KIT #:	8510
PRICE:	$50.00
DECALS:	Five options
REVIEWER:	Scott Van Aken
NOTES:	2023 release

HISTORY

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the USSR from 1952 and operated by numerous air forces in many variants. It is an advanced development of the very similar looking MiG-15 of the Korean War. The MiG-17 was license-built in China as the Shenyang J-5and Poland as the PZL-Mielec Lim-6.

MiG-17s first saw combat in 1958 in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis and later proved to be an effective threat against more modern supersonic fighters of the United States in the Vietnam War. It was also briefly known as the Type 38 by U.S. Air Force designation prior to the development of NATO codes.

When the Iron Curtain fell the MiG-17 was still in use by Warsaw Pact countries and by the Chinese. As such, the type became available to whomever could afford on. This resulted in a rather large number of Chinese and Polish-built types being registered on the war bird market. Their simplicity and ease of maintenance has made them quite popular.

The MiG-17 has been fairly well served for the 1/48 modeler. Nothing super detailed, but kits from SMER, Hobbycraft and HobbyBoss that provided nice shelf models. This release by Ammo increases the detail level, though at a considerable price.

This is a base kit with just a photo etch fret aside from the usual plastic bits. This fret is for the six wing fences, two harness straps for the back of the seat, and a section under the back of the canopy. The cockpit is quite nicely done and makes into a tub that also includes part of the engine intake. There is nice sidewall detail as it will be quite visible.

The exhaust is built up then it, the rudder, and the cockpit are trapped between the fuselage halves. There is room in the front of the cockpit piece for weight and 15 grams (which is quite a bit) is indicated. Then a lower and upper forward fuselage section along with the intake are attached. Note that there are two upper fuselage pieces if one of your models is a Lim-5. Next, various holes are opened in the lower wing halves of you want drop tanks or the rocket pylons that are only provided in the upgraded kit. Next the lower wing halves are joined to the upper along with the ailerons. The kit provides for the option of lowered flaps, but looking at period photos never shows these as deployed.

Construction then moves to attaching the wings, tailplanes, and elevators along with the windscreen. The kit is flipped over and underside items like the cannon and rad alt antennas are attached. Landing gear and doors are next. The speed brakes can be posed open, but again, this is not seen in period photos. Next to last construction is the canopy and wing fences. There are slots in the upper wing for the p.e. fences. The slots look to be oversize, but we'll just have to wait to see if that is true. The last step is the assembly and installation of the wing tanks if those holes have been opened.

Instructions are well done and provide MiG/Ammo paint references. Half of the instruction booklet covers actual construction with all sorts of notes on aftermarket replacement parts. The other half is history, tips, and advertisements. Separate markings sheets are provided and there are some nice camouflage options. Two are North Vietnamese, two are Chinese, and one is North Korean. The decals are quite nicely done and glossy. Ammo does three other boxings that provide other markings options. The kit also includes three booklets in case you don't know how to sand, use glue, or do pin washes. Basically, they are advertisements for MiG/Ammo products.

To be quite frank, I find this kit to be a disappointment. Considering the excessive selling price, I expected a lot more than just a base kit. I expected a fair amount of resin or 3D printed parts and at least canopy masks, but those are not to be found. For any of that, you need the premium kit at what I assume will be an even higher price. Yes, you do get additional detail and features not found on the $10-$20 SMER and Hobbycraft kits, but I'm not sure that alone is worth the extra price.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17