Dana,
Firstly WELCOME! We've got a good bunch of people here who are always willing to lend a hand. As far as Apache stuff goes, there are a few of us. JKindred is currently flying them and if all goes well, I should be doing so within the next year.
Now, with respect to the IMEX kit and aftermarket stuff, lemme address the aftermarket stuff first. There are a few Eduard photoetch sets available and from what I've heard they're rather good. I think there are three separate sets, one each for the interior, exterior and weapons. They're good quality stuff, but I've never used them personally.
Now on to the kit iself. One word. CRAP.
The kit is inaccurate, poor fitting and did I mention inaccurate? If you're building an AH-64D, you're better off converting the Revell AH-64A kit in 1/32nd (a project that I've got about 80% done now) Their A model is slightly better, at least the cockpit is accurate for that model. The kit is based on the Revell kit, but has lost most of the good detail. The PNVS turret is atrocious and the main gear are about the same.
I've reviewed the kit for this forum and gone over its weaknesses in depth, but that's the basic overview. Mine ended up crushed under the heel of my jungle boots after one particularly frustrating evening. Its radome now sits proudly on the AH-64D conversion I'm working on, and I'm a bit calmer!
As far as references go, what are you looking for? I've got several thousand shots of both A and D models, a bunch of which are going to be in my book for Osprey that'll be out in May on the Apache. Lemme know what you need and I'll see if I can dig something up for ya!