Czech S-99 72 scale

[Nigel Bunker]

I fancy building a Czech S-99. Can I use the Heller Bf 109K-4 as a basis for this or am I completely wrong? I ask this question as a 109 ignoramus.

Thanks for looking and a Happy New Year to you.

[Commontsar]

I'm sure you could with some work. As far as i know it was just a Czech Bf109G? There are actual kits out there, however.

[Graham Boak]

The airframe was that of a G-10, so there'd only be a few panel lines different from a K and perhaps a bulge or two. There were a lot of subtle differences in the G-10 production and I don't know just which would apply to the Czech examples, but I suspect you could live without that detail. However, the Heller K has a prop that goes the wrong way around, and the cowling should have a less pronounced bulge on the starboard side. I agree that you'd be better starting with an AZ kit of the S.99 itself, which would certainly give you the markings.

[Fifer54]

Deleted- Graham beat me to this information!

[Nigel Bunker]

Thank you gentlemen - I shall proceed with the Heller kit as I have one in the stache.

[MDriskill]

The S.99 was actually a Bf 109G-10 built in Czechoslovakia, at WNF's "Diana" production facility, set up in abandoned railway tunnels near Tisnov during the war.

JaPo has a superb book devoted to the wartime Czech-made aircraft, "Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10/U4/Production and Operational Service." The recent Mushroom book "Bf 109 Late Versions Camouflage and Markings" also covers them. Both books illustrate the detail differences between these and other G-10's built by Messerschmitt and Erla--mostly subtle changes to the nose paneling--very well.

FWIW, the current AZ kits (under the KP label) are of the S.199, which was a later version using Jumo engines in lieu of the original DB 605D. AZ has announced upcoming kits of all three versions of the G-10, however, and I'd be surprised if the Diana one did not show up in Czech markings..

Edited January 2, 2015 by MDriskill

[-Neu-]

As the other posters have noted, its actually not a question of the kit, but the scheme. Aside from a 2004 Tally Ho release of the S-99 (long oop), I've never seen anybody release an S-99 decal set, which is a shame.

[Nigel Bunker]

the Heller K has a prop that goes the wrong way around

Seems to go the right way in my kit - perhaps it was only in the early kits as I seem to remember this kit was re-tooled by Heller?

[Graham Boak]

The kit was massively retooled - the first release was a horribly-bodged version of their G tooling whereas the newer one was absolutely superb for the time. However, the prop I'm thinking of was in the retooled one and a fairly late production at that: I'm not aware of it being modified again. However it yours goes the right way round then congratulations. I'm absolutely certain mine didn't - and it was stated elsewhere (which I have to admit was how I noticed).