My absence from the big "A" is soon to come to an end (due to work) with a journey into the world of wingy err, whirly things as it were. My wife has been after me for far too long to build her an Apache. Now that time allows, I decided to indulge her...me too.

I have Monogram's kit and the Verlinden Update set and could use any build tips for either kit. I need all the help I can get as this kit is far off course for me, although some would considered it a flying tank.
Does anyone have any links to reference sites?
What colors are used for the cockpit? Seats, instruments. Blades? Engine intakes, exhausts?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My first stop anytime I start a new flying project is http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com. Look in the Walkaround section there are 2 galleries of AH-64 pics. Good detail shots.

Let me see, you can use any brown, grey and dessert color schemes for the seats. For the engine, it's nice to use gunmetal, steel and any metal color schemes.

Anyway, if you don't like my color schemes, then experiment. Use your heart to find your happiness in modeling :-)

I am assuming 1/48 scale?

The Monogram kit is quite good, but missing many updates. I don't know if the Verlinden kit helps in that area, but it is apparently quite an improvement.

Monogram 1/48 AH-64A
REVELL/MONOGRAM 1:48 AH-64A APACHE




AH-64
Misc. pictures
AH-64A APACHE
Dutch AH-64
AH-64 Apache




OD main panels with black consoles and a VERY dirty OD floor board with 'anti-skid' boot panels also in black. Sticks on at least the LBow prototypes are also dark OD with black only on the grips. But the former show through a metallic color so you might want to do silver-then-OD to help things along. Some are all black inside.




Seats are black or Titanium (Model Master) metallic and the cushions are a diamond weave of OD or tan centers with a black surround. Some all black cockpits also have all black seats.




Almost all 'knobs' are a light/neutral grey and the screens for the TADS and RWR show up as a really prominent EMERALD clear. Early Apache had night-red cockpit lighting that showed up even when unlit. Suggest using a dull silver and or gunmetal for the instrument faces and overpainting with clear red.




Flat black when new, after which you get a gunship grey center and flat black outer edges




dark sea grey or REALLY dark gunship raised frames over black grid-reliefed centers

You didn't mention them, but for some of the other stuff:

Hellfire's
Look 'dirty green' but are supposedly ALL black with brownish-red or yellow-green squares just behind the rear fin leading edges and about 150mm aft of the canard fins

TADS/PNVS
High Gloss Black covers to the FLIR's with dull insignia red frame-surrounds. Exceptions include early prototypes which seem to have an amber-orange shade. The DVO/TV optics and laser heads are behind a blueish tinged panel (looking from the front, on the right side)

Main Rotor Hubs
OD with a LOT of sun-fade centers and only the inside edges of the big ribs in a darker tone.

Tail Rotor
Dull Aluminum 'Y' centershaft and olive superimposed 'X' blade root twist-attachments

M261 rocket LAU
OD with black front-covers (for training only I believe)

M-230E1
Ammo link feeds are dull aluminum outer and dull light olive inners. A black power or hydraulic cable runs down from the turret travese mount to the front of the H frame. OD support frames. Silver muzzle break. Black or dark OD barrel.

Overall, the technical colour is FS 34086, however as this paint has some IR absorbing capabilities the colour doesn't show up well on photos. I believe that Testors US Army Helicopter Green or Xtracolor X144 FS14086 Dark Green are very close though.



Cheers,
Linz

Linz, thanks a bunch for that very useful posting! It will certainly help a great deal.
Thanks again!