Review by: Geoff Coughlin (March 2012)
Products under review
- 32058 J2M3 Raiden Landing Gear Replacement for 1:32 Hasegawa MSRP $14.95
- 32059 P-51 Landing Gear (Trum) Upgrade for 1:32 Trumpeter MSRP $21.95
- 32060 MiG-29 Landing Gear (Rev) Replacement for 1:32 Revell MSRP $18.95
- 32061 P-51 Mustang Landing Gear (Dra) Replacement for 1:32 Dragon MSRP $21.95
Our thanks to Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) for supplying our review samples.
All SAC products are available in the UK from www.a2zeemodels.com or directly from the manufacturer, as well as numerous reputable Internet retailers.
Using white metal replacements: A general note
I’m sure that you will be familiar with the extensive range of white metal replacement undercarriage detail parts for aircraft scale models available from Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC). We have reviewed many of these before and this recent batch and others that will follow shortly are all of similar quality.
Plastic moulding has its limitations (as Clint would say), but SAC have spotted a nice area that is attractive to us scale modellers.
The kit parts are frequently quite flimsy and unstable, or unlikely to take the completed model in the long term after we’ve often added extra weight to it. So replacing the kit parts with stronger, sturdier metal replacements can often be an appropriate solution.
The parts from SAC have some flash, but this isn’t an issue, being easy to remove with a scalpel and then sanding sticks and buffers.
You’ll often find that some of the thinner parts such as oleo struts are malformed when you open the package; this is unfortunate. Better packaging would prevent this distortion assuming the parts have been packed at source undamaged. However, all is not lost as they parts can be straightened fairly easily by careful rolling and use of flat headed tweezers or pliers – but go easy!
Some useful observations from Ross at SAC…
- As you know, one property of white metal is an inherent degree of malleability which is not found in styrene plastic, polyester resin or harder metals such as zinc or brass alloys. This quality affords the modeller the advantage of being able to “adjust” the angles of the landing gear and wheels once they are firmly cemented in place
- Another benefit of the combined attributes of strength and malleability is revealed when a modeller tackles a kit that requires the landing gear to be installed early in the assembly sequence. In this scenario, plastic kit parts can incur breakage even when handled with caution whereas white metal gear actually becomes a valuable ‘stand’ for the model throughout the subsequent processes (sanding, scribing, painting, etc.) employed until completion of the build
- The malleable nature of white metal can also more than justify its cost should one or more of the legs on a completed model be accidentally ‘bumped’ during handling. The more fragile nature of plastic can easily cause a kit part to snap. On the other hand, white metal will merely bend in like circumstances. A bend can usually be easily fixed when many times a break cannot. Our gear is often purchased by a modeller who has already experienced this problem and is seeking an alternative to purchasing a new kit in order to obtain repair parts.
32058 J2M3 Raiden Landing Gear Replacement for 1:32 Hasegawa
This set is designed for the Hasegawa kit and so you get the immediate feeling that this strong detail set will come in very handy.
Detail is good, with crisply moulded detail on all parts. The scissor links are fine and minimal cleaning up of parts will be needed.
32059 P-51 Landing Gear Upgrade for 1:32 Trumpeter
This set is designed to upgrade/replace the kit parts supplied in the Trumpeter 1:32 scale kit. This is a big model, so this replacement set is likely to be more attractive than some in the range.
Detail and casting is good, so little cleaning up will be necessary. The parts in white metal are better than plastic, especially the separate hydraulic lines; these are ideal in white metal, being able to be bent carefully into position around the undercarriage legs and wheel.
No distortion to the parts in this set – they look sturdy and well moulded.
32060 MiG-29 Landing Gear Replacement for 1:32 Revell
This set is likely to prove very useful, mainly because the aircraft is big in this scale and a strong undercarriage is essential.
We are waiting for the re-released Revell MiG-29 to arrive and when it does I plan to schedule the build and have this set included, so we’ll do a comparison at that time.
Altogether a better option than a plastic item, so this is going to be a useful improvement over the kit parts.
32061 P-51 Mustang Landing Gear Replacement for 1:32 Dragon
This set is designed to upgrade/replace the kit parts supplied in the Dragon 1:32 scale kit.
Detail and casting is good, so little cleaning up will be necessary. The parts in white metal are better than plastic, especially the separate hydraulic lines, these are ideal in white metal being able to be bent carefully into position around the undercarriage legs and wheel.
No distortion to the parts in this set – they look sturdy and well moulded.
In summary…
This is a good set of upgrade/replacement parts that, in this scale, can offer a significant advantage over the plastic kit parts.
Moulding is good and damage minimal, and, as Ross points out, this is a strength most of the time as it enables you to bend the part back into position on your model when it might otherwise have snapped off!
You’ll have to decide if you are prepared to bear the additional cost that these additional items will bring.
Recommended.
Geoff C.