THanks Frank and Devil Dawg,
Devil Dog, it took about six weeks to complete, but if you totalled the time spent on this kit, it was probably 2 -3 solid nights of modelling. I like Hobbycraft...but I also know what to expect. So far I have built their P-26 (nice kit), P-35 (Excellent kit), T-33 (Very nice kit) and Hurricane (So-So kit) along with this Mig-17 (Good kit). All of them hand anwhere from good to excellent kit, poor interior detail, and probably a inacuracy or two in the shape...but nothing enough to deter me.
This Mig was like you A-4M in that the panel lines are very deep on the fuselage (but not the wings!) At the end of the day this was a "Keep it under $5" build and I wanted a Mig-17 next to the Mig 15 on the shelf. As with all of the HC kits, this was a fun build...probably becuase I had no pressure from self expectations.
The Scotch Tape method, which has been around for ages but I picked up from Carsanab, is when you place a little Scotch "Magic" tape on the panels of the canopy, burnish (I use a toothpick) and cut off the excess with a SHARP hobby blade to create your own masks. Sure I goofed in a few spots but it was a good experience and on smaller canopies, I will try it again.