Here, we share the January and February 2021 new releases from Scale Aircraft Conversions (or SAC).  SAC has been producing white metal landing gear for kits since 1990.  These are largely based on the kit parts but provide gear that can be stronger, more rugged, and potentially longer lasting than plastic parts.

January 2021

 SAC # 48392 Spitfire Mk. Landing Gear (MSRP = $14.95):  this set contains six white metal parts for two sets of gear for the 1:48 scale Eduard kit.

SAC # 72182 C-130 Landing Gear (MSRP = $16.95):  this set consists of eight white metal parts to replace the nose and main gear of the recent Zvezda C-130H kit.

February 2021

SAC # 48393 Su-27 Flanker Landing Gear (MSRP = $19.95):  this set provides 28 white metal parts to replace the nose and main landing gear for the Great Wall Hobby kit.

SAC # 48394 Gnat T.1 XP505 Probes (MSRP = $14.95):  here, a set of three white metal parts are provided for use with the S&M Models decal sheet # SSM48-01.  These are used to represent Gnat XP505 assigned to Boscombe Down which was fitted with these unique test wingtip and nose-mounted air data probes.

SAC # 48395 SH-60B/F Landing Gear (MSRP = $14.95):  this set features seven small white metal parts to replace the landing gear on the Kitty Hawk SH-60 kits.

SAC # 48396 MiG-15 landing Gear (MSRP = $14.95):  this set consists of six white metal parts to replace the nose and main gear of the classic Tamiya kit of the early Soviet jet fighter.

When working with SAC landing gear, I will gently polish them with a buffing wheel or buffing pad in my Dremel set at a very low RPM.  For me, that provides the means for any necessary clean-up and a great, super-smooth surface to apply primer and then paint.  Some scale modelers really enjoy using these white metal landing gear parts.  They are stronger than polystyrene (something to consider especially for larger-scale kits) and thus are better at long-term load bearing.  These parts are also just a little malleable allowing for minor gear alignment or dihedral tweaking.  And remember, superglue is needed to bond metal to plastic.  Thicker, gap-filling CA glues are best for this kind of work.  Lastly, SAC gear contains no lead and is safe to work with.

We extend our sincere thanks to Ross McMillan at Scale Aircraft Conversions for the review samples.  You can visit them on the web at https://www.scaleaircraftconversions.com where you can browse all their products, order directly, or drop them a line as needed.

Haagen Klaus
Scale Modeling News & Reviews Editor
Detail & Scale