Cost: £30.99
Reviewer: Mathew Barron
History…
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with tail wheel-type landing gear arrangement, and tandem cockpit for a crew of two. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army’s Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the AH-1 Cobra. First flown on 30 September 1975, the AH-64 features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. The Apache is armed with a 30-millimeter M230 Chain Gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft’s forward fuselage. It has four hard points mounted on stub-wing pylons, typically carrying a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire and Hydra 70 rocket pods.
The first production AH-64D Apache Longbow, a greatly upgraded version of the original Apache, was delivered to the Army in March 1997.
The Kit…
This being the first kit I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing from AFV, and hopefully it won’t be the last (depending on our very nice Aircraft Editor, hint hint) the only initial downside that you may have noticed so far is the price…. But more on that later.
This is not a new kit, but the older tool Academy kit that now includes nice photo etch. The plastic is well moulded throughout, with raised and recessed detail where required; no flash was present on the review sample, lots of detail (for example on the rotor head, and the undercarriage). One thing that stood out for me was the transparencies, which had no seams and was very clear (in all the right places).
Included in this kit is a very nice photo-etch fret, which covers cockpit panels, seatbelts, missile launchers, and a host of other smaller items. Also provided are rubber tyres for the main wheels, which I know will upset some people, but they are well done.
The instructions are very clear, and call out colours as required (although not too taxing for an olive drab aircraft). One thing to note, on the front of the instructions there is a colour chart naming various manufacturers (very kind of AFV, and I wish more companies did this; not naming names though).
The decals provided are for a US Army machine, which do provide a nice splash of colour to an otherwise ‘drab’ (no joke intended) colour scheme. They don’t look too thick, and good colour register; again no real dramas.
Conclusion…
Getting back to one of my earlier comments, the price… Given the fact you get a photo etch set, and rubber wheels, in an already nice kit you might not baulk at the £30 price tag. However there are other options available (at a slightly cheaper price), I would probably still go for this kit (the nice decal option swings it for me). Getting back to the matter in hand, would you enjoy this kit? Yes. Would it build into a model that looks like an Apache? Yes. Would I recommend it? Most definitely.
Very recommended.