Avia S-199 'Erla Canopy' ProfiPACK

Inside the box you will find one clear and three dark grey-coloured sprues plus a fret of photo-etched and a set of self-adhesive paint masks. The breakdown of parts has the cockpit floor with the rear bulkhead and seat pan separate plus etched belts and instrument panel. Separate detail for the sidewalls comprise plastic and etched parts, although in this case most of the latter are given as alternative to the moulded detail. The wings have the long bulges above the wings moulded in situ with the wheel well liners separate. The elevators, rudder, ailerons and flaps are all separate, the flaps being moulded with tabs to have them drooping and the rudder having the trim tab linkage as an etched component. The wing tip lights are separate clear components, while the bulges either side of the nose are separate and offered in two styles. The radiators have etched mesh screens inside plus the exhaust flaps can be positioned opened or closed. The main undercarriage has the tyres moulded separate from the hubs and the oleo struts have brake lines in pre-painted etched. Each oleo strut has a substantial locating tab on the end to ensure the correct angle for these, as well as giving a sturdy joint. Detail parts include a drop tank, centreline rack, radio mast and pitot tube. The canopy comes with either open or closed options via separate parts and self-adhesive paint masks are included for all the canopy panels as well as the main wheel hubs.

Markings
The kit offers six decal options: 
• S-199, D-106, flown by Modi Alon, No.101 Squadron (Tayeset), Cheyl ha-avir, Aqir, Israel, June 1948
• S-199.302, flown by rtm. Josef Filus, Squadron 1, Fighter Air Regiment 7, Brno-Černovice, Czechoslovakia, August 1949
• S-199, JV-9 of the Fighter Training Center, Planá u Českých Budějovic, Czechoslovakia, May 1948
• S-199, D-108, No.101 Squadron (Tayeset), Cheyl ha-avir, Qastina, Israel, September 1948
• S-199, A-798, flown by ak. Ladislav Strnad, Air Military Academy, Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia, June 1950
• S-199, 1907, No.101 Squadron (Tayeset), Cheyl ha-avir, Israel, 1948
The decal sheets look lovely and includes separate sheet with a full set of airframe stencils and walkways. The main sheet contains ten Israeli and six small Czech roundels and there are decals for the instrument panels should you not wish to use the etched.

Conclusion
This is another excellent addition to the S/CS-199 family and it is highly recommended to all those interested in post-war aviation in Czechoslovakia or Israel as well as anyone with an interest in the whole Bf 109 story.

Our thanks to Eduard (www.eduard.com) for the review sample, UK modellers can obtain this kit from Hannants here.