DONE +++ US Navy AH-64N Stage 2+ Sea Apache a.k.a. 'Gray Thunder' (@ p.4)

[Dizzyfugu]

Wonder that noboby added this one to the GB? The Sea Apache offers a wide range of options, since there were at least three evolution stages that more and more set the helicopter apart from its land-based origin:



Mine will be based on the new Academy AH-64D kit, which offers the benefit of separate "chin sponsons" and very good detail, and probably end up somewhere between stage 2 and 3 - not an "exact" model, rather a personal interpretation of the theme. But elements like the radome, retractable landing gear, foldable tail, maybe bigger stub wings and appropriate ordnance will certainly be there. Livery will be USN low-viz.

Stay tuned. 

[zenrat]

Can I quibble the name Sea Apache?
According to wikipedia the Apache homelands consisted "of high mountains, sheltered and watered valleys, deep canyons, deserts, and the southern Great Plains".
Wouldn't a coastal native american tribe be better suited to provide the name?

[loupgarou]

Can I quibble the name Sea Apache?
According to wikipedia the Apache homelands consisted "of high mountains, sheltered and watered valleys, deep canyons, deserts, and the southern Great Plains".
Wouldn't a coastal native american tribe be better suited to provide the name?

Seminole?

[Army of One]

I prefer the middle one.......can't wait for this...........

[Gondor]

Wonder that nobody added this one to the GB?

I have thought about it and even bought models to use, however my mojo is not exactly at its highest at the moment which coupled with actually working for a large chunk of the day means that I have little time to stick bits of plastic together. I look forward to how you tackle the subject.

Gondor

[Dizzyfugu]

I prefer the middle one.......can't wait for this...........

Me too  . Should be fairly easy to do, esp. with the AH-64D kit. At the moment I am raiding the spares boxes. among others I found a very good resin radar nose for a Ju 88 with a FuG 240 radar as donation part, and I consider bigger/deeper wings from a (fictional) "Hokum" from ESCI, because the wing tip nacelles for the landing gear and eventual big ASMs could appear a bit dominant under the standard AH-64 stubs?

Anyway, it might take a couple of days before work seriously starts.

[Army of One]

With regard to the nacelles......i can't quite make them out......are the like an AV8B/GR5,7,9 one. If not, would that style work better...? I don't think the ASM would be dominant.......I think it would look great. I agree with choice of radar and srub wing as well.....again, looking forward to this.

[Dizzyfugu]

They are a real "problem". I only found a single illustration of a Stage 3 Sea Apache, and that was published in magazines in the late Eighties:



Looks like square "boxes"; Hard to tell if the wheels protrude from the back of the fairings (open, Harrier style) or if they are fully closed? Looks like open fairings, and I will probably stick with this option.


Also found this model (not certain if it has been published here? I think I remember it):



More about it here: http://fillnsand.blogspot.de/2013/01/italeri-172-apache-ah-64d-longbow-dual.html

[overscan]

There's quite a lot more diagrams on http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,333.15.html from an AIAA conference paper which you might find useful (registration needed to view images).

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot , overscan - I knew the aviastar article, best source so far!   

[DogfighterZen]

This looks very interesting, another one to follow closely!

[Gondor]

With regard to the main wheels protruding from the rear of the wing tip pods. Why not measure the length of the undercarriage leg then transpose the measurement along the pod to find out if the wheel sits outside the pod when retracted or not?

Gondor

[overscan]

[Dizzyfugu]

Excellent, thank you very much! 

[zenrat]

Gray Thunder - I like that.