Tamiya 60707 - 1:72 Hughes AH-64 Apache

Plastic model kit of the Hughes AH-64 Apache attack helicopter in 1:72 scale

Tamiya 60707 depicts the AH-64 Apache – the primary attack helicopter of the U.S. Army and one of the most effective battlefield support systems in the world. The machine combines advanced avionics and targeting sensors with powerful armament, allowing it to engage armoured targets by day and by night.

The kit is based on Italeri tooling offered under the Tamiya catalogue in the War Bird Collection. It captures the Apache's distinctive silhouette with its tandem crew cockpit and underwing stores, and the decals finish the machine in U.S. Army colours.

What's in the box:

• Plastic sprues with fuselage, rotor and undercarriage parts
• Pylons with underwing stores
• Clear cockpit glazing parts
• Waterslide decal sheet for U.S. Army markings
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:72
• Item number: 60707
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Assembled length: approx. 203 mm
• Skill level: beginner/intermediate

Note: glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. The model is intended for self-assembly.

Building the model:

Assembly is approachable, though this older tooling needs dry-fitting of the fuselage halves, the cockpit glazing and the rotor parts. Paint the tandem cockpit interior before closing the fuselage and fit the glazing last, after painting.

U.S. Army Apaches usually wore a uniform dark camouflage (helo drab / olive). Lay the decals over a gloss coat to prevent silvering, then finish with a matt varnish. The instructions provide paint references.

Tools you'll need:

• Modelling nippers for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sandpaper for cleaning up sprue-gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Brushes of various sizes and modelling paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Panel-line wash to emphasise detail and recesses
• Gloss varnish for the decals and a satin coat to finish
• Optional: self-adhesive canopy masks

About the aircraft – Hughes AH-64 Apache:

The AH-64 Apache resulted from a U.S. advanced attack helicopter programme launched in the 1970s. The prototype first flew in 1975, and the machine entered U.S. Army service in 1986; since then it has remained the core of its rotary-wing strike force and also serves with many allied armies.

The Apache was designed for battlefield survivability: key components are armoured and the crew sits in tandem. The combination of targeting sensors, a chain gun, unguided rockets and Hellfire anti-tank missiles makes it an effective anti-armour platform.

Original aircraft specifications (AH-64A Apache):

• Fuselage length: approx. 15.0 m (approx. 17.7 m with rotors)
• Main rotor diameter: 14.63 m
• Height: approx. 4.3 m
• Max take-off weight: approx. 9,500 kg
• Powerplant: 2 General Electric T700 turboshafts, approx. 1,690 hp each
• Max speed: approx. 293 km/h
• Armament: M230 30 mm chain gun, Hydra 70 unguided rockets, AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank guided missiles
• Crew: 2
• First flight: 1975, in service: from 1986

About the manufacturer – Tamiya:

Tamiya Corporation is a Japanese model company founded in 1946 in Shizuoka, regarded as the heart of Japan's model-making industry. It launched its first injection-moulded plastic kit in 1960 and over time became one of the most recognisable brands in the hobby, known for precise tooling and a broad range of accessories: paints, glues, tools and brushes. During the 1990s, alongside its own-tooled models, Tamiya offered a range of 1:72 aircraft and helicopters in its War Bird Collection based on Italeri tooling – this kit belongs to that group. Today the company operates in dozens of countries and remains a benchmark for the whole of scale modelling.