Reviews : Hasegawa AH-64D Apache Longbow

The 1/48 Hasegawa AH-64D Apache Attack Helicopter is the gold standard for this subject in 1/48 scale. With that being said, the few minor negatives of this kit are the overly thick aerial antenna on the vertical tail plane and thick grab handles that are difficult to clean up. The main rotor has many small fine parts that must be installed carefully. The main rotor assembly is designed to permit rotation, however it is very fragile. During the build the main rotor shaft broke and I had to install it in a fixed position. The 30mm chin gun was also a fragile assembly that allowed for rotation and elevation. The kit has clear plastic parts for the canopy, navigation lights and lenses for the Hellfire missles included in the kit. The fuselage, horizontal tail plane and sponsons have accurate molded recessed panel lines, rivet detail and grill detail where applicable. The decal set is comprehensive in scope, providing accurate stencil, serial number, wing walk and United States Army markings. The use of Microsol for decal application is recommended. Engine and exhaust details are excellent. Assembly, masking and painting will require a high level of manual dexterity. With careful attention to these aspects of model building an exceptional result can be achieved.

Initial review of the sprues shows small detailed parts, nice surface detail and well set location pins. Fit seems close to perfect but slight twist to a couple of parts. Almost 0% flash. Goes together very well even though the instructions are overloaded and crowded with some conflicting information on locations, numbering, etc. Agree with others in that handles, antenna and other small objects oversized to scale. Other parts are scaled right but vulnerable to damage. If you are to have moving parts then be super careful, not during constructions, but when building things around what you have just done. Paint may be difficult and consider painting many parts before assembly as access is complex once assembled. Over I truly enjoyed this model. Hasagawa not always my first choice company but in this case extremely glad I did.

I use to do models when I was Young we are talking 60 yrs ago. Starting back. this helicopter is going to be a challenge but that. I also have train set that got at 5yrs of age still runs perfect just need a part and to learn how to know the size

Arguably the best 1/48 Apache. The kit is very detailed, and a lot of superdetailing kits exist for it. The cockpit and rotors a re very detailed, as well as the main gun. However, the kit does require some extra work in places.