Zvezda’s MiG-17 is a re-box of Dragon’s 1994 kit and the parts feature recessed panel lines and decent detail. Minor flash and sink marks on the fuselage halves belie the tooling’s age. The decals offers four options: one each Soviet, Vietnamese, East German, and Cuban.
The cockpit consists of a tub, three-piece seat, stick, and instrument panel. Decals provided don’t match molded details on the side consoles or panel.
The fuselage halves fit OK but needed adjustment to align detail across the seam. I left the intake off until final assembly so weight could be added later. The fit of the wings and fuselage was a bit sloppy and I had difficulty getting the angles correct and symmetrical. The underside required filling and sanding, as did the vertical stabilizer.
The main gear doors have locating pins, but I had to drill holes to fit them.
I finished my MiG in overall Alclad II duraluminum. The decals laid down nicely, but the recognition bands for the fuselage were the same length, one a little short, the other a little long. Placement of some stencils was vague because the drawings showed panel details that don’t exist on the model.
Overall the kit has a sort of “short-run” feel; there’s nothing really bad, it’s just OK. It’s a simple build, only 49 pieces, so anyone with a couple of kits under their belt should be able to get a nice result.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the February 2020 issue.