Military Model Scene

Title: Pucara IA-58
Author: Vinicius Renato Hundertmarck Pompeo
Publisher: Ammo of Mig Jiminez
ISBN: 978-84-17846-46-6

A Visual Modellers Guide, and the second of their Wings Series, a landscape format, soft-cover book with 62-pages, and printed on a good quality glossy paper. For any book, the quality of the paper is such an important part of a publication, in my view vital on the impression it creates for the customer, whatever the content. This one has clearly been prompted by the release of a fine new 1/48 kit of the Pucara from Kinetic models. The Pucara may seen an unusual choice of subject to some, but for any of us who remember the Falklands War of 1982, then the Pucara will be a particular memory. A tandem seat patrol/ground attack aircraft, with a distinctive T-tail and twin turboprop engines. A number were deployed to the Falklands by the Argentine forces, and were able to operate from rough strips, even after the main runway at Port Stanley had been damaged to deny its' use by Argentine jets.
The book opens with a few pages of text to provide the development and history of the Pucara, including of course when it came to be known by a wider audience thanks to the Falklands War. The surviving airframes were eventually retired, though some have since been re-activated and given new engines for the latest Felix variant which is back in service. Then the first batch of the super, high quality photos of the airframe, showing general and detail views, and including a super wild boar's head on the nose of a Uruguayan example. Then we get into the first of the detail sections, focussing on the mg/cannon armament arrangements. centre fuselage section, wings including weapons pylons and engines. Next the distinctive tail assembly and then the cockpit, which includes details of the canopy, the ejection seats and all the various instrument panels and consoles before more very detailed views of all elements of the nose and main undercarriage. The final section has pictures of a variety of camouflage schemes the Pucara has worn over the years, and finishing with some lovely artwork of a Pucara in the green/brown pattern seen in the Falklands before closing with some detail of the author and his interest in the aircraft.
After the war, a few operational examples of the Pucara were shipped back to the UK for evaluation, and one was seen on the airshow circuit, in RAF markings, for a couple of years after the war was over. The detail in the book is perfect for modellers, especially if you have the new Kinetic kit, and I know that Ammo have also recently released a set of appropriate paints for the Falklands era pattern. Recommended for modellers and aircraft historians/fans alike, lovely quality publication.
Thanks to Ammo of Mig Jiminez for our review copy.

Robin