The Apache is an impressive helicopter (when it works, sorry former Cobra pilot said a bad thing). What makes it really impressive is the Hellfire missile system. Also carried by the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and many drones the Hellfire has allowed anti-tank and anti-personnel capabilities unheard of before. The ability to reach out and torch things 10Ks away is always good for the crewmembers and bad for bad guys.

Packaged in a typical Brassin box with foam cushioning. Inside the foam are three small ziplock bags containing the resin parts in light and dark grey resin. There are two clear resin blocks with the missile warheads. I could not find any flaws or blemishes on any of the parts. There are 50 resin parts. The resin covers two eight missile launchers. This is a typical loadout for the Apache. The Kiowa Warrior would have a single launcher with two missiles per side.

There are two frets of photo-etch that covers the fins and guide vans. To complete the package is a sheet of decals.

Each missile consists of four resin pieces and nine photo-etch parts. The missile can have the clear warhead or a warhead cover. The nice thing is that the join for the seeker-head is not just the piece of clear. It is behind it so that the seeker blends seamlessly with the missile body just like the real thing. I’ve never seen a missile with the protective cover installed but I’m sure they have such a thing and Eduard has included this as well.

The decals add a nice detail to the launchers and the missiles. This will save you from masking the missile stripes.

Each saddleback launcher is exquisitely done with the proper application of photo etch and resin. This set allows the modeler to do the stacked eight Hellfire launcher commonly used on the Apache. The mounts and the wiring are all molded perfectly in resin.

This is not the first time that the Hellfire has been made available in 1/48^th scale but this is definitely the best set. This will add to the realism to your Apache. I can’t wait to add them to my kit.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain your copy by contacting them at www.eduard.com or your local hobby shop or online retailer.