The old Mule…

Ten years ago, i did a small online monograph about the Avia S-199 Mezek, using the nickname « P.Willowood »… That website was called « The Mule Index ». In fact my cartoon Mezek model was inspired by an earlier drawing I had done for that site…
There was some scale-plans , colour profiles and some small renders of a model done with Strata Studio Pro. Since I’ve seen some S-199 models being done on Military Meshes, I post here the few things that remains of « The Mule Index » website, maybe it could help. I Must thank Ronnie , aka « Skyraider3d », for helping me recover some of the files i had lost. Keep in mind this is old stuff (well 10 years…), At the time there was very little info about that plane anywere. now I think some more comprehensive research have been done on the subject and books have been published… So there sure may be some errors on the scale-plans / profiles.

Here are the colour Profiles :
First the famous D-120…

Funilly, that same profile of mine can be found here on WingPalette :) …

then the D-108, this one had the radiator under the nose, instead of the heat-exchanger , like the D-120. Also it is the only known S-199 example with the long tail wheel leg.

I also did a Camouflaged version of that one because some trace of re-painting could be seen on some pictures. Like on pictures on this page of the 101Squadron.com website. But this was just my interpretation , no confirmations that this plane was in fact camouflaged…

Then some Czech ones, the first S-199 , IF-01 …

The Nmr 372, EV-57. I think my source for that one was an old Fana de l’Aviation magazine issue…

Nmr 486, IV-8, the source for that one was an old KP 1/72 modelkit decoration option, a funny video review of that kit here…

Nmr 238, LS-15, can’t remember the source for that one…

Then two S-99 (Bf 109 G-10s), the OK-BYH, and EV-9

And also a CS-99 two-seater, Nmr 517, A-758.

Together with the scale-plans , there was a text description explaining the main differences between the Avia 109s variants, this is in fact the only text remaining from the site. I post it here below, together with the scale-plans inside :

« The Avia’s 109s, external description.

These planes were based on the late Messerschmitt 109 versions, the Bf 109G-6, G-10, G-14 and K-4. I will not describe those Messerschmitt models here as there is already a lot of documentation on the 109 variants, I will describe the differences between 109 and the S.199 variants and between each Avia’s 109s (S-99, CS-99, S-199 and CS-199) variant.
In fact, we can find eight variants of Avia made Messerschmitts.

First of all the S-99 and CS-99:
• -The S-99 (first designation C-10), I know only one picture showing a S-99, the famous B/W one showing front/port side of OK-BYH. That plane is in fact a BF 109G-10,this can be seen by high the position of the oil filling cap on the nose indicating the bigger oil tank associated with the DB605 D engine mounted only on G-10 and K. for those who have J.C.Mermet’s book about 109G and K variants, I would say that plane is close to the 100-45522-18 description model which would be a BF 109G-10/U4 of the 610 000 series, but this is only guess work because of the poor quality picture. The only sure thing is the high oil filing cap, so DB605 D.
• -The CS-99 (first designation C-110),I have three documents showing CS-99s, one is a very bad B/W picture of a type I would describe as a BF 109G-12 with a DB605 AS or DB605 D and no guns as can be seen by the cowling. Another one is a basic profile by Vincezo Cosetino in French magazine, »Connaissance de l’Histoire, Avions de la 2eme guerre mondiale, profils et Histoire », it shows a kind of G-12 with a early 109G cowling, a late 109G/K tall vertical surface, a FuG 16ZY antenna under the port wing and a under belly fuel tank. It has « CS-99 147″ marked on the tail. The last one is a picture on page 3 of the book « Avia S-199 & CS-199 in detail »(a must have, see bibliography), it shows the CS-99-521, a BF 109G-12 with a DB 605 AS or D, no guns, a tall (wooden?) tail surface and a rudder with two fixed trim tabs.
Then the Jumo 211 engined models:
• -The CS-199 two seaters, early version with the original BF 109G -12 canopy, I know no picture of this one.
• -The CS-199 two seaters, with a Arado 96B(Czech designation C-2) canopy.
• - The S-199 single-seaters among which there where four variants with small differences between them and with no specific designations to differentiate one from another:
1. -The first fifty S-199s with a air scoop under the nose cowling, always a Erla type canopy,and always the two MG 151/20 gondolas under the wings. This variant only seen in Israeli service. I will call it « Model 1″.
2. -The S-199 Without the air scoop under the cowling, a bulge replacing it, the Erla canopy, the under wings cannons but not always. Seen in Israeli and Czech service. I will call it « Model 2″.
3. -Same as Model 2 but with a blowned canopy sliding backward to open, also with the under wings cannons. Only seen in Czech service. I call it « Model 3″.
4. -Same as Model 3 but with one MG 17 7:92mm Machine guns inside each wing, very few made. Only in Czech service. I call it « Model 4″.

Now lets see those Jumo 211 engined models more in details:
starting from the nose there is that big spinner and prop the type of witch came from the He 111 H ( Czech designation LB-77).The prop is a Jumo VS-11 (Czech designation VH-211) with wooden blades covered by a plastic layer and a brass forging leading edge.
After the prop comes that nose with rounded edges, note that the oil filling cap is on the lower position like on the DB605 A engined 109G, also the front pair of small cowling scoops are missing , only the ones on the front of the opening sides cowlings are remaining. On those same last parts, two long bulges are present in addition to the standard big bulges seen on the 109G-5/6/8/14 cowlings (I would say this is a variant of the type 050 Bf109G cowling). On some examples are also present two small bulges above those long ones, these where covering MG131 recoil shock absorbers designed for FW190s (which takes more place due to the FW190 larger cowling) the Avia peoples had to use because of the lack of Bf109G MG131 recoil shock absorbers later in the production, that why its seen on the plane from « Model 2″ ( although some didn’t have it…) and later.(Thanks Jean-Michel for the info !)
Now, I have a problem with the exact length of that plane. In the « Avia S-199 & CS-199 in detail » book, the length is said to be 8940mm, also in all the other sources except one, the « Fana de l’Aviation » article (see bibliography) which says 9100mm.This 8940mm length would make the plane shorter than the BF 109G which is 9040mm. But on the pictures I can see that the Jumo 211 engine was fitted in a modified BF 109G cowling and equipped with a spinner that looks longer than the Gustav one. Was the cowling shortened ? On the pictures, I can’t see where the S-199 cowling was shortened. If I take a standard Gustav cowling and put the S-199 spinner in front of it, it makes it longer than a Gustav. The KP S-199 1/72 kit has a fuselage length similar to a BF 109G and a longer spinner, the same thing for the Hobbycraft 1/48 kit, although the notice says the real length is 8940mm…On my scale plans I chosen to show cowling of the same length that the Gustav one, with the longer spinner, that makes a real overall length of something like 9042mm. Until I go to Prague and measure the real thing, I’m not sure of this…
At that level we found under the nose of the S-199 « Model 1″, a big air scoop (oil cooler) with lips separated from the bottom of the cowling (boundary layer ?) and maybe a cooling flap at the rear (no photo confirmation of that). Under the nose of the CS-199, S-199 « Model 2″, » 3″ and » 4″, no more air scoop, but a long flat bulge (another one!) deported a bit to the right covering the cylinder air supply tube, and a small cooling installation pipe elbow with outlet valve that goes out of the rear bottom cowling and immediately inside the front part of the belly, between the landing gear legs, to connect to the heat exchanger in the center fuselage.This under nose cowling also has a rounded hatch in the middle.
The cowling guns openings are covered by a plate on the CS-199.

On all models the under nose cowling as the two bulges on each sides a little different from those of the G-10/K-4 under nose cowling.
The positions of the compressor air intake and the inertial starter handle hole are inverted, the air intake goes to the right and the starter handle hole to the left. The same thing apply to the small rounded hatch that goes on the left side, a bit lower on the cowling. Also the small air openings near this hatch, present on 109G cowlings are missing.
The six exhausts pipes on each side are a bit shorter on the Jumo 211 than on the DB605. Also those parts are no more covered by a plate, the only thing is a small « flattened » part of the cowling covering the exhausts.
In front and upper the smalls air cooling intakes mentioned earlier, there is a small thing coming out of the cowling (what is this?).
Again on the same the part of the cowling, the rear « Zu » fasteners are moved a bit forward, on the left side before the rounded hatch and at the same level on the right side.
On the belly there are two pair of air openings, the first ones facing forward, at the level of the big upper cowling bulges, and the seconds facings backward at the level of the windscreen. Also on the belly, the two small fairings covering the wing attachment bolts are a bit different from those found on the BF 109s.
On the left side of the windscreen there is a small air intake for cockpit ventilation, and on the right side is a hole for the flare launching pistol.
On some »models 3″ and « 4″ There are no hand and foot holds on the right side of the fuselage near the rear of the canopy and the wing trailing edge, those are only on the left side.Maybe those where new made « Model 3″ and « 4″, and the ones retaining those hand and foot holds where « Model 1″ and « 2″ converted to « 3″ and « 4″ standard ?
Note also that the Prague -Kbely Museum single seater has a modified windscreen with: no more rounded thing (Dessicant system between the external layer and the internal armored glass, thanks Doc 109 for the info) inserted in the 90mm armoured glass and a ethyl alcohol de-icing pipe extended to the sides of the windscreen. This modified windscreen is not seen on all Models.
On the left side fuselage there is: the round hatch on fuselage section 3, the fuel tank filling cap on section 4, the main inspection hatch on section 6 with a small hatch opening the first aid kit inserted on it.
On the right side, after the big cowling bulge is a plug similar to the 24 volt parking plug also present on section 3, also on section 3 the round hatch of the oxygen equipment, on section 4 a hatch that was used for filling the GM-1 or the MW-50 equipment’s tank on the 109G,used as a 120-litre auxiliary fuel tank on the S-199. And on section 6 the starting fuel filling hatch and the round hatch of the compressed air supply socket.
The FuG 25a IFF device antenna is present only under the fuselage of the single seaters.
Some single seaters where also modified to carry two camera for photo reconnaissance, « their attachment frame was located between bulkhead Nos.7 and 8 and beneath the fuselage where two sliding panels enabling the camera to operate »,dixit « Avia S-199 & CS-199 in detail », just as BF 109G-8. For the S-199.185, IF-01 seen in profile pictures in the above mentioned book it was clearly the case.
One all models the vertical surface are the more often of the D2 type, metal made with extended tip and a fabric covered rudder with a rounded lower edge a geared rudder tab and one fixed trim tab. But some time it was a D5 type wooden tail plane, with pointed lower edge rudder and two fixed trim tabs.
The tail wheel is always the short 350 x 150 fixed R2 type with one exception: the Israeli D 108 equipped with a long leg R3 tail wheel.
The « Models 1″ and « 2″ had the Erla canopy with the head protecting armoured glass plate. This is the V5 type Erla canopy with antenna mast mounted on the rear part of it and therefore moving with it when opened. On those models the DF loop is on fuselage section 3.Those antennas belonging to the FuG 16ZY (Czech designation LR-16ZY) air to air and air to ground communication radio.
The « Models 3″ and « 4″ had a new designed blowned canopy sliding on rails on each sides and a metal armour plate. To permit this sliding the antenna mast and DF loop where moved to fuselage sections 4 and 5 respectively.
The early CS-199 had a standard BF 109G-12 canopy.
The next CS-199s had a Arado 96 two seater canopy, the upper edge of the windscreen being heightened to adapt to this canopy, the antenna mast moving to section 4, the fuel tank cap to section 5 and the DF loop and under fuselage antenna disappearing.
The belly can receive a ETC 503A 300 l. fuel drop tank pylon (always mounted on the two seaters),a ETC 50/VIId bomb rack for four 70kg or 50kg bombs or a ETC 500/IXb rack for a single 250 Kg bomb.
The wings are of the A3 type with the big bulges associated to the 660 x 190 main wheels, but those are not retained and the 660 x 160 wheels are used with a modification to their inclination axle on the landing gear leg to make them perpendicular to the ground.So they take the place of 660 x 190 wheels in the wings. I’ve just noticed I forgot to show this on the caricature of the opening page … There are other differences on those wings : on the left upper side, near the tyre bulge there is a small fairing and opening for the Mod.45 gun camera. Also most of the wings had rounded wheel well edges similar to the 109F-4 wings.Under the left wing there is also the whip aerial mast of the FuG 16ZY, not present on the two seaters.
The « Models 1″, »2″ and « 3″ had the MG 151/20 gondolas under the wings.
The « Model 4″ had two MG 17 7,92 mm machine guns, one mounted in each wing, I know only two bad pictures showing this variant.
Only one source shows the wings equipped with mobile ailerons trim surfaces, that is a very nice and detailed colour plan in number 166 of the « Fana de l’Aviation » (see bibliography), but I know no photographic evidence of it being really mounted on some S-199, there where mounted on some few 109Ks. »

OUFFFF ! That was long isnt it ! Glad i included the scale-plans :P

And Finally there was the Strata Studio model render. Was done using an earlier Bf 109G-6 model I had made for publishing :

They are small and not very good, but it’s all that remain of that lost model…

Voilà… All that remains of that old « Mule Index » site of mine. Hope it can be of some help for any one interested in that Czech do-it-yourself Messerschmitt .