Apache Longbow Helicopter 1:72 Scale Model Build

I bought a simple 1:72 scale Apache Longbow Helicopter model kit back in 2021. This was the first kit I had bought in over 15 years. I decided I might like to get back into model making.

I’ll get back to this model project soon. Here is what I have done so far:

• Assembled most of the model
• Painted the model with a custom colour I mixed using Tamiya paints. I used the Airbrush to apply the paint. This is the base colour.

I want this model to have a dark ‘stealthy’ colouring vs a Nato green-type colour. According to this thread on Reddit, US Apache’s are painted ‘Helo drab’. I also read that lighting conditions change the paint shade, depending on the angle. Plus the paint fades over time. That is why photos of US Apache’s can look quite different.

I also don’t want this model to look too weathered or faded. I want it to look relatively new. To achieve this I will do some weathering (but not a lot) and some texturing so it doesn’t end up looking like a toy. I do want it to look like a finished model.

It’s a beginner-level kit so it isn’t highly detailed. I might scratch-build a few more details onto it.

To finish this model, below are the steps I will take (they are in order):

1. Find some more good reference images
2. Brush the dust off it (it’s been sitting on a shelf for over 12 months)
3. Maybe scratch-build a few more details into it
4. Paint the sensor glass at the front white. Then add translucent paints as needed.
5. Repaint the Props. Perhaps darken their colour a little
6. Paint the tyres
7. Paint the other weapons
8. Paint the Machine Gun (30 mm M230 chain gun)
9. Finish assembling the model (including adding the weapons)
10. Paint any other fine details
11. Apply Gloss or Semi-gloss Clear-coat
12. Paint the exhaust (do some weathering)
13. Weather the entire helicopter using oil paints
14. Add the decals
15. Do some more weathering as needed. Probably use some dry powers
16. Apply final coat of Clear Coat (either matt or satin)
17. Make a display base and clear dust cover

Some specs about the AH-64D Apache Longbow include (more info is here):

• Fuselage length: 49 feet 5 inches
• Rotor diameter: 48 feet
• Height: 12.7 feet
• Weight:
  Empty: 11,387 pounds
  Loaded: 17,650 pounds
  Maximum takeoff: 23,000 pounds
• Engines: Two General Electric T700-GE-701C turboshafts with 1,890 shaft horsepower each
• Armament: One 30 mm M230 chain gun; up to nineteen 70 mm Hydra, CRV or APKWS air-to-ground rockets; AGM-114 Hellfire or AIM-92 Stinger missiles
• Avionics: Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman AN/AP-78 Longbow fire-control radar
• Speed:
  Never exceed: 227 mph
  Maximum: 182 mph
  Cruise: 165 mph
• Combat radius: 300 miles

I’ll add more videos here as I find them:

 

Here are some neat-looking pics I found:

 

 

Here are some neat videos of real Apache’s: