1/48 Monogram AH-64 Apache  Part 2

by Rodney Williams

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The first photo show the additions I added to the right, and left  inside sections of the fuselage.  On the right side of the fuselage they had molded in screens within the oval frames.  I removed these screens, then thinned the inside area.  I built frames around the areas, then super glued in  pre cut sections of very fine brass screen.

I don't  recall what research material I had in my possession for the Apache!  However, I built the main pedestal, which holds the main rotor, using copper and other materials.  What's the old saying?  "If I knew then, what I know now, I would have changed my method of operation."  

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Looking back on this project, I could have built the entire station, and all the main rotor parts, using sheet, and rod styrene.  It certainly was time consuming cutting, filing, and sanding all these metal parts.  Then I had to line them up and solder all of it together.  I must have built some sort of "jig" to hold the parts, as they were put together using my "pin-hinge" system of alignment.  It's been too long ago, so I don't recall how I did it!

This photo shows what materials I used building the main landing gears.  Again, I could have used styrene tubing.  I guess I had "metal" on my mind.

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In this view, you will see that the canopy has been painted on the inside.  It was attached using Future Floor Wax.  A few days later I filled all the seams around the canopy with super glue.  In other model stories of mine, I mention this process.   The floor wax prevents the super glue from entering the inside of your clear parts, which creates "fogging."   The outside has been sanded to about 800 grit.  Eventually it was sanded down to 2000 grit,  then polished out.  Floor wax was added after the polishing process.  You will note that I have added all the rivets in the fuselage and on the canopy.  Be very careful when adding the rivets to injected mold clear plastic.  It is somewhat brittle, and you can crack, and or craze your finished product real easy. This usually does not happen to your vac-u-form plastic.  "How do I know, you may ask?"  You are looking at my second canopy, as I pushed in my pointed pin to hard on the first one, and cracked the clear plastic."

Prior to attachment, the canopy was sanded on the inside from 600 to 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper.  It was polished with Blue Magic, then "dipped" several times in Future floor Wax.  After a few weeks, it was masked off, using pre cut frisket film, then painted with Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black.  As you know, my paint to thinner "mix" is at least 4 parts "denatured  alcohol" to one part Tamiya paint.

I did not add any dials to either instrument panel, but I spruced up the side console in the two cockpits, by adding several switches, etc.  I used some fine woven material for the two seats.  These "close-up" photos lets the viewer "think" that the material is very thick, but in reality it is not.  I painted the cockpit with Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black, and/or a very dark grey.  In another segment, you will see a photo of the finished interior.  I painted the dials on the instrument panels red, as this is what the customer wanted.

That's about it for this segment.  "You just have to let the photos tell the story."

In part three, I'll show my revised "Chain Gun," the  rocket tubes, including more photos of the fuselage's exterior.

Rodney

Photos and text © by Rodney Williams