AH-64D Longbow Apache
Italeri 1/48 AH-64D Longbow Apache by Aaron Ludlow
MANUFACTURER: Italeri
KIT NUMBER: 2748
SCALE: 1/48
TYPE: Upgraded moulds
PARTS: 3 light grey styrene sprues and 1
clear sprue.
MARKING OPTIONS: 5T
he AH-64D Apache
is arguably the
most successful and
recognizable attack helicopter
of all time. Tasked with roles
that include the anti-tank, close
support, and assault missions,
the Apache has a proven record
of operating in all types of
conditions. Incorporating the
powerful AN/APG-78 radar,
characterized by the unique
radome above the main rotor,
it is operated by a number of
countries across the globe.
This kit from Italeri is presented
in a top-opening box, with fantastic
artwork depicting a British Army
machine flying across what
appears to be a Middle Eastern
setting. Italeri has stated on the
box that this kit has upgraded
moulds. Some quick research of
the older boxing reveals that the
previous green styrene sprues
are now moulded in a light grey.
The main fuselage is covered
in raised rivet detail and a mix of
raised and recessed panel lines.
The clear sprue has a canopywith optional opening doors and
some other smaller parts, such as
formation lights. The kit includes
the typical Italeri instructions
and a super-cool decal sheet for
five different options, including
markings for British, US, Japanese,
UAE and French Apaches, plus lots
of data and warning stencils.
After a quick skim-read of the
instructions, it was quite clear
that I was going to be spending
a great deal of time dealing with
small parts! There are parts for
each version, which differ slightly
depending on which option you
wish to model – the British version
has completely different parts to
the US Army version, etc. I am not
a helicopter buff so can’t comment
on the pure accuracy of the kit,
but Italeri must have done some
research as each version is different.CONSTRUCTION
I hadn’t built a helicopter for
some time, but when given the
opportunity to review this kit
I jumped at it. The Apache is as
similar as it gets to my usual fast
jet genre: a long slender fuselage,
canopy, pylons, and ordnance. As
with most of my builds, this was
built completely out of the box
(OOB) with no additional resin,
photo-etch, or scratch building.
The cockpit was the firstpart I worked on. The detail here
is all raised, with a number of
buttons and switches. From what
I understand, the base kit cockpit
is actually from an earlier -A
model, so Italeri have provided
decals to represent the upgraded
-D instrument panels. All this
means that the raised detail needs
to be scraped off and sanded
flat for the decal application.
After spray painting the cockpit
and the quite reasonable seats
black, I dry-brushed the entire
cockpit to give it the dusty worn
look that an Apache would get
after spending time in the desert.
Once the cockpit was completed
I glued the two fuselage halves
together. The fit was not too bad
and only required a light sanding
to remove the seam lines and some
spots of putty. One thing to watch
out for when sanding is to steer
clear of the raised rivet detail, as it
absolutely peppers the airframe.
The additional -D parts were
now added to the fuselage. For
the US Army Apache the unique
parts appear to be less than forthe other versions, but they are
tiny so you need to take care
when cutting them off the sprue,
otherwise, they will easily vanish!
As mentioned above, the fit
of the kit isn’t too bad. I can’t
comment on the accuracy of the
shape as I have never seen one in the
flesh, but to my eye, the model looks62 • JUNE 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
KIT REVIEWS
056-65-Reviews-0618.indd 62 11/05/2018 16:01