This was a fine quality model by Chinese manufacturer Kinetic only let down by extremely poor instructions, lack of comprehensive painting guidance, and no ordnance whatsoever!
Apart from that, the build itself was relatively straightforward. I added a lot of weight inside the nose, as with the tri-cycle undercarriage configuration, it would have been a tail sitter.
Twenty-four Pucaras were deployed by Argentina to the Falkland islands but were destroyed by the British at Goose Green and Pebble Island before the start of major hostilities (1982). Some captured Pucaras were returned to the UK and displayed in museums.
Here is what Kinetic says about the Pucara
… Argentine ground-attack and counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft manufactured by the Fabrica Militar de Aviones. It is a low-wing twin-turboprop all-metal monoplane with retractable landing gear, capable of operating from unprepared strips when operationally required. The type saw action during the Falklands War and the Sri Lankan Civil War.
The Pucara (Quechua:Fortress) was designed for operations from short, rough airstrips. The retractable tricycle landing gear, with a single nosewheel and twin mainwheels retracting into the engine nacelles, is fitted with low pressure tyres to suit operations on rough ground, while the undercarriage legs are tall to give good ground clearance for underslung weapons loads.
The Pucara, the best thing to ever come out of Argentina apart from Diego Maradona!!
