Kitty Hawk Su-17 Review - Closing Thoughts
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- čas přidán 22. 02. 2017
- After slogging through Kitty Hawk's 1/48 Su-17 Fitter, what did I make of the kit?
Strap in...
Want to watch the full build? Check out the review playlist: • 1/48 Kitty Hawk Su-17 ...
Thank you VERY MUCH for you time and review... i had the SU-22 (same molding) in my shopping cart already.... no way i am buying this now, shame on you, Kitty Hawk !!
I got mine at a massive discount, despite seeing all the issues with it, still excited to work with the kit.
Thank you so much for this video. I was seriously wanting to get one, but now have changed my mind!
What a bummer! Thanks for being a True friend to the modeler.
Thank you for the honest review saving your countless viewers of their hard earned money!
Doog, I am GLAD you do these reviews. You just saved me a load of cash. I 'WAS' going to purchase this model, but not now.
Great job on your review. Watching all the videos for this kit I didn't think you would recommend it and I applaud your honesty as I don't won't to waste my hard earned money on a piece of crap. Thanks
The landing gear shares the same problem the OEZ Su-7 had with shallow mounts but mine have held up since the 90's. I have the Smer Su-22 and the wings do not fit well. I may check out the HB kit, maybe I can graft the wings to the Smer kit.
Thx Doog for the honest, long overdue words on Kitty Hawks customer ignoring engineering and high price politics, which are slap in the face for us! Did the Jaguar GR.1, that was a real nightmare. Got 2 more of their kits (SU-27 & SU-30MK) in my stash. Will kick em out on eBay and NEVER AGAIN buy one of their products again. Not even if they were perfect. KH does not deserve to pile up our money for killing our motivation !
I love the SU 17/22. I love to build one in 1/48. But I have to pick my poison? Puttyhawk or Errorboss? Aids or Cancer? A quit that its well detailed (minus the nose cone) but is like a 1970s in engineering or a kit that is easy to build, but full of errors? Damm, why Tamiya does not do Russian planes, please Lord, del GWH or AMK to come to the rescue.
Cheers buddy, I’ll be steering clear of this one.
Thanks for the time you put in to build review this kit. As a returnee to the hobby I am concerned though as I have their 1/32 Bronco and no micro chisel. Oh well, at least the box is big enough to hold up the rest of my stash...
Glad to see the number of likes to dislikes is more representative of the percentage of haters versus common sense in the closing thoughts :-)
Instablaster
Good review, I'llwait for the Hobby Boss version.
Thanks for this review, a real review where you actually build the thing rather than just look at the sprues and say "I recommend this kit", I guess these guys got a free review kit that they can sell after they reviewed an recommended it. Sadly I bought the model before seeing your review. I wanted an early 80's Su-17 and this seemed nice.
Great analysis! Thank you!
Apparently Kitty Hawk botched almost all of their kits.
Fortunately they are out of business, unfortunately there still isn't any decent kit for the Su-17/22 family in 1:48th yet on the market...
Man... I really don't care for aircraft much to begin with, other than the occasional foray into WWII stuff, but this thing is, as one of my old bosses used to say, "natrocious!"
I've been following this one from the get-go and I totally agree. In 2017, fit should not be an issue. A person should have to struggle through so many things. An occasional bit of tweaking might be okay, but sooo many fit issues ain't gonna work.
Good review.
Brett, I second that!
If I buy a model kit from 20, 30 or 40 years ago I expect to see a few fit/shape issues but in today's world I should not open a brand new kit from a modern manufacturer and from the get-go have to overhaul the parts just to get it to fit right, especially when the damn thing costs a whopping $100 or more!!
Do you know if the hobby boss kit is worth buying then?
So the best way is to skip Su-22 at all. It seems that HobbyBoss is no better. Damn it. If you were to pick one which would you pick? Thanks
Matt, I know you don't like the kit and the price is high. But I built the kits with very little filler and it's a showstopper once done. I do wish more model company's had the engineering the likes of Tamiya but with a little effort and some dry fitting this model turns out amazing. I did scratch build a F.O.D cover for the front intake. Building each fuselage half on a flat surface and then mating them together is key.
Chris Huffman You must be a magician!
@@405chiraq Yamiya quality, yeah, good luck with that wish.
So, what build review will you do next? The 1:32 F-117?
Unknown Gamer unknown what the next one will be. Have several other projects that I want to make progress on. But Round 4 will probably go down this summer sometime. In the meantime, there's likely going to be a bonus round of sorts. Stay tuned.
Doogs' Models
Great review. What blows me away is the fact that they didn't even bother with the intake splitter. I mean, if KP can put one on a kit that is as old as it is, I think it is a slap in the face to the buyer. Do they think we are idiots!! It's a shame that the kit has great detail but I believe that in 2017 you should be able to get what you pay for..
So what your saying is you really liked this kit!
Man, I'm dealing with all these manufacturing issues days and night in Italeri and Academy kits !
I love helicopters and unfortunately had to bear with Italeri more the most models !
If you like helos you need to deal with italeri, Academy and Kittyhawk a lot... Tamiya seems to be alergic to helos, sad.
You should put the link to this video on the Kitty Hawk facebook page !
Stephane Leclair feel free to share!
Im pretty sure the "K" is pronounced as "Sh" in Kina.
I never tried Kitty Hawk kits, but almost all feedbacks I heard are almost the same: just don't bother trying!
The funny thing about this is KH kits are trending at high retail prices, and people seem to be impressed by the price.
Ugh is right; I had to jump straight to this videos mid-way thru #4. Thinking my KH Venom might be more of a pita than I thought....
Wish you tried building their Dauphin! You would have thought this was a Tamiya kit.
Recommend that your audience read the latest review on this kit on the Cyber modeler website. The builder did a quick build just straight OOB and said that the fit was near perfect and overall considered this kit on the Kitty Hawk's best.
Thank you, Doog!! At a price tag of $100 this kit should be fault free.
Come on, I've built $200 Tamiya kits that weren't fault free.......
The classic "no perfect kit" strawman is in play apparently.
Just because no kit is perfect does not mean they are all equally flawed.
Let me amend that comment: Of course NO model kit out there is perfect or fault free like I wrote and there my be a few corrections that have to be fixed but when I pay a close to a $100 or more somebody at the company who made this kit had better have done their homework and if there are issues the corrections should be minor and shouldn't take long to fix.
Case in point: I bought Trumpeter's 1/32 F-105D about 7 years ago for about $110.....shortly thereafter I then had to buy about 8 correction sets to the tune of $20 to $40 a pop to fix shape issues plus a $40 photoetch set to dress up a lackluster cockpit taking a $110 kit to nearly $400!! That irritated be just a bit. A few minor flaws on a high end model is one thing but a whole heap of issues? Yeah, I'll blow a fuse over that!
Just saved me me some $$ not going to waste my time & effort
why not put the model on the table and let the camera face it?
I think the phrase my friend said to me bolds well for them, "Shitty Cock". Rhymes well with the company's name. Sadly, I have one of these kits. So knowing all the problem areas will be helpful with my build. It shouldn't be as painful as the Hobby Craft Dornier Do17E/F I built. But it took a number of years and more than a lot of scratch building to get that crap-tastic piece of plastic together.
Thanks for the in depth review on that kit. Was wondering what the verdict was on it.
To be fair .. it looks like an SU17 ..I have built some very very bad kits.. (unnamed Soviet produced crap) . But to me personally ..If a kit goes together no problem and finished within a day or 2 then to me..whats the point.. I like getting a kit into shape, working with it and being proud of it . after all thats what we do as modelers ..yes we have to clean flash, sprue gates and use filler ..you work with what you have .. Personally .. I have no joy in throwing together a Tamiya kit ..with its perfect fit and what not. I enjoy thinking things out and correcting/working on the model.
The cons are irritating ..yes ..but not insurmountable ... you try working on a kit that A: doesn't look like the subject .. wrong shape/ wrong details or so badly moulded that it is basically scrap ..eg ..1 side of a fuselage is misformed... now that really is a pisser when you open the box.
Thanks for the review. I definitely won't be buying this kit.
just received my 1/48 hobby boss kit! it is a great looking kit. very clean sprues great panels lines and the detail is very very good! Don't waste your money on kitty hawks box of dog shit. hobby boss su-17 is far better
I don't know what it is about Kitty Hawk... Their Heli kits have been good to great overall. However their fixed wing aircraft... EEEEESSHH! Then there is the matter of the instructions of any of their kits in that they are generally poor. Think I'll look seriously at the Hobby Boss version of the Su-17.
Lol...I bet the SMER kit is better than this
I hope so. I have one in my stash.
Doog don't hold back. Tell us what you really think............LOL
Heard the forthcoming SU kits will be pushing $100 so I'll pass!👎🏿
Jman👀
Should be renamed Shitty Hawk
im so glad you made this video.. i wanted to buy a KITTY HAWK kit to try out.. REVELL of Germany's JAGUAR Kit sucks. the absolute worst kit.. beats your video by far.. nevell again will i buy a REVELL GERMANY kit..
thank goodness for you saving me from wasting my money. I'm all for a challenge, but this... nah
if you're a competent modeler, you should have no issue with this kit. I've seen one being put together and I saw NO issues.
Oui... let's not hurl insults. Each modeller has their own opinion. Don't be a dick for no reason
Each modeler have their own set of skills, their own set of standards and expectations. Some are masters of building, but couldn't paint to save their lives. The opposite holds true. Some may deem this model too much of a hassle to build. In my case having a balanced set of skill, the building might no present a problem. In my case is a factor of cost/benefit/quality and for something that retails for $50+ I expected more out of it.
jefferey lew So you are basically saying Doog is an incompetent modeller and that this review is a lie....? How much is KittyHawk propaganda department paying you per month......?
None of your negative points address any exterior outline accuracy issues, except for the hard to see lack of the splitter features hidden inside the nose cone, which the photo you used needed extensive lighting to make it visible, even on the full size item... If you have no major exterior outline errors, then all you are left with is complaining about difficult assembly, sink marks, tab design and such: Not being a Tamiya, or this being 2017, is no reason to heavily mark down a kit that may be from a smaller company. All the difficulties you point out are solvable -you even say so- and are what separates the kit assemblers from real modellers. Kit assemblers are mostly all about the paint job. I'd mark a kit up for being accurate but mean to the kit assemblers: It separates the posers from those who are serious about a subject... A better fitting kit alternative is a much more valid point, but only if its exterior outlines are more accurate.
1 - The splitter (or lack thereof) may be a bitch to photography, but it's VERY easy to see with the naked eye.
2 - I make no claims in any of these reviews to focus on shape accuracy issues. I'm no expert in the Su-17/22, I don't have access to accurate plans to compare shit against, and honestly, I just don't care all that much if the fuselage is the exact length or so on. Some people (like yourself apparently) are highly motivated by them, and that's fine.
3 - This can be said a million damn times and people will still just look right past it. KIT QUALITY IS INDEPENDENT OF BUILDER SKILL OR MOTIVATION. The kit comes in a fucking box. Spare me the modeler vs assembler bullshit. Unless you're literally building a kit out of raw materials, you're an assembler to some degree. If you like tackling kits that don't have their engineering and fit in a good place, just own it. "I derive my pleasure in this hobby from turning shitty kits into something better than they are". Is that so hard?
Well said.
I guess that why some folks are model builders and other are just assemblers. I've seen this unit built by several "professional" builders. I think anyone can find fault with any kit that is produced and I think you had your mind made up prior to the build. I've watched several of your videos and I think overall you might be happier doing something else
Well, you got one thing right. I'd be happier doing just about anything that navigating a poorly-engineered Kitty Hawk shitpile. Everything else, though...swing and a miss.
1 - Modelers vs assemblers is a lazy false dichotomy, period.
2 - No claim has been made that this kit is unbuildable. It's sloppy and beset by engineering choices borne out of laziness, incompetence, or spite. That doesn't mean it can't be built.
3 - And people have built plenty of KoPro Fitters over the years. Your point?
4 - Oh lovely, the "no perfect kit" fallacy. So is your contention that because there is no perfect kit, all kits are therefore equally flawed? Because that's fucking stupid. Somehow many, many other kits manage to get molded and put into boxes and sold and built that don't commit these stupid engineering mistakes. Somehow the old KP Fitter and the upcoming Hobby Boss Su-17 managed to include an intake splitter - something they objectively got right, and Kitty Hawk objectively got wrong.
5 - I've seen several Transformers movies. I've had dealings with several Kitty Hawk kits. Each time a new one of either comes out, I hope it will be good. I loved Transformers as a kid. I love many of the subjects Kitty Hawk selects. But past precedent tempers hype into cautious hope.
6 - Several of my videos? Thanks for watching!
1- In today's age, kits are designed on a computer CAD program first. So this kind of flaws show the shoddy design done, there shouldn't be parts interfering with each other, the mating surfaces on the wings and pylons should match, etc. No kit is perfect but then again stupid things like these should be corrected in the design phase. I do 2d design work, my brother and a friend do 3d modeling and cgi, the later one also teaches at a college. And this kind of sloppy design work is amateurish and if one had to grade it would get really low notes.
2- One is paying $50+ for a brand new kit produced with 'supposedly' today's design and molding technology besides the surface detail and some bell & whistles it's so bad buying a Smer/KP kit for less than half the price shipped and the rest in aftermarket would net you the same time spent building or correcting any shortcomings and come up something on a similar level.
3- One curious thing. Do you want to guess who could be the culprit? Many years back during Trumpyboss infancy, their scale airplanes had a similar problem with shoddy design and riddled with stupid or sometimes headbanging mistakes. The lead designer back then was a certain Mr. Song, who then moved to be KH's lead design when the company started. See where this is going? Yup suddenly Trumpyboss plane kits got better, not completely free of flaws and still got some stupid mistakes sometimes but not to the level back when Mr. Song worked for them. Now KH is the one carrying the torch.
Buy the way, I did make Copro kit.
Only boks art is nice. Everything else...pffff. Never the less,thanks for saving me a money.
A friend of mine built the kit you mentioned. Won second place in a regional IPMS competition.
jefferey lew any kit can be built to incredible results. Some of the most impressive builds I've seen have been scratchbuilt with no base kit in sight.
That has DICK ALL to do with whether the kit itself is good.
For everyone who follows this recommendation all I can say is that you need to build this kit for yourself. Don't not buy a kit because someone tells you not to, that's just weak on your part.. be your own judge of things for crying out loud. I personally am finding this kit a joy to build.., yes there are faults on this kit as stated but most are simple easy fixes. It's a great kit, not to mention all the weapons supplied in this aircraft..
SHUT UP COMPRESSOR.....LOL
This why they went out of business.
Kitty Hawk IS Trumpeter. Same plastic, same instructions, same crappy engineering.
Nope
You spouse ti say...buy it,but not for that money. Buy it for 20 if you can so you can eat that engineering shity sprues gates not fealing that you over pay 21st century hig tech molding.
I don't know whether Great Wall Hobby is like Kitty Hawk which is an overpriced piece of crap model kit.
GWH's kits (at least the TBD Devastator, MiG-29 family and F-15C I have experience with) are very good kits. They aren't perfect, but engineering and fit are among the best in the industry.
Doogs' Models Thank You. There are not many KP Models & Eduard model kits here in Singapore. I was trying find 1/48 scale SU-25K Frogfoot including the Monogram aka Revell which there are not available here in Singapore. I could not find any of them here in Singapore. There were sold out at Hobby Link Japan & 1999 Japan. Maybe I go to the Czech Republic for vacation to find a 1/48 scale SU-25K Frogfoot kit.