Scale Aircraft Conversions has been creating parts for modelers since 1990 and has long supported the IPMS-USA Review Corps with their items for review. The white metal parts are meant to replicate the original kit parts, but with the additional strength of being metal instead of plastic. There is also an advantage in that the metal gear can be slightly bent, if necessary, once installed to allow for improved positioning.

After reviewing the Scale Aircraft Conversions metal landing gear for the Fine Molds Ki-43 III I knew exactly what I was getting into with this set. My sample had castings that seemed rough along with mold part lines and parts slightly bent in the package. I cleaned up one main gear leg and the tail wheel leg as best I could. A coat of Mr. Surfacer black followed by a layer of Testors Steel Metallizer did not seem to completely cover some issues I had identified. A few layers of watercolors highlighted the details.

For us, geriatric modelers fixed on detailing some of the venerable kits of our youth, Scale Aircraft Conversions can be exceedingly useful in a number of circumstances. For many, this may be as simple as replacing fragile styrene components with sturdier metal items. In other cases, some extra features are added.

The set for the Hawker Typhoon Mk. 1b of classic Revell fame is a good example. This pack features both main landing gear legs as well as the tailwheel fork, replacement radio mast, and a nice set of 20mm Hispano-Suiza cannons without the early shrouds. In terms of modifications, the two-part tail wheel fork has been rendered into a single piece, and the shroudless cannons are a very nice alternative to the kit items. I’d been thinking of attempting this modest conversion myself anyway, but these eliminated the need for scratch-building.

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS Reviewer Corps with a set of 1/48 scale metal landing gear for Hobby Boss’s MiG-35 Fulcrum-F. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided by SAC. The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for parts C8, A31, A29 (nose wheel), C28 (LHS MLG), and C27 (RHS MLG). Note that the oleo parts (D27 & D28) are molded into the main struts. The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if needed. Seam lines will need to be cleaned up prior to painting, just like the plastic kit parts.

In recent years ICM has been in the practice of producing figure kits as accessories to their model kit releases. This year ICM has released a set of figures to crew their new B-26 Marauder kits. This figure kit includes parts to build four figures: a pilot, a co-pilot, a bombardier, and a turret gunner. While a Marauder had a crew of six or seven, the other crewmen would be difficult to see in a finished model, so I understand why ICM includes only four figures.

Scale Aircraft Conversions specializes in providing aftermarket/replacement landing gear made of white metal. This particular set is of the recently released 1/48 Hs 129 B-2/3 from Takom.

The set includes two main landing gear struts, four sets of brackets to mount the landing gear struts to the landing gear wheel well, a two-part tail wheel (yoke and spinner) plus a foot-rest to help the pilot to climb on the wing to board the cockpit.

All parts are straight drop-in replacement parts, so no modification should be necessary. You can see from the pictures the parts are very cleanly molded and formed, with no visible molding lines.

Some parts will need to be released from their casting frames and instructions on how to work with white metal parts (detaching, handling, painting, safety, etc.) are available at https://scaleaircraftconversions.com/using-white-metal-parts/