pastafarian Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 To my eye they look fairly similar, but I'm sure I'm wrong. :P Other than the IR reflector, and the radome, are there any major differences? I've seen some discussion of some wire cutters and antennae that weren't on the A models, but those are supposed to be either in the flightpath or verlinden sets. Would it be easier to get the Imex kit (which is 1/35 so a little off) and combine the two? It would be insanely awesome if someone has done a build log of this conversion that I could just follow. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Moore Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 John, There are vast amounts of differences between an AH-64A and D (side avionics bays, cockpit are the big ones, among other changes), so in order to convert the 1/32 Revell AH-64A kit into a Longbow, be prepared for a massive amount of work. Here is a thread where someone is doing exactly what you asked about- Awesome AH-64A conversion Cheers, Alby Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Well, aside from the cockpit differences and the FCS radar on top, the avionics bays on the sides of the nose are vastly different. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pastafarian Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 wonder if would be less work to get into the imex longbow. That sounds like it needs alot of the smaller details added and probably reworking the canopy (which probably wouldn't be too difficult). John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 The IMEX kit isn't a better option. First off, forget about crosskitting with the Revell kit. Since it's 1/35 and the Revell kit is 1/32, the parts are 10% smaller. Second, it's a poor kit. Like on the 1/48 Academy kit, the avionics bays are the ones on the prototype and not the ones on production aircraft. Also, the cockpit is unchanged from the -A kit, and it's missing all of the lumps and bumps of a -D,and the wheels are pretty horrible. It's basically nothing more an early AH-64A with a radar on top and incorrect avionics bays. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobrahistorian Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 John, I've done it, and it is misery. The IMEX kit is great... for melting down and molding spare parts from. I used the radome from the one I had on the conversion I did on the Revell kit, and it looked ok, if a little small. The Forward Avionics Bays (FABs) on the A model are significantly different from the Extended Forward Avionics Bays. The fuselage, gear, TADS/PNVS turrets (although not for MTADS), wings and tail are all common between the two airframes. You'll need to build a new cockpit interior (A and D models have nearly ZERO in common there), EFABs, Air Data Sensor (ADS) booms on the nacelles (the Alpha's ADS sensor is on top of the rotor) and if you want to build a radar bird, a radome (my suggestion is to build a flat top). I would suggest getting the Cobra Company 1/32nd AH-64A update for the CMWS sensor mounts, new TADS/PNVS turret mount and other bits and bobs. *** Also, a tip on the sensor windows for everyone. Coat the lenses in Future first, then line the opening with Bondo putty. The putty is the exact color of the seal around TADS sensor windows and Bondo mimics this very well. Super glue the edges of the sensor lens and then press it into the Bondo around the edges of the opening. Once it's in place, wipe away the excess Bondo and you've got a great looking TADS turret. It's a bit more difficult with the PNVS, since the lens and the window housing are all one piece. It is possible to modify the Sensor turrets to be accurate for an MTADS bird, but it'll take an extensive rebuild of the PNVS turret. The only difference on the TADS turret is a new optical port below the FLIR window (the big sensor window on the TADS barrel). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
goose814 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Do any of the AH-64A have or are going to get the MTADS? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pastafarian Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 Well that's not cool. I'm ok with doing some scratch building, but I don't really want to just start with a hunk of plastic. Oh, well, I'll just stick with a 1/72 on that one. Thanks guys, John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobrahistorian Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Goose, It was proposed, but never even tested. The AH-64A is an endangered species. There are only about 30 left in the US inventory. The remainder are all D models. All of the A models will eventually become Longbows. John, why drop to 72nd? The latest boxing of the Hasegawa 48th kit is the best out there and will let you build any variant up to the most current. Jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pastafarian Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 I saw the reviews of it and it looks great, but all of my helos are 1/72 and 1/35. Gotta maintain some sense of order hahaha John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zerosystem Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 looks like the mustang guys are getting their big scale wish, wheres our turn for an accurate big scale longbow kit? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SebastianP Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Did someone actually come out with a proper 1/72 Longbow, or are we still waiting on that front? (All the kits I'm aware of is either A-models with the radome on top, or the prototype with the pointy fairings). Cheers, SP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.