The below article is a summarisation of t the above video. I’m trailing this as I am struggling to make long form content and do these as well. The video is a much nicer way to enjoy this content, so try that if you haven’t already!

The Avia S-1999 is a Frankenstein; a plane that is neither a fully fledged BF-109, but nor is it something else. Retaining the illusion of a capable fighter but being beyond inadequate compared to it’s predecessor – the Avia S-199 was a creation of a series of unfortunate events.

Despite all this, the aircraft was the founding aircraft of the Israeli Air Force due to a spate of embargos. Definitely not as loved as it’s Spanish counter part the S-199 was known by Czechoslovakian pilots as “the mule.”

Serving for a very short period, the S-199 came as a shock to Egyptian forces who didn’t know about the Israeli’s Frankenstein fighter.

The Sprues:

The kit is by KP and is much better than it’s historic counter parts. The sprues are well produced featuring little flash. You do, however,  get multiple parts as this kit makes the Czech S-199, Czech S-99 (the BF-109 replica), and the Israel I S-199. It’s a bit of a minefield as some parts were crossed off the sprue diagram but actually were needed.

The decals are vibrant and lovely and when used held their form very well. I had one breakage but it was nothing serious and was likely my own error above all.

The clear parts are….meh. They had scratches on but weren’t cloudy or too thick. Extremely average.

Making the Kit:

The kit went together remarkably quick. Starting with putting the 3 wing segments together and assembling the cockpit ‘tub’. It quickly forms into a lovely BF-109 wannabe. The model fit together well and without much force. Little filling was required either, which was nice.

Painting and Decals:

I made a custom green with olive green and a slightly more yellow-green and used Ochre (all Revell aqua colours) for the desert colours. The prop spinner is Revell’s Ferrari Red and the bottom surfaces are a mixture of Revell’s Blue and Sky to get a gorgeous Mediterranean blue.

Buy or Fly?

It’s an unusual model and for that reason it is a Buy. But if you’re just looking for a nice project I’d suggest you Fly over to another kit that might be more of your passion. I made this more so due to War Thunder than my own interest…and whilst I enjoyed it I feel it is a really specific subject that is probably not going to be the top of the stash for most people.

But maybe you’re super into early Israeli or late German WW2 aircraft…in which case it’s the perfect starting point. Literally.