Boeing (Fuji) AH-64D Apache "JGSDF" [1:35 Meng] - RFI

[Alex]

Progress shot as I peel tape off...

 

 

There were a few small areas where paint made its way past the canopy masks, but a microbrush and Tamiya Finishing polish fixed those up.

[themongoose]

very vibrant color! love those crisp lines between the colors.

[DugyB]

Jesus, that’s an eye popper, looks smashing in every which way possible ….. 

[Zola25]

That does it! - Now I have to build a JASDF Apache - That looks super nice

 

/Niels

[BradG]

That's really looking sharp.

[Alex]

10 hours ago, DugyB said:

Jesus, that’s an eye popper, looks smashing in every which way possible ….. 

 

7 hours ago, Zola25 said:

That does it! - Now I have to build a JASDF Apache - That looks super nice

 

/Niels

 

2 hours ago, BradG said:

That's really looking sharp.

Thanks guys!  It's getting close now...

[Alex]

Getting weapons attached to the undersides today.

 

 

Figured I should take a few pictures of the undersides now, since once the main rotor is on it's going to be nigh impossible to flip it over safely.

 

 

And back on its wheels.

 

The next trick is going to be getting those canopy doors attached at just the right angle using a minimal amount of glue.

 

 

[Alex]

There's one, attached with Krystal Klear (which I love for its "grab" - woodworker term for initial adhesion - such that it will hold parts in place even while wet).  Gonna let that dry *completely* before attempting the other one.

 

As it turns out, those gasket decals around the windows weren't as difficult to do as I had feared they might be. 

[Thomas Lund]

Beautiful work...

 

I want to do a Japanese too, but due to incredible stupidness  I bought the wrong one, and aftermarket japanese decals are not available...

 

So can you tell me if the stencil writing is in japanese or english ?

 

TIA

Thomas

[themongoose]

What a meticulous effort you’re putting into this one. Paying off in spades, it’s beautiful! Love how well that door hinge lines up.

[Alex]

17 hours ago, Thomas Lund said:

Beautiful work...

 

I want to do a Japanese too, but due to incredible stupidness  I bought the wrong one, and aftermarket japanese decals are not available...

 

So can you tell me if the stencil writing is in japanese or english ?

 

TIA

Thomas

Thomas, most of the stencils are the standard English ones, but a few (larger) ones are replaced with Japanese equivalents.  My suggestion is to sell the kit you have and buy this one.

[Alex]

3 minutes ago, themongoose said:

 Love how well that door hinge lines up.

It is, for the most part, a really well-engineered kit.  The piano-style hinges on the engine covers are molded so precisely that the covers will actually stay open in place just on the friction of the hinges.

[Uncarina]

Great work on this Alex!

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Landrotten Highlander]

18 hours ago, Thomas Lund said:

Beautiful work...

 

I want to do a Japanese too, but due to incredible stupidness  I bought the wrong one, and aftermarket japanese decals are not available...

 

So can you tell me if the stencil writing is in japanese or english ?

 

TIA

Thomas

Hannants has some on offer with 30% discount...

[Alex]

OK, time to stick a fork in this one - it's done.  Here are some picture on the bench; I may go outside in a couple days and try to get some natural light shots, but for now it's (finally) raining here, so these will have to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was certainly one of the most complex kits I've built, and that's reflected in the *months* that it took to complete, despite being the only model I've been working on of late.  Overall I can unreservedly recommend this kit for anyone who wants an Apache.  It was enjoyable to build, and while complicated it was largely without flaws as a kit. 

 

Anticipating another, different kind of challenging project for the first GB of 2025, I'm going to go build an airliner model now as a bit of a palate cleanser.