Meng Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow

[Greg Kimsey]

Thanks for the well wishes and suggestions my friends! I was doing so well! I mean, I could do construction again. Then my knees started swelling and hurting so I started taking it easier. I had lost 15 pounds since I started working on the "new" store which is actually a 1910 farmhouse (hence, the quotations around the word new). I know I need to lose 35 more. I completely updated all of the extremely sketchy 1940's electrical. No old wire left!
The sale of my dad's house closes today so my 2 brothers were insistant that everything had to be cleaned out in two days even though we have had 3 years to do it. I helped lift what I felt was safe for me, but something obviously wasn't. Ever since Sunday I can no longer feel my legs. I can walk but I look like a toddler just learning, and I dare not walk when the room is dark. Every step sends an electric current from my lower back down whichever leg I am stepping with. It feels like a TENS unit set on pulsate. I have to hold on from one object I can reach to the next. I have definitely pinched an important nerve. Gail wants me to go to my surgeon. I don't want to. The last 3 surguries have not fixed anything; why should another be any different. The pain was so intense that I almost asked to go to the emergency room last night. Gail is actually a pretty good healer and gave me a cocktail of pills that worked well and knocked me out so I could sleep.
So, I am back to not knowing what to do. Frankly, it is a little frightening this time. I hope I just ''tweaked" something and all will go back to normal soon!

Now, a little model talk! I have added some extra wires to the engines. I based the engine with Mr Surfacer Black, the I gave it a coat of Gauzy to gloss it. I then sprayed Alclad II Dull Aliminum but didn't like it so I gave it a coat of Chrome which I liked better. I used Alclad Hot Blue Metal to paint one portion of the engine then faded AC2 Copper into that making a smooth transition. The more orange section is Tamiya lacquer LP44 Metallic Orange applied with a drybrush. The reddish section is Vallejo 70-814 Burnt Red. I am not sure what to do next on that area to make it more believable. I went over the hoses and lines with Molotow Chrome marker. I need to paint the rest of the pieces that go with the engine then figure out how to add the green ignition wires.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

The engines are in. They have been the most difficult to fit so far, by far. Each piece, and there are 48 per side, must be in perfect alignment for the unit to fit into the six slots on the fuselage. Guess what. I am not that good! I had to pursuede some parts rather sternly, which, of course, led to other parts letting go. Out comes the superglue! Now I have a blobby mess all over everything trying to put things back together while in place. Se-lä-vē. Maybe after this cures I can save it.

 

[moon puppy]

This is why I sometimes end up with building something twice. Perhaps someone can take this as a lesson to build up the engine in the nacelle?

 

[Greg Kimsey]

This is why I sometimes end up with building something twice. Perhaps someone can take this as a lesson to build up the engine in the nacelle?

Maybe. I built the engine up to the point where I was supposed to attach it to its fuselage plate beneath it (nacelle?). You attach there, then there are some more engine parts that are added, then more fuselage parts. I knew I could not paint the engine the way I wanted so I added the engine parts and painted. I don't think the extra tubing (lead wire in this case) added to the bulk of the engine but it is possible. Is the "nacelle" the surrounging enclosure? The tabs on the engine assebly did not line up with their enclosure slots, but that wasn't because of anything I added. I carved the tabs to fit. I don't think I rushed. I assembled each sub section and let it cure for two hours, then put the sub assemblies together. Some of those didn't seem to mesh exactly which is why I said each part depended on how accurate you were with the previous part. For instance, the 3 exhaust filter looking boxes had 7 sub assembly parts that glued together with, for me, no way to know the exact angles to set them while the glue dried. I seated them by feel, then, tried to set all of these parts down to dry with no way to put pressure on them. No rubber bands, close pins, or tape would work; so they cured with gravity and some hope. Needless to say, they were not built accurately.
Anyway, I looked at the work after letting it all sit to assess how much I have to sand to clean it up the glue and it is not that bad. I get the "build two" option but don't know how I could have done better since I don't know where I went wrong. It would be great to have two kits for parts that got away though! One part hit the ground and vanished. I looked for over an hour, moving everything from the pig sty beneath my bench. I finally found it inside a box that had a lid on it. "'Splain dat one to me Luchie"

 

[moon puppy]

Is the "nacelle" the surrounging enclosure?

Yes.

It would be great to have two kits for parts that got away though! One part hit the ground and vanished. I looked for over an hour, moving everything from the pig sty beneath my bench. I finally found it inside a box that had a lid on it. "'Splain dat one to me Luchie"

I'm still looking for the generator that popped out of my tweezers and it wasn't a small part! That's a good idea, I'll look in the boxes see if it landed there.

 

[Rhino]

Was this event an instructional failure or an enthusiasm oversight? China sellers are notorious for their ambiguous instructions.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

Was this event an instructional failure or an enthusiasm oversight? China sellers are notorious for their ambiguous instructions.

It is most likely operator error. Insufficient knowledge, as it were. I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to keep all 7 parts from dancing around as I tried to hold them together while laying it down to dry.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

I dipped the canopy pieces in AK Gauzy then lay them to dry covered by a box to keep dust from settling. They seemed very clear afterward. I then applied the canopy masks (provided with the kit). I only wish they had numbered the tape pieces to correspond to numbers on the instruction sheet. It wasn't difficult to figure out, but would have dummy proofed the procedure a little more. I have the conopy and a few "next step" parts primed with Mr Surfacer 1500 Black.

For the very slight silver lining, this, "not being able to walk" thing has really opened up some quality modelling time.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

I had to trim the window divider down so the canooy would seat properly. Fortunaly I had read in two other threads that this would need to be done so I marked that on the intructions so I wouldn't forget. I trimmed a little over 2mm off the bottom. There are more parts to add on the inside of the canopy so I put the divider screen in and spread Gator glue along the top edge as well as inside the canopy then popped the canopy in place and will let it all cure. I will remove the canopy in a couple of hours to add the small parts that go inside then permanently glue it in place. The access doors will remain open so I will use putty to hold them in place when I paint the exterior

 

[hamchuck]

I dipped the canopy pieces in AK Gauzy then lay them to dry covered by a box to keep dust from settling. They seemed very clear afterward.

I wouldn't worry if they weren't very clear. The side panels are only plexiglass and between playing in the dust and very often getting wiped down with dry rags, they get a little hazy over time. The top glass gets just plain dusty and seems to stay that way.

 

[Steve Ski]

Engines are looking great, excellent progress, Greg!

 

[centaur567]

Beat it to fit and paint it to match. Looks great so far!! Gary S.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

I have been MIA because I am in the hospital awaiting my evidently "yearly" major back surgery. I should be back at the table in a couple of weeks.

 

[Rhino]

I hope your Doc is skilled and your med's are appropriately strong! Hang in there, Cap!

 

[jknaus]

Hope all goes well.
James

 

[moon puppy]

Prayers to you Greg, good luck!