Mikoyan-Gurevich developed the MiG-17 to follow the successful MiG-15 in the early 1950s. The MiG-17F Fresco C entered production in early 1953 equipped with an afterburning engine. Over 10,000 MiG-17s were built in the Soviet Union, Poland, and China, and the aircraft is currently used by several air forces around the world.
Ammo by Mig Jimenez has released several boxing of its MiG-17F with different markings. Now, it has produced a 1/48 scale MiG-17F Premium Edition plastic model kit with East German and Soviet Union markings. What makes this one “premium?” In addition to photo-etched metal (PE) parts that come in all the versions, this edition also includes 3D-printed parts, Red Fox Studio 3D-printed instrument decals, and Ginger Cat paint masks. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, and you get four marking options with full stencil decals if you choose either of the Soviet versions.
The kit comes in a sturdy box with all sprues wrapped separately. The 3D-printed parts come in their own box with foam inserts to prevent breakage. This is my first time using 3D-printed parts, and I love them. To use the 3D-printed instrument decals, first sand off the detail on the plastic parts. The instrument pieces are fragile but easily come off the backing paper. Attach them to the panel with superglue. They fit perfectly and looked amazing.
The cockpit sidewalls needed to be thinned to make room for the instrument detail parts around the ejection seat. Do this before the parts are glued together and test-fit to ensure the best fit.
I painted the engine before installing it inside and buttoning up the fuselage in Step 6. The instructions note that 15 grams of weight need to be added to the tub in front of the instrument panel. You may have to work to wedge it all in, but don’t skimp.
You have to drill holes in the wings during Step 7 if you if you plan to install the drop tanks and the resin rocket launchers. It’s worthwhile to skip ahead to Step 14 and assemble the drop tanks, clean up the rocket-launcher pylons, and test-fit them before closing up the wings.
After Step 9, I painted the fuselage because masking and handling risk breaking small exterior parts. I used a bit of putty to clean up the seam between the wing and center fuselage.
When you install the resin main wheels, you will need to glue them in place with the kit sitting on a flat surface. Also, the resin wheels in my kit were not fully cured. If you run into this problem, leave them exposed to the sun, and the UV light will complete the curing process.
The final step is the Cartograf decals, which go on beautifully. I chose a Soviet scheme because the decal set provides full stenciling for the aircraft.
The Ammo by Mig Jimenez 1/48 scale Mig-17F Fresco C Premium Edition plastic model kit would be a great kit without the premium detail parts, but the premium boxing is fantastic and a good value in my estimation. A modest parts count, excellent fit, plus all the extras will render a beautiful MiG-17F for your collection.