My Roban 700 Apache "Longbow" build

[RCjetdude]

[RCjetdude]

Yes! 😃 Most likely hard mask a good part of it with some freehand airbrushing.

[Alpha]

That looks good to me! Are you going to hard mask, soft mask, or freehand?

[RCjetdude]

Colors for the camo scheme.



US Medium Green FS 34102, Rust-Oleum Warm Caramel and Flat Black.

[RCjetdude]

The next mod. Ammo cover. Still a little smoothing to do but it's basically done.

[Alpha]

In your deeper brown photo, the brown appears more saturated, at least on my SRGB calibrated computer screen, than the real JSDF colors appear as I recall from personal observation. Regardless, I prefer the lighter sand, if only because it will provide a better base for weathering, fading, and differential panels. Your sand image appears a bit too yellow. Something between the two may be best for a model in your scale.

Then again, images on computer screens are so often misleading, so I say go with your instinct and personal preference. In any event, your Roban Apache is shaping up to be the best I've seen on the internet.

[RCjetdude]

According to the color chart I found the brown is supposed to be Sand Yellow which appears lighter than what I am seeing in some real life images. Taking into account variations in image quality, which one looks better?

Sand Yellow?



or more of a Military Brown?

[RCjetdude]

Agreed, it's small things like this that really bring together the entire model!

I have a couple Ender 3 printers as well, like you, Steve. I'm printing up a part for my M1 as I type this. These printers are so handy and almost completely hassle free once they're dialed in.

What other scale tidbits do you have planned for your Apache?

I have ordered a bunch of detail parts specifically for the Roban Apache from Fine Scale Modella. My next order of business will be installing the stab hinge from Dustin Holloman and articulating it. In addition, Michael Brown who also has one of these is working on the upturned exhausts as found on many late 'D' models and the current 'E's. Once all the detail parts are added which include a tail strobe and retractable flood light I will then need to decide what livery I am going with. I am not even ruling out a fantasy scheme. The trouble I am running into is that every Apache I see is different. They are like fingerprints. No two are alike so I can't decide. I tell ya' though, one can really go crazy with one of these things. I keep wondering when I will be done. I really like the looks of this one but it could be even harder to see below the treeline than it already is so still thinking.

[Alpha]

Agreed, it's small things like this that really bring together the entire model!

I have a couple Ender 3 printers as well, like you, Steve. I'm printing up a part for my M1 as I type this. These printers are so handy and almost completely hassle free once they're dialed in.

What other scale tidbits do you have planned for your Apache?

[F106DeltaDart]

Very nice! Looks much better with the open ducts!

[RCjetdude]

Before...



After...

[RCjetdude]

Opening up the passageways above and behind the pilots head. Just using poster board to make templates first.

[RCjetdude]

To be clear, the Radome in the pictures was designed by Dustin Holloman. I just printed it.

[RCjetdude]

I have an Ender 3 Pro and really like it. The head speed I am running is alittle high at around 1350'ish but I want to start bringing it down some. I heard from one person who also has the Roban Apache who said he ran 950 on a clam day (winds 3 mph or less) and around 1150 if winds were 5 mph. I have a 515kV motor in mine.

[Alpha]

Winning as always, Steve! Honest to goodness Winning.

What printer are you using? That says a lot for the dimensional accuracy achievable with 3DP, in tandem with your design and intuition.

What range of rpm is your setup running?

[RCjetdude]

Hey Alpha, I have not articulated the MG or TADS at this time. Right now I am working on opening up the passageways above and behind the pilot in front of the swash plate. I also have a custom beefy aluminum hinge coming from Dustin Holloman of Raven Rock Machining to allow the horizontal stab to pivot. The fixed Radome mod is pretty slick and follows the basic design used by a gentleman named Darrell Sprayberry who built a beautiful OH-58 Kiowa with a functional pod on top of it. Mine uses a 12mm OD case hardened hollow main shaft with a 6mm brass rod inside it. The rod is fixed to the frame with a 3D printed bracket I designed. The base of the Radome has two 12mm ID x 18mm OD x 4mm thick bearings that ride on the main shaft. The head us bored through so the shaft sticks up above it about 25mm. A new main gear hub had to be machined to provide more material to secure threaded grub screws that had their ends turned down to act as pins that engage holes in the main shaft. Essentially taking the place of any Jesus bolts. A steel collar with threaded pins replaced the snap ring on the bottom of the main shaft. For the head, it uses hex head screws to clamp it to the main shaft but the thickness of the material where the Jesus bolt is located is not sufficient to hold threaded pins. The fix was to get a 3/4" ID split collar from a local Ace Hardware store and let the threaded pins secure into it. Then it was simply clamped on the head so that the pins passed through the Jesus bolt holes into the mainshaft. Attached are some pictures. Screws in the upper part of the Radome secure it to flats on the brass rod. The top of the Radome has pins that engage the base of it with the bearings. Doing this keeps everything running true.

[Alpha]

Thanks as always for your feedback! I'll discuss these items with Roban. I need to check but my old Apache didn't have 1.5lbs of BBs as I recall. Either way, it makes the case to beef up the mains an easier case to make, since the model does need some weight further forward.

Is your underslung MG functional yet? 2:1 mix with the rudder is nice for traverse. 'Haven't touched elevation/depression just yet, although in all honesty I likely never will. I'm much more interested in your radome mod!

[RCjetdude]

Simple but effective, I like it! I'll ask Roban to implement this tweak during the next production run. I'll be at the factory again tomorrow.

The bolts used to secure the top of the strut and shock are M3 and should really be M4's IMHO. It would require changing the blind nuts in the fuselage and possibly some different brass sleeves but would make for a stronger solution. I don't know how they achieved the flying weight they are publishing. Mine is 22.5 lbs. and that is with 2- 8" pilot figures, 6000mA batteries and a 1.5 lb. bag of steel BB's in the nose to get it to reasonably CG. I didn't do anything crazy to the back of it to add weight. Not complaining, just raising it up the flag pole. One of the biggest helps would be to have parts available at MRC. I just ordered some parts for it from the German distributor out of necessity. The Robans are good quality Helis overall and the Apache sure gets a lot of attention.

[Alpha]

Simple but effective, I like it! I'll ask Roban to implement this tweak during the next production run. I'll be at the factory again tomorrow.

[JFandL]

a lot better, the UH-60 front struts do this as well. Maybe if I can find time I'll fix them.