Scale Aircraft Conversions (or SAC, for short) is a well-known manufacturer who has been producing white metal landing gear for kits between 1:18 and 1:144 scales since 1990.  These are largely based on the kit parts but provide gear that are stronger, more rugged, and potentially longer lasting than plastic parts.  Here, we take a look at their July 2019 new releases.

First, SAC # 72167 Su-17M/M3/M3R/UM3, Su-20, Su-22 Landing Gear includes replacement gear for the 1:72 scale Modelsvit Fitters.  These 13 parts, which span the nose and main gear, are designed to fit both the 2014 and 2017 issues of the kit.  

Second, SAC # 72168 Kawanishi H8K1 Type 2, 11/12 Beaching Gear provides six cast white metal parts to serve as replacements for the Hasegawa 1:72 scale kit of the H8K1’s beaching gear.

Third, is SAC# 14430 Boeing 737-800, -8 MAX, -700 Landing Gear.  This set contains two sets of gear for the 1:144 scale Zvezda kit.  Sixteen parts span the nose and gear for two aircraft.   

When working with SAC landing gear, I usually like to 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 sample.  You can visit them on the web at https://www.scaleaircraftconversions.com where you can browse all their products, order directly from SAC, or drop them a line as needed.