Gary

This kit brings back memories. I built one that I bought at Graf in 1988(?), in a Birds of Prey series. I remember it came with sidewinder missiles on the wingtips. I hand painted the missiles with Testors white paint. They looked horrible.

Rob Gronovius

This kit brings back memories. I built one that I bought at Graf in 1988(?), in a Birds of Prey series. I remember it came with sidewinder missiles on the wingtips. I hand painted the missiles with Testors white paint. They looked horrible.

 

The 'Bird of Prey' boxing was the first release of the Revell 1/32 Apache. Which did come with Sidewinders. This is the Monogram (regardless that the box now says Revell) 1/48 Apache, which never did.

Rob Gronovius

This kit brings back memories. I built one that I bought at Graf in 1988(?), in a Birds of Prey series. I remember it came with sidewinder missiles on the wingtips. I hand painted the missiles with Testors white paint. They looked horrible.

 

I remember building that old Revell 1/32 Apache through the Birds of Prey series.  Along with the Mig-29 and I believe the Ea-6A or B.  Good times! :)  While building the Monogram version of the Apache I kept thinking this was smaller then I recall and I had to remind myself that it's 1/48 scale, not 1/32. 

On another note, I am actually just about done with this build  I have to do a couple fo paint touch ups where the mask lifted off the paint ont he canopy plus fix the machine gun.

I can now call this build complete.  Enjoy everyone.

20230314_070039 by Darren Keller, on Flickr

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Nice work!!  I did that kit a few years ago, and remember it NOT being an easy build.  I ended up having to clean up a lot of seams, and do significant work on the engine nacelles.   My kit had a short shot to one of the exhaust grills which required a fair amount of time with the putty, styrene sheet and files to make it close to right.  

It ended up okay, and my wife really liked it (I did it for her, since she mentioned she really liked the way they looked).  Sadly, it suffered a crash from it's display location (atop her crafting cabinet) and the airframe was a total write-off.  I did get to play with finishes and a fair amount of scratch-building so the build wasn't a total waste.  

Some pictures are in Toshi's WIP on another AH64 build:

https://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/16/t/167599.aspx