Aircraft | Model & Die-Cast Italeri Academy 12463(1665) 1/72 Ov-10A Bronco

Academy #12463 Ov-10A Bronco 1/72&Nbsp;The Ov-10 Has Been Called The &Ldquo;Ugly Duckling&Rdquo; Of The Fleet By More Than One Military Commentator, But As The Adage Goes, Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder, And Perhaps The Beauty Of This Aircraft Is Found More In Its Functionality And Versatility. The Instructions In The Kit Provide A Well-Written And Succinct Overview Of The Aircraft And I&Rsquo;Ll Quote It Verbatim:

&Ldquo;The Rockwell International Ov-10A Bronco Was The Winner Of A Competition To Provide U.S. Air Force, The Navy, And The Marine Corps With A Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (Lara). Designed As A Counter-Insurgency (Coin) Plane, The Ov-10A Was First Delivered To The Armed Forces In 1969 And Saw Extensive Duty In Viet Nam. The Bronco Can Take Off From Short Airstrips Or Can Be Fitted With Floats Or Skis For More Varied Uses. It Is Fitted To Carry A Wide Variety Of Weapons But Is More Often Used When Equipped With Doppler Radar Or Tv Reconnaissance Apparatus. The Bronco&Rsquo;S Varied Capabilities Are Even More Apparent When Considered In Terms Of Its Payload, However. A Cargo Compartment Underneath The Middle Of The Wing Can Hold Five Paratroops Or Two Stretchers And A Medic Or More Than 3,000 Pounds Of Freight. In 1969, 15 Ov-10A&Rsquo;S Were Fitted With Laser Rangers, Loran Navigation Systems, And Stabilized Night Sighting Systems For Nighttime Operations.&Rdquo;

A Testament To The Versatility And Sturdiness Of This Aircraft Is Given By The Fact That It Found A Number Of Foreign Operators In Addition To Being Adapted For Civil Use By Nasa, The Us Department Of State, The Bureau Of Land Management, And The California Department Of Forestry And Fire Protection. A Number Of Surviving Ov-10&Rsquo;S Can Be Found In Air Museums, But A Few Are Still In Active Duty With The Armed Forces Of Columbia, Philippines, And Venezuela.