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Old 04-18-2012, 07:37 AM
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Isaac Isaac is offline
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Smile IAF Avia S-199 by Modelarz Kartonowy in 1/33 scale

IAF Avia S-199

Modelarz Kartonowy in 1/33 scale


This is my latest addition to my slowly growing Israeli Air Force in 1/33 scale. Since I just finished the repainted Kfir which I posted a few weeks ago, I needed a follow up. I am still not 100% finished with the A-4N ( I have to build a canopy for it ), but will delay it a bit longer. I looked thru my kits and selected the Avia since it looked well engineered.

As it turned out, this is a great kit by this company. I have not built any of their other kits before. It is perfectly fitting, moderate in its detail and represents the aircraft well and is relatively low cost. I also purchased the laser frames ( made by GPM ).

History


The Avia company in Czechoslovakia at the end of WW2 had lots of Me-109 components as they built the aircraft for the Luftwaffe during the war. After the war they needed their own air force, so they decided to start with the hardware they had on hand. The Me-109 was a natural starting point. Only thing is they ran out of the Daimler Benz DB605 engines. However they had the Jumo 211F engines from the Heinkel He-111 bomber. So they planted the bomber engine and propeller to the Me-109. They built them for their air force as the CS-199 ( two seater ) and the S-199. There were some variants with different canopies that slid aft instead of the swinging to starboard.

The aircraft that emerged behaved really bad. The Me-109 with the proper engine was a handful, but with the high torque Jumo engine it was a beast. The Czech called it the Mezek ( which means a mule ). It had lots of control issues.

Service with the IAF


The early days of Israel during the 1948 war of independence required arms from anywhere they could get it. Some S-199 aircraft were purchased in Czechoslovakia and transported in pieces. The Israelis named this aircraft the “Sakin”, which means a knife. It is a close translation of Messerschmidt ( messer in German means a knife ).
The subject aircraft which is preserved in the IAF museum is painted as the one used by Modi Alon who in 1948 shot down 2 Egyptian Dakotas which were dropping bombs from the side hatch. Obviously not the most glamorous of aerial victories, but it did the job. The Avia S-199 did not remain in service long and were replaced by the ever growing fleet of Spitfires and later Mustangs until the first jets; Gloster Meteor were purchased.


The kit


The kit comes well printed on good stock, well designed, well illustrated and is pleasant to look at. It is rated as a medium in complexity of build.
IAF Avia S-199 by Modelarz Kartonowy in 1/33 scale-dscf5987.jpgIAF Avia S-199 by Modelarz Kartonowy in 1/33 scale-dscf5989.jpg
IAF Avia S-199 by Modelarz Kartonowy in 1/33 scale-dscf5988.jpg

I did note photos on the Polish paper modeler gallery and there was a partial build log of a Czech version somewhere as well.

Build log

For this log I will be brief as it is a straight forward. That will follow up in the next few days.

Cheers


Isaac
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