The MJ1-B is a United States Air Force bomb loader built by Hydraulics International. It has served in various forms since the 1950's and sports a 3000 lb. lifting capacity and a 25-horsepower engine. It is able to lift up to a height of 78 inches and was widely used in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War.

The kit consists of enough parts to build either the MJ1-B (the late version), or the earlier MJ1-A version. The solid resin parts are finely cast and the kit includes a figure for each version – a male for the early one and a female for the late one.

All parts had to be cleaned and cut from their casting blocks, and are on the soft side. There was minimal flash on some parts which was easy to clean up. Care needs to be taken on the steering wheel and the side arms, as they’re very thin and delicate.

Scale Aircraft Conversions has produced replacement gear for the Hawk/Testors OV-10 Bronco kit. I have reviewed several of these sets, and have purchased a few more on my own, because in all cases they have been superior to the kit items.

The white metal replacements are a clean drop-in for the kits plastic parts. The supplied items include two main gear struts and braces and one nose gear strut. Also included are weighted tires mastered by Doug Smith of Royal Resin. The weighted wheels are a significant improvement in detail over the balloonish kit tires. The SAC tires also have tread and improved rim/lug detailing.

A side-by-side evaluation (see photos) indicates an identical strut replacement that should provide greater strength with a significantly improved weight capacity and abuse tolerance. In some cases, painting may not be necessary.

Highly recommended.

Scale Aircraft Conversions specializes in white metal replacement parts. Its line of replacement landing gear has been expanded to include a set for the Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Mk.I/Vb.

The set includes 3 parts, two landing gear struts and tail wheel, finely molded in white metal. These parts are drop-in replacements for the plastic parts.

You can see from the pictures the parts are very cleanly molded and formed. They include the “double slot” in the struts where the plastic landing gear cover is attached, so replacement should be quick and painless.

Typically I tend to think of replacing a plastic landing gear by a white metal one when the model is large and heavy. For most single engine 1/48 scale models, weight is not an issue.