I am not a big user of Hi-Decals, and while I've bought several of their sheets, rarely have they ended up on a model. But this time, I was looking for something to use on a MiG-17F build and ran across this one on the 'net. In truth, I wanted one for bare metal planes, but one of the markings on the sheet struck me and some research showed that these markings were also carried on the unpainted planes prior to camouflage so I ordered the sheet from a dealer in Hong Kong.

The sheet contains markings for six planes, all in various camouflage schemes.

The first two are Polish Air Force planes. One is a standard LIM-5 from the 61st Training Regiment in 1985. This is in the greens used by these planes in the ground attack role. The other is a LIM-5 in special 'last flight' markings from 1993. This plane is overall aluminum with the tail in three blues.

Next are two Egyptian AF planes both in a variation of the Nile camouflage scheme. One is from the October 1973 war and the other from 1985. These planes carried bomb racks of the fuselage that are unique to Egyptian MiG-17s.

The fifth option is an ex-Syrian AF plane flown by a defector to Israel in 1968. This has its standard camo embellished by a lot of red areas.

Finally, a MiG-17F from the Angolan AF in 1980 in the stone/forest green over light blue scheme worn when the planes were camouflaged.

The instructions are all in grey scale with Humbrol, ModelMaster and FS 495 color information. Also included are drawings of any additions that one might have to make to more accurately portray the planes in question. The decals themselves are nicely done and include stencils for which a guide is provided. Recommended kits in this scale are by Hobby Boss and Smer, though Hobbycraft also did a MiG-17.

July 2016

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