Revell AH-64A Apache

The AH-64 was designed for the US Army as a replacement for the AH-1 Cobra helicopter to support ground troops. It is powered by 2 engines and seats a crew of 2 in tandem configuration where the pilot sits in the back while the gunner sits in front.

 This attack helicopter is armed with a 30mm cannon mounted underneath the craft. This cannon can rotate and elevate in conjunction with the head movement of the gunner. External armament includes Hellfire, Stinger and Sidewinder missiles, plus FFAR rockets mounted in a rocket pod.

 This helicopter has been in the Army inventory for over 20 years and continues to be used. It has also been sold and is in use with other countries.

This snap tite kit has 38 olive drab parts on two sprue trees, one piece canopy and a two part stand molded in black. The surface detail is a mix of fine raised rivets and raised lines with the occasional engraved panel line. It has very little flash and no sink marks on visible areas. Some of the parts have fairly long (wide) attachment points (see picture) which really requires a razor saw, or patiently scoring the joint repeatedly (or rocking the part back and forth to break off the part). The one piece stabilator has the RV-MM LLC 1999 copyright date molded on its under surface. Why doesn’t Revell mold this on the inside surface?

 The one-piece canopy has molded on framing andincludes the wiper blades for the front crewman. The cockpit consists of a tub with 2 very well molded and detailed crewmen, with each having a different pose.

 Although not mentioned on the box, the kit has rotating main rotors, tail rotors, main cannon and stabilator. The main rotor spins very smoothly once assembled, a tribute to the good engineering of this part.

 The Revell stand has a hook that hooks into the model itself and the stand also has a slight slant to keep the model hooked into the stand. This makes the model fairly stable once put onto the stand. It is well worth saving, even if for a different kit.

 Decals consist of peel and stick stickers for a generic US Army Apache. Extra stickers are supplied that are not part of the main markings but are intended for the child modeler to put anywhere he/she wants.

 The instructions sheet tries to be “fool-proof”. I say this even though I didn’t read it carefully and made a few mistakes! The sheet include separate steps for installing the left and right wing stub with ordnance and each step includes notes such as remove this piece of mold stub, or install this part before this other part. Lastly it includes naming what the assembled parts are (eg. engine half, tail rotor) which one doesn’t seem often in new kits. This info comes in handy when the youngster asks “what is this part, Dad?”

 Major issues I have with this kit are the following. The Hellfire (?) missiles and FFAR rocket pylons, once mounted, extend far in front of the wing stub, unlike the box cover or the real Apache. The wheels need sanding down around the circumference so it doesn’t look like a ballerina on tippy-toes.

Although aimed at the youth market, I really like the thoughtful engineering and nice molded on details of this kit. This kit can be built up in an afternoon if the youngster is not into cleaning up the parts or dry fitting or painting. The snap-on parts are sturdy enough once assembled (with a few exceptions) that it will withstand some amount of handling. Recommended for a supervised build between an adult and someone as young as 5 years old.

 I made no effort to check the accuracy of the model against the real thing. My son doesn’t care. The model looks cool and dangerous as is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AH-64_Apache

Peter Kwong

December 2007

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