Couple of day i got this nice kit and plan it soon to build have anyone experiance with it and can tell me how the kit is to build
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It is not the easiest build. But hey, have fun with it.
I’ve just bought it so will be interested to follow along.
Corne Scheepers on YouTube (Off the Sprue) has a build of the AH-64D from Takom which i’m assuming is similar. Quite a comprehensive build if you follow along the episodes (starts at episode 60)
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thx for this advise i will check it out
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It’s a very detailed kit with a lot of parts to get through. I’ve seen a lot of reviews mention problems with the decals.
Kitchen table modeller on youtube build one and had extreme problems with the decals. I wonder if there ar AM options now? I believe Reskit make 3D parts for it.
Good luck.
Admittedly, it’s not the same kit, but I built the AH-64D last year and had no issues. Maybe they switched to a different decal producer - I don’t know. So I used a leftover decal from that set to show how nicely it goes down - even over a somewhat flat finish, with no silvering at all. I think this goes back to a problem I see quite a bit - people losing sight of basic skills, i.e. painting, decaling, proper cleanup of parts…
Every review of the DML MLRS I can recall talks about how it doesn’t go together well, yet after building dozens of them, I can say they must have been jinxed. The thing goes together fine. True, the design could have been much better - like putting sprue gates on angled surfaces meant to mate up with other angled surfaces. If they’re not properly cleaned up there will be problems.
But back to the Takom decal: I know at least one person on here who likes to say it’s zoomed in 300%! So, here we go - zoomed in:
Again, maybe a different batch of Takom decals. I don’t know who these reviewers are, but perhaps they should step back a take a breath - practice some of those basic skills, and maybe get better results.
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Those may be usable, depending on what he’s building. The OP showed the British AH.1 boxing, but the Warners Wings decals (Caracal also made a set) are only for US AH-64s. If you want to build a British bird, I believe you’re pretty much stuck with the kit decals. If you want to do a U.S. one, you’ll want to use the instructions from the U.S. AH-64D kit as the AH.1 kit instructions only show using the different parts for that version. I think all of the parts from the AH-64D kit are still in the box (except for maybe the folded blade supports) and all the AH.1specific bits are on an added in sprue.
This is my dilemma. I want to do a Qatari bird so am stuck with the kit decals. Dutchy’s Shitkits showed how you can dissolve the carrier film on these decals so I will try that with some of the spare schemes I have on the sheet when I get to this build. I also have the WW and Caracal decals for a second Takom E that I’ll do in a US scheme
Micro-set first? Then Micro-sol if that doesn’t do the trick,
That would be standard procedure, but these Takom decals are supposedly quite “special” i.e. very thick. It’s very prominent in some build pics too. Lot of experienced modellers complained about it when the kit came out. I haven’t used the decals yet so only speaking from the collective experienced I’ve been observing!
As I said, I haven’t used that particular set, but rather the set from their AH-64D. I like these decals because each image sits on its own little island of film. So when you apply the decal the edges of the film taper off to nothing. A lot of decals are printed on a whole sheet of film - so you get a hard edge when you cut them out, made only worse when they apply washed afterwards. When I decal sits on its own island of film, some folks still lose the advantage that these decals have by cutting too close to the image, creating a hard edge that didn’t have to be there. I assume folks who had problems are talking mainly about settling into panel lines and over rivets. I did not have that problem. But I have my own method of getting them to settle down.
You can also sand your decals while still on the sheet using very fine grit film. This thins them out somewhat. I’ve done this and it works, but you have to be extremely careful.
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I have built dozens of Dragon kits and have never had the complaints others make. Granted there are some issues but not any I haven’t seen other manufacturers create. People say I am extremely chill, though, so maybe that’s it.
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Or maybe you’re just more careful.
Nice tips there. I will bookmark for later when I get to this kit 