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Hasegawa 1/48 AH-64D with Aires pit and Eduard PE


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As someone recommended, I post it here, too. :)

Getting back into the hobby after a little while, so: hi all, missed you folks and more to come! :)

As the topic title says, I used all these plus Gunze Sangyo buffable metal colors, scraped off some of the datalayer of a CD for the TADS/PNVS's nightoptics etc.,

used Model Master enamels, artist's oil paints, CD marker pens for the position lights, some pastel chalks for all the dust.

First of all, I painted the whole kit as it comes in the real world: metal, followed by primers in different shades as seen on many sources, preshaded the whole thing,

added Helo Drab in different shades, sealed it with Future, decals, decal setting solution (Daco's product is the best so far for me), sealed the decals again, added my flatcoat,

weathered it with oils and pastels and when the paint was cured, I gently polished the surfaces so the flat paint became semiglossy in the busy areas. the rotorblades and some

other parts were gently sanded with an ultrafine wetsanding paper so the paint would come off layer by layer to reveal some metal or at least some primer as the sand/dust would

have the same effect on the real thing. Still, the do not grab-decals and some wires on the radar have to be added and I'm trying to figure out what to add… maybe some helmets and personal things, like bags

etc.

As for some of the sensors, lumps, bumps, the defrosting system and the discolight, I personally didn't really care if the real thing with that serial number had some of these removed,

I wanted that discolight! :nanner:

IMG_1650.jpg

IMG_1652.jpg

Well, I'm more or less happy whith the result as for that money, you won't get entertained for 5 months and I had my fun doing the research, reading Jon Bernstein's books, digging up

every picture the internet had to offer… so, yep, it was fun so far. More kits and builds will follow :)

Hope you like it so far.

István

Edit: since I have been asked, here are some details regarding the TADS: one clean cut across the surface of a CD and you get the material. Avoid touching if with tweezers or fingers as it will crumble into dust.

Attach with Future or thinned white glue; avoid solventbased stuff like modelglue as it will dissolve the laquer on the surface that holds the layer more or less together leaving you with bubbles and metalic dust.

CD.jpg

TADS.jpg

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wow absolutely stunning!! would like to see some more pics if youve got them and the cd idea is fantastic

Thank you :)

The CD-idea is something I believe Cobrahistorian came up with when he explained how to simulate the TADS/PNVS-look.

Edited by I.Illes
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sweet!! One question- if you can't touch the CD film with fingers or tweezers, how do you apply it?

You actually have to be very careful. There are several ways: one drop of Future on the paintbrush is enough to make it stick the flake gently, when it touches the clear part, it will stick on that. The other way round: apply future on the part itself and lay it on the flake. Let dry, seal it again with Future, later glue the part only on the edges with dillited white glue, which also serves as a filler that can be wetsanded when properly cured.

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Nice Build. ;) I just got this kit a few days ago. Was contemplating getting the eduard PE fret, but looking at the detail, don't think its neccessary. Cockpit looks pretty good OOB.

Is the Aires 'pit worth it?

thanks

The Aires pit is worth it, so is the Eduard set i.e. for gunbarrel, rotorhead and antennae. The only thing they missed was that on current D models,

the circuitbreaker panel, which was located on the top left above the pilot was deleted and moved to the back right above the backseat, which is seen on

reference pictures, but not in the pit. Anyway, that's easily added and can't be seen really well. Frankly spoken, I liked many aspects of the Eduard set,

especially the wipers and handholds plus that ammo feed for the gun and the discolight, which I polished until the silver coating came off and revealed a

golden surface that shines more than any paint could ever do. The parts I didn't need for the pit are in sparesbox now; pretty useful for any other helo build.

Believe me, the pit is nowhere close to the Aires pit.

Both highly recommended! More important are Jon Bernstein's book "AH-64 Apache Walkaround" and "Apache Units in Afghanistan".

HTH

István

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The Aires pit is worth it, so is the Eduard set i.e. for gunbarrel, rotorhead and antennae. The only thing they missed was that on current D models,

the circuitbreaker panel, which was located on the top left above the pilot was deleted and moved to the back right above the backseat, which is seen on

reference pictures, but not in the pit. Anyway, that's easily added and can't be seen really well. Frankly spoken, I liked many aspects of the Eduard set,

especially the wipers and handholds plus that ammo feed for the gun and the discolight, which I polished until the silver coating came off and revealed a

golden surface that shines more than any paint could ever do. The parts I didn't need for the pit are in sparesbox now; pretty useful for any other helo build.

Believe me, the pit is nowhere close to the Aires pit.

Both highly recommended! More important are Jon Bernstein's book "AH-64 Apache Walkaround" and "Apache Units in Afghanistan".

HTH

István

which eduard set? Unfortunately, money is tight now..... :(

Edited by mike_espo
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@mike_espo: if money is tight, here's what I do: I don't have a deadline, so i build something else or do proper research until I have the money. It's really pointless to go with a cheap and quick build if you intended to add details you can't scratchbuild or afford atm. You'd be unhappy, so wait until you can build and detail it the way you want it. No compromise. The compromise would sit in the back of your head every time you look at that build. Build some other kit or scratchbuild, gather info and pictures and get prepared for the build. You are not on the run, so take your time. Patience and knowing what to postpone when for a higher good are things that are useful at many points in life, not only when modelling. :) The sets were ED 49 201 and the Zoom Cockpit set as it had some useful parts, too.

Sidenote: I still don't get the point in adding active MFDs to a parked aircraft, but yes... some manufacturers give you all the actiondecals for the screens o_O

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@Rod: thank you :) Still some things are in the works, but I am getting there. Pondering whether to go through scratchbuilding all the "I know it's there but noone else will see it"-details behind the TADS/PNVS or spare me from minor headaches ;)

Edited by I.Illes
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  • 4 weeks later...

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