Mr. Bigfoot
The FM instructions are actually quite complete; they're just laid-out in the worst possible way as well as being poorly (not to mention confusingly) illustrated. Read 'em, read 'em again, then take notes and translate the entire instruction to yourself. You really need to identify each and every part, then understand where everything goes, before cutting a single part off the sprues.
Test fit every part, then adjust until it actually fits where its intended to go. In particular, the fuselage walls are far too thick. Also, the provided formers are, unfortunately, oversize, so you will need to work them down until you can get them into the fuselage and have the halves actually close. You may also need to thin the fuselage inner walls to get everything to fit. If you are doing a Viet Nam version, you will need to scratch build the numerous fuselage frames and other details that are so very obvious when the insulation is stripped from the side walls.
The vacuum-form nose is grossly oversize. In order to get it to fit, you will need to cut out each clear panel, reduce its perimeter, then replace the framing with plasticard. The rest of the cockpit is actually very nice.
For the rotors, be sure to pin the blades to the hubs. Otherwise, they will snap-off at the slightest provocation. The landing gear is fairly sturdy, but you may want to pin the places where it attached to the body, just to be sure.
The kit is definitely buildable, as long as you have a full jar of patience. A few Google Image searches should provide plenty of inspiration. For detail reference, I recommend the two 1/72 scale detail sets by Eduards. It takes some work, but you can use these as patterns to scratchbuild the fuselage formers, as well as drop tank mounts and other doodads. Oh, and get some good decals. FM's are horendous in so many ways.
Phil