1:32 Scale Aircraft Conversions - Landing Gear

[Derrick]

Just curious if anyone has bought and used the landing gear they make for the First World War kits, like Wingnut or Copperstate. Are they stronger then the plastic? They don't look like the brass landing gear I have bought for non First World War kits. Will they give the extra strength to hold the weight of the kits ? Thank you for any information.

[RAGIII]

I can only go from the few I have seen, some included in the Encore kits. They are a soft white Metal and pretty flexible( perhaps not quite as much as the plastic). The ones I have experience with came pretty bent up. I think Brass would be much better! On the other hand structural rigging goes a long way with the plastic parts from those kits. My preference when feasible!
RAGIII

[OEFFAG 153]

Never tried , nor have I understood the A.M. white metal gears for WnW kits.
I have built +45 WWI 1:32 planes and never had any issues of bending or flexing gears from any of the original issues from Special Hobby, Roden or WnWs.
To me these particular A.M. items are unneccesary. Better spend money on etch or decals IMHO.

/Mikael

[Alexis]

Will agree with Rick and Mikael , no good and a waste of money . The white metal gear legs and wing struts are just to flimsy and will not support weight or side loads even when rigged . Makes no sense to me either on why some folks replace perfect kit parts with weaker items .

I have used white metal parts before ( BlueMax kit's ) for landing gear and wing struts and all these builds are no more . The gear legs started to bend and wing struts deformed and twisted . Now I replace struts with either homemade brass ( tube with a wire core and flatten ) or I make the out of contrail strut .



Terri

[Mike Norris]

Agree - white metal is too soft and hardly any better that the kit parts.
Good rigging material, especially the cross bracing wires for the undercarriage struts, makes much more sense.
Stretch lines such as EZ or Prym won't give any rigging rigidity - mono-filament (fishing line) will.

I have quite a few sets of the white metal packs - never used them.

Mike

[lcarroll]

   I agree with the majority here; any I have are still in the spares box, and not likely to be used!
Cheers,
Lance