1:48 48 Mig-17F / PLAAF J-5 wheel bay plugs (for Hobby Boss)

The real subject

The MiG-17 is a Soviet subsonic fighter aircraft from the 1950s, which followed on in development from the older MiG-15. It has a slender fuselage with the air intake in the nose and a markedly swept wing with a kinked leading edge, by which it is most easily told from its predecessor. The F version is among the widespread variants of the type. Machines built under license in China bore the designation J-5 and served with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), so the same shape can be built in two color guises at once.

What the set solves

The set holds blanking plugs for the landing gear bays: inserts that are put into the openings before spraying and close them off, so that neither paint nor weathering gets into them. The laborious lining of the bays with tape or putty is thus done away with and the edge around an opening stays sharp. The plugs are shaped for the parts of the Hobby Boss kit in 1:48 scale.

Building and painting tips

Paint the bays before you close them off; once a plug is fitted you will no longer get inside. Put the insert in before spraying, not after the paint has dried, and seat it so that it holds by its own shape; do not force it in, so that the thin edges of the opening are not spread apart. Apply the paint in several thin coats. Take the plug out as soon as the paint is dry to the touch, and by pulling at right angles outward, not sideways, so that the fresh finish around the edge does not suffer.

Who it is for

For builders of fighter aircraft in 1:48 scale who want to have clean landing gear bays without lengthy masking. The model, the paints and the glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.