Here's a look under the lid of HobbyBoss's new 1/48 scale Fresco-D.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Hi Rowan

nice as always .. but why are you keen on another chinese MiG-19 .. what about Trumpeter?

I just got the J-5 and will have a look at it over the week ....

cheers

Steffen

Thanks Steffen

You can imagine how closely I keep up to date with jet releases!

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan

O.k. but my question was meant earnest ... there are two MiG-19 in 1/48 (HiPM and Trumpeter) and both have some better points and some worse. I do not think another Chinese product would be much better than the Trumpeter (honestly I believe it would be the same )

I would like to see a J-10, a Karakorum and maybe some of the Chinese MiG derivates in 1/48 scale.

cheers

Steffen

Hello Rowan,

It looks like a really nice kit, but the front fuselage ring's cross section looks a bit odd to me. Could you please check on this?

Hi Banto

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll check the kit when I get home tonight, but I think you're right. Looking at photos on the web, like these, the cross section does indeed look like it should be circular.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan,

I just checked the Hobby Boss website, and their 3D image looks ok. I can't imagine what went wrong? Or it's just me?

Banto

Hi Banto

The nose profile is hard to judge from photos unless they are head-on and I suspect the 3D view from the HobbyBoss website actually matches the kit. Looking at the parts, the nose definitely flattens from the windscreen to the intake, which doesn't seem to match reference photos. Well spotted!

All the best

Rowan

Did I miss something? who was talking about MiG-19s?

the review is for a MiG17...

Hi Vance

Rowan wished in his original text that HB might release a MiG-19, therefore my comment.

He apparently changed his text

cheers

Steffen

Hi all

True enough - and I'll also modify it further to reflect Banto's observations. That's the beauty of our community in aiming for the best kit guides we can provide.

All the best

Rowan

I totally agree, a Chengdu F-7 Airguard and a Nanchang A-5 Fantan in 1/48th scale would be very welcome. And how about a Mil Mi-8 helicopter too? Trumpeter should start doing more kits in 1/48th scale now; they require less of an investment. And in this terrible economy, who can afford those gigantic 1/32nd scale kits anyway?

Hi Csaba and Rowan

I have just finished my review and I must say that IMO HB screwed the intake BIG TIME.




(on the red surface is the Smer part)





all the best

Steffen

Hi Rowan,

Your review of Hobby Boss' ‘Fresco-D' was very useful to me. I purchased all four of HB's MiG-17s in Hong Kong. I consider this kit to be quite a good modelling base for its price. It is crisp enough with correct overall lines. The nose contour issue on the radar-equipped version (PF/PFU) spotted by Banto is unfortunate, but I do not consider this problem to be so terrible. And it should not deter anyone from buying a copy of HB's MiG-17PF or PFU because of that. Soon someone will come up with a nice revised top nose resin option anyway!

One point which is not always mentioned is the fact that depending on the version of the Izumrud radar installed on the MiG-17PF the tracking antenna radome (ball antenna in the centre of the air intake) was either small (RP-1) or big (RP-5). The NVA Museum in Dresden, Germany, has many photos which show the difference. And the HB kit only has the RP-1 antenna, slightly undersized though.

Now let's hope some decal manufacturers and after-market firms will offer us all what is so dearly needed to improve this kit, including extra parts to model the Polish LIM-series of MiG-17s. The 'Fresco’ sported so many different interesting painting schemes and markings that all the jet fans should be happy with HB's try at bettering all previous existing models of the MiG-17.

Well, keep on modelling and spend less time driving our cars in traffic jams! javascript:PasteSmiley('0:-)')

//JMG