IUNA FORTOLEZO RE COPADA!

Rick Greenwood thinks Kinetic have captured the castle with their new Pucará

- Rick Greenwood

IA 58 Pucará Kit No: K48078

Scale: 1/48

Type: Injection Moulded

Manufacturer: Kinetic www.kinetic.com

Argentina’s native ground attack and counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft first entered service in 1975 but gained more widespread fame during the 1982 Falklands /Malvinas campaign. The aircraft flew some sorties before attacks by British Harriers at the beginning of May 1982 destroyed three with cluster bombs. Six more were rendered unserviceable by a clandestine SAS raid on Pebble Island later that month. Meaning ‘Fortress’ in the Quechua language, many Pucarás were returned to the UK as war trophies with some still on display in museums including RAF Cosford and IWM Duxford. The type also had limited export success to Columbia, Sri Lanka and Uruguay.

Kinetic have produced the first injection moulded kit of this type in 1/48 scale, with previous efforts being resin, multimedia limited-production kits. Despite being a slightly obscure type, online chatter indicates this was a model many had long waited for.

Encased within a solid box emblazoned with excellent artwork, the sprues are protected in their own plastic bags. All parts feature excellent, finely rendered, engraved surface detail. Fifteen pages of A4-sized instructions guide the modeller through the build, with diagrams and focused views as required. The small PE fret contains details for the airframe and cockpit while metal seat straps are thoughtfully provided too. A small decal sheet makes up the remaining contents of the kit.