THE APACHE PROJECT
Updated 4-20-2004
Part 1 of this project did not go so well. To achieve the scale look I was after and all that I wanted to do, the original Century kit was just not going to cut the mustard. So, PLAN A has been scrapped, the kit was sold off, and I'm starting over from scratch. This time around, I'm going to go whole hawg, and build the entire model from scratch. Breaking this down, I see 4 phases to the project.
Phase I: Updated 3-30-2004
Design and build the original scale plug for the Model.
From this plug, I'll do the phase II mold and fuselage construction. I've been in contact with several manufacturers on methods. Dave Merriman gave me some good advice on methods and Todd Dudek also helped steer me into workable construction methods. I'll utilze a combination of techniques and build this up in 1/6 scale.
Phase II: Update 3-06-2004
Construct the fiberglass kit.
In this phase, I'll make the mold from the original plug, and from that mold, I'll create teh various pieces for the construction of the Apache itself. The construction methods need to be determined at this point, and the molds have to be made in such a way that the fuselage will be as strong and light as possible. If the design works out, it may be possible to make them commercially available, however that's an issue I'll consider later.
Phase III: Update: 4-20-2004
Determine and construct the appropriate mechanics
This phase can run concurrently with Phases I and II. It would be better to have a good idea of the weight requirements and need of scale appearance to logically proceed in this phase. Flight testing of the mechanics in Pod and Boom configuration will be performed in this phase as I develop the correct scale look.
Final assembly.
This is the phase where it will all come together. After the mechanics have been proven out and the fuselage has been pre-assembled as much as possible, they will be mated, finished and test flown.. After a successful test flight and shakedown, the the finishing details will be added and the construction will then be complete. All the final "scale details" such as lighting, cockpit, vents and so forth are part of this phase.
Obviously, this will be an intensive project. I'll need to break down each phase in to component sub-tasks, and attack each one patiently. Some tasks can be run concurrently, however there are determinations that need to be made in each step that will affect the decisions in the later phases. I need to be careful not to try getting too far ahead of myself, and keep the analysis accurate and objective. My desire to build this ship could have cost me a great deal of funds, but I was fortunate enough to get some good and timely advice and reevaluated the decisions before I got too far in.