denders Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 I believe they are whitemetal, so they should easily bend Leaving you to wonder what will happen when you put them under your kit... Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 I'd put them straight in the bin. Kev Dragon, Troy Molitor, mozart and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denders Posted March 29, 2021 Author Share Posted March 29, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denders Posted March 29, 2021 Author Share Posted March 29, 2021 3 minutes ago, LSP_Kevin said: I'd put them straight in the bin. Kev Wellllll, I thought I'd have a go at "torturing" them first. LSP_Kevin and Derek B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 6 minutes ago, denders said: Wellllll, I thought I'd have a go at "torturing" them first. Good luck! But SAC gear is well known around these parts for being soft, and not up to the job. So much so that, some years back, we started to decline the review samples. Kev jenshb, D Bellis and Derek B 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pup7309 Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 Wow and they still sell. Why? Derek B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 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. D Bellis and Derek B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 1 hour ago, denders said: I thought I'd ask and see if anyone had any words of wisdom. Thanks. They do - I've never bought any, I'd go with LSP_Kevs words of wisdom Richard Derek B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggTim Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 (edited) Yep, sorry to say it, but the SAC gear are garbage. Does Damian (SOW) make gear for this kit yet, anyone? Edited March 29, 2021 by BiggTim Out2gtcha and Derek B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denders Posted March 29, 2021 Author Share Posted March 29, 2021 (edited) 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 March 29, 2021 by denders Add info BiggTim and Derek B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 2 hours ago, Pup7309 said: Wow and they still sell. Why? It's mostly out of user ignorance I suspect. Plus, I also suspect that these sets are more effective and less problematic in smaller scales, which is why the business itself is still going. Kev Derek B, BiggTim and D Bellis 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denders Posted March 30, 2021 Author Share Posted March 30, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob MDC Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) 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 March 30, 2021 by Bob MDC more information Woody V, Derek B and RLWP 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Stambaugh Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 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! BiggTim, Out2gtcha, D.B. Andrus and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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