Saber Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Like so many others, pecking away on the HK B-25......decided to do some cleaning up on the G-Factor metal gear legs...actually, there's not much to clean up since they're so well done. However, did notice that there was a polishing effect....figured to try something.....cut a narrow strip of fine Flex-i-grit....carefully secured the gear leg in the vise...looped the sanding film through the oleo & with a back & forth motion began polishing the slider section. Came out looking quite shiny...a real chrome appearance. Used liquid mask to seal it & then shot the rest of the gear leg metallic silver.....when that dries, I'll shoot some semi-gloss for a grey/metallic look.......finger crossed..... Happy modeling, Jim Harold 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrundt Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 G-Factor made gear for the 32nd B-25? Did I miss something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Williams Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Yes, G-factor released metal gear for the B-25. The first batch that Sprue Brothers got sold out pretty quick. http://store.spruebrothers.com/132-g-factor-b-25-mitchell-landing-gear-hkm-kit-32025-p31314.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrundt Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Yes, G-factor released metal gear for the B-25. The first batch that Sprue Brothers got sold out pretty quick. http://store.spruebr...025-p31314.aspx Why am I always the last to know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Dollar Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Those look really good. I saw another set from I think SAC but there must have been something wrong with them. That particular set looked bent and more grainy. I'm going to try to make my own from brass rod and tubes. I'm already on the third attempt. Hope this is the good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I saw another set from I think SAC but there must have been something wrong with them. That particular set looked bent and more grainy. Quite..........seems the hallmark of the softer metal SAC has used in the past. Ive had several sets in the past and all are as grainy, rough and soft as the B-25 SAC gear have looked. Not trying to disparage SAC here,im just going with the facts. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csavaglio Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I used SACs gear on mine. They were good.....once primed, I used alclad aluminum and they looked quite convincing. I plan on using them again on the strafer, but I'm going to use the kit's oleo scissor parts. The SAC ones kept getting dinged up and the real ones have a funky shape that's hard to replicate after bending them up. Personally, I prefer the softer metal. Its plenty strong to hold the model but it made aligning things much easier. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOJO Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Just got my G-factor gear and wanted to know if they need to be cleaned with anything before primer and paint? Or do I need to do something else with them first? Thanks Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csavaglio Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 The G-Factor ones look really, really good, but the SAC ones were a whole lot easier to get ahold of and cost significantly less. With G-Factor in the past, I've just shot automotive lacquer primer once I was happy with them being cleaned up (flash, seams, pour stubs, surface imperfections, etc). BTW, I prime almost everything with auto lacquer primer.....the exception being small parts. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Just got my G-factor gear and wanted to know if they need to be cleaned with anything before primer and paint? Or do I need to do something else with them first? Thanks Joe I will usually shoot my with any kind of fine lacquer type primer after roughing them up a bit with very fine sand paper to give it some bite. I found Tamiya fine white gives a good base and is readily available at most any LHS. One distinct advantage I have found to the G-Factor gear, is it is quite solid, and the oleo parts take well to polishing with automotive polishes and even Tamiya polishes. I have tried to polish the SAC gear, but they are so soft, I usually end up bending it all up in the polishing process. I have not received my intended straffer B-25 yet, so I will reserve judgement on overall weight, but personally, from my perspective (no offence to you Chris) having used SAC gear in the past, and with the B-25 being over 25 US inches in span and longer than 18 US inches in length (approx I think) and having all the required weight added to it, I would be in NO way confident that the SAC gear would hold up straight over the life of the model. Maybe Im wrong, but just MHO here. I will be leaving nothing to chance, with a model this large and heavy (largest and heaviest model I will have made to date save my big SU) that I plan on keeping on my shelves to display for years to come, and will be using the G-Factor gear Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csavaglio Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) Even with 1/2lb of Terry Dean lead in the nose, bouncing around for a 3 hr, crappy, Georgia backroad drive.....each way.... the SAC gear is happily holding the weight without any issue now, going on 2 weeks. No offense to anyone, but i'm not guessing, not speculating, just telling it like it is, kit in hand, built, and displayed. I did test fit the plastic gear out of curiosity and it was pretty wobbly. Not at all with the SAC gear. I'll save my 15 bucks and throw it at some decals. Plus, if you have to scuff up the G Factor gear, who cares if it's smoother to begin with. I didn't have to do any polishing on mine to get it smooth under primer and it looked great under Alclad. And don't get me wrong, the GF gear looks gorgeous and his products have always been fantastic, but you do pay the price for them. If I get them for a good deal, I would definitely buy a set. I'm sure I've ticked off enough people now..... C Edited June 14, 2012 by csavaglio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ads Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Mate differentstrokes for different folks!! Neither are perfect and i am sure there can be fans of both Ebony annnndd I-voreeeeeee Ads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csavaglio Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 You're killing me:) Where did you even find that? ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Mate differentstrokes for different folks!! Neither are perfect and i am sure there can be fans of both Ebony annnndd I-voreeeeeee Ads Very well said Ads! And a good laugh to boot! No, youve not ticked anyone off Chris. As Ads said, different strokes for different folks. That I believe is what makes our hobby so cool, there are a seemingly hundreds of different ways to do things, and getting exposure to them all is always cool. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csavaglio Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I agree completely, Brian. I think if you anyone goes for the G Factor gear, it should be for the looks.....they do look stunning. But as far as strength, I wouldn't stress too much over the SAC gear not being strong enough. I did the acid test on it bumping my way down country roads for 3 hours each way last weekend. I got the SAC gear for less than half of what I would have had to pay for the G-Factor ones, so I couldn't justify them. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now