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Straightening SAC metal landing gear?


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Anyone have suggestions for straightening SAC cast metal landing gear? Do you suppose it it soft enough to 'push' into shape? Anyone tried it?

 

When I moved, I didn't have enough support under my 1/32 Wildcat and the result was crunched landing gear. I tried repairing it but that didn't really work. A couple of weeks ago I got the bright idea to have a look for replacement metal landing gear. But the piece came a bit distorted.

 

Dave

 

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Yes Richard, they are white metal and do appear to easily bend. And yes, It does bring about wondering about supporting the kit although, if the original gear hadn't broken under the circumstances of moving, I think they would have been ok too. So I think I'm good as long as I get then straightened correctly. I thought I'd ask and see if anyone had any words of wisdom. Thanks.

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5 hours ago, denders said:

Anyone have suggestions for straightening SAC cast metal landing gear? Do you suppose it it soft enough to 'push' into shape? Anyone tried it?

 

When I moved, I didn't have enough support under my 1/32 Wildcat and the result was crunched landing gear. I tried repairing it but that didn't really work. A couple of weeks ago I got the bright idea to have a look for replacement metal landing gear. But the piece came a bit distorted.

 

 

4 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

I'd put them straight in the bin.

 

 

Honestly Kev is 100% correct. You should almost be able to straighten most any SAC set with your bare hands. 

I know it sounds harsh or dismissive, but save yourself a LOT of time, effort and later heartache and bin them. They are not brittle like some OOB gear can be, but almost worse, they are so soft that any length of time will see them splay outwards, especially if displayed on a smooth display shelf.  

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15 minutes ago, BiggTim said:

Yep, sorry to say it, but the SAC gear are garbage. 

 

Does Damian (SOW) make gear for this kit yet, anyone?

I had looked through his listing and I don't recall that it was included but I wasn't specifically looking for this 'problem' so I'm not sure, I'll have a look.

 

P.S. No, I didn't see any Wildcat gear in his list.

Edited by denders
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Well, now that I've laid my hands on them, they are quite "adjustable". I almost think if I bought another kit and used those parts to cast a resin set, it might be useable.

 

I had used another set on a 1/48 Havoc and they weren't perfect but seemed sturdy enough. But it's not yet finished and sitting on it's legs.

 

I think though, I'm going to clean them up and see how it ends up. It's either these or buy a sprue on ebay or put an acrylic rod in it back side to position it in flight. Right now its sitting on the shelf looking like a landing accident.

 

 

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As we have done a bit of white metal over the years, it's a bit like resin casting a "black art" things that should come out don't  and the difficult parts do .

I am a bit wary of commenting on other manufactures but the SAC stuff I have seen is direct copies of the plastic parts and the metal has a low tin percentage and can be a bit fragile when you straighten it.

We use a tin/pewter mix which is a compromise to give you detail and strength at a reasonable temperature. Chucking molten metal a 315oC at 500 rpm can be fun plus you have to let the metal cool before demoulding or it can be a bit crystalline, if you have used metal in the past if you try a bend it it makes a cracking sound and feel that's done to quick demoulding.

I'm not sure about the mix of the SAC metal but it's a lot softer than the mix we use.

As a "by the way" white metal was descended  from lead soldiers which were made from lead and easy to produce but now lead is banned by the Geneva Convention 

 

Bob

 

Edited by Bob MDC
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Yes the SAC white metal struts will easily bend without breaking but that is precisely the problem with their legs. 

 I just finished Trumpeter's P-47D-20 and badly bent the tail strut. Wasn't hard to do. It easily straightened but is just too weak so I ended up using the kit plastic part. 

 Would really like to see Synthetic ordnance works come to the rescue on this matter. Their main gear legs are near indestructible!

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