Airfix PZL LIM-5 A03092 1:72 Airfix

[Julien]

PZL LIM-5 A03092

1:72 Airfix

 

 

Although outwardly similar to the MiG-15, the MiG-17 was in fact a heavily revised design that drew upon the lessons learned in the development of the USSR's first swept-wing fighter. While the forward fuselage, landing gear and engine were carried across from the MiG-15, the rear fuselage was longer and more tapered. The wing was entirely new as well, being both thinner and more sharply swept. This both raised the maximum speed of the aircraft and aided controllability at transonic speeds. Although it shared its armament with its predecessor, it also gained a radar gun sight, cribbed from a captured F-86. The MiG-17F was fitted with an afterburner, which significantly boosted the rate of climb and meant supersonic speed was just about possible in a shallow dive. The MiG-17 was built in huge numbers, with over 10,000 rolling off Soviet, Chinese and Polish production lines. It was used in combat by several nations, most notably in the Vietnam War where it was credited with 28 aerial victories. The LIM-5 was licence built by the WSK-Mielec factory with 477 being built. These were supplied to Bulgaria, and East Germany, as well as Poland. 

 

The Kit

This is re-boxing of the MiG-17 from Airfix in 2020. The parts are nicely moulded but the panel lines are on the heavy side, which is always more noticeable on a small kit like this. From reading Airfix's workbench blog it's clear that this is a Lidar-scanned model, so the dimensions and general arrangement of shapes should be spot on. There are three sprues plus a clear sprue in the box.

 

 

 

 

Construction starts with the cockpit, and like most kits of the MiG-15 or -17, the cockpit tub is made up of parts that also form the inner part of the intake fairing. Moulded detail is actually very nice. Not on a part with Eduard's MiG-15, but then the two models are not really comparable in terms of engineering and philosophy. Decals are provided to add extra detail to the instrument panel and sidewalls. I'm not sure what happened to the ejection seat, but Airfix appear to have carried this across from the MiG-15 rather than replicating the seat commonly fitted to the MiG-17. Should this trouble you greatly, aftermarket alternatives are available. Once the cockpit sub-assembly is complete, the engine exhaust and afterburner can be assembled. Because the external faces of the jet exhaust also double up as the insides of the air brake assembly, there are alternative parts with and without moulded detail for this area - a really nice touch from Airfix. Once both of these parts are assembled, the fuselage can be joined. A clear part which represents the radio compass cover must also be fitted at this stage. 

 

 

Once the fuselage halves have been joined, the front-lower part of the fuselage, which includes the muzzle detail for the cannons, can be fitted, along with the engine air intake fairing. The wings are next. If you wish to fit the optional drop tanks, you will need to drill the pre-marked holes in the lower wing surface at this stage. The wings are pretty simple to build, with the wing fences moulded in place. The kink in the wing leading edge is present and correct, but you may wish to re-profile the leading edge if the apparent lack of sharpness troubles you. With the wings in place, the tail planes can be assembled. The landing gear is nicely detailed and there are some nice touches such as detail moulded on the inside of the gear doors. As mentioned above, the air brakes can be fitted in open or closed positions, although you'll need to have committed to one option or the other earlier in the build process. The canopy is nicely made and has the periscope moulded in place. There is even an oil drum included to prevent the model from sitting on its tail if you didn't manage to cram in the necessary 20 grams of weight.

 

Decals

Two options are provided on the decal sheet:

 

⦁    Red 905, Jagdbombenfliegergeschwader 37m East German Air Force, Drewitz Air Base 1986
⦁   Red 1717, 45th Experimental Air Sqn, Polish Air Force, Modlin 1993

The decals themselves look thin and glossy and a full set of stencils are included. They are produced by Cartograf so you know there will not be any issues. 

 

Conclusion

This is a nice release of the Original Kit with different decals for the Lim-5. Recommended. 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of 

[sroubos]

Really enjoyed building the original kit. Needs a bit of work around the intake ring but nothing that can't be solved with a bit of card.

[Wulfman]

They didn’t lidar-scan the pilot !

 

Wulfman

[Willie Heckaslike]

Probably build up quite well but I still think that they should have done one in 1/48

[RAGATIGER]

Hi there

 

I just wonder it didn't need that much to do the other upgrade the one with the landing chute!!!

 

Regards

 

Armando

 

[Hook]

On 12/29/2023 at 8:51 PM, RAGATIGER said:

Hi there

 

I just wonder it didn't need that much to do the other upgrade the one with the landing chute!!!

For a Lim-6bis you need to add the brake chute fairing - the two additional inboard hardpoints and their MARS-2 rocket pods are already in the Airfix kit. I plan to add a pair to an old KP MiG-17PF to make a Lim-6M.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre