Reviews of scale model detail sets.

Review Author
Paul Bradley
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$35.00

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) provides resin and white metal parts for scale model aircraft, most of which are drop-in landing gear replacements. Their standard packaging is a card-backed blister pack that should protect the parts, though one gear leg in one set was slightly bent went I opened the package.

The superb DBMK 1/32 Sea Fury kit was released earlier in 2026 and these sets from SAC are direct copies of that kit’s landing gear, including the main gear legs and various attached and associated parts. The early set, 32199, depicts the original Sea Fury landing gear that featured the Hawker standard landing gear leg, while the late leg, as depicted in set 32198, had an extra oleo section to better cope with shearing forces in cross-wind landings, and to help damp bouncing on landing.

Review Author
Chris Surber
Published on
Company
Reskit
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$51.00

Hasegawa first released their 1/48 A-7E in 1987 with various boxing still available today. To date it is the most accurate offering in shape and features. Where it is lacking and showing its age is in the cockpit assembly. ResKit have come to the rescue with a finely detailed 3D printed cockpit assembly which is an almost drop-in fit. Refer to the pictures that accompany this review to see the amazing level of detail on the ejection seat alone.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Reskit
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$183.99

Reskit has issued a 3D printed cockpit for ICM’s 1/35th scale CH-54A or S-64E Tarhe. There are versions of this from Reskit primarily with and without 3D printed instruments like the ones I reviewed last in my Reskit F-111E review. This set does not include the printed instrument panels but does includes more than 30 3D printed parts. Also included are acetates for the instrument panels, decals and small printed sheet for magazines that can be added. These are all packaged in a well-padded box containing the parts and their supports and boxes.

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$20.00

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS reviewer corps with a set of 1/48th scale metal landing gear for Great Wall Hobby’s Su-27. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

In the Package

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided.

Review Process

The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for the kit parts as noted:

  • Nose Gear: E4, E13, E18, E19, E20, E23, E29,
  • RHS Gear: E44, E54, E55, E60, E66, E68, E69, E77, E81, E79,
  • LHS Gear: E45, E53, E56, E59, E65, E67, E70, E76, E78, E80,

The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if needed. Also, seam lines will need to be cleaned up prior to painting just like the plastic kit parts.

Review Author
Rod Lees
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$32.95

Long-time supporter Ross and his team at SAC Supports IPMS/USA yet again with one of his gear sets to use and review!

This set provides a sound basis for replacing the more delicate parts of the Spindly (in real life and modeling world) Fairey Gannet AEW-3 landing gear. Designed for the newly-released SWORD kit, it definitely addresses the question on whether plastic or metal is better for this task. The metal gear, once carefully installed (it is NOT an easy Geometric construction) is definitely “go metal”.

Made up of eleven finely-cast metal parts, these bits are scale in size and flexible enough for initial installation, while work-hardening if required for additional stiffness. The truss angles and installation are a difficult design to address, and the idea the kit plastic would last was first in my mind. It’s a large aircraft, and unique in design and appearance.

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1:48
MSRP
$26.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS reviewer corps with a set of 1/48th scale metal landing gear for Trumpeter’s HU-16A Albatross. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

In the Package

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided.

Review Process

The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for the kit parts as noted

  • Nose Gear: G12, G19 and G16 (also Metal Nose Strut parts A & B)
  • RHS Gear: J19, J26, and K11 (also Metal Right Strut)
  • LHS Gear: J16, J21, and K27 (also Metal Left Strut)

Note: The Trumpeter kit does provide some metal landing struts as optional parts for the builder. However, SAC does provide more replacement parts in this set.

Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$16.95

The iconic Mitsubishi A6M Zero was the Imperial Japanese Navy’s primary carrier-based fighter plane from 1940-1945. Over 10,000 of these ubiquitous fighters were produced, with the A6M5 Type 0 Model 52 being the last and most effective model. Scale Aircraft Conversion has produced its famous white metal landing gear for the A6M5/5a Zero in 1/48 scale. As aircraft modelers well know, aircraft models displayed on their landing gear are susceptible to damage from the weight of the model, especially on styrene landing gear.

Scale Aircraft Conversion has had the solution since 1990. Their white metal landing gear is designed to bear the weight of the model and complement the detailed non-load bearing plastic parts. Their extensive range covers white metal landing gear from 1/144 to 1/18 scale aircraft.

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$22.95

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) has provided the IPMS reviewer corps with a set of 1/48th scale metal landing gear for UMa’s AV-8B Harrier II Plus. These parts are drop-in replacements and provide a more robust landing gear set given its metal properties.

In The Package

The metal pieces are packaged in a clear blister package with cardboard backing. No instructions are provided.

Review

The metal landing gear set is used as drop-in replacements for the kit parts as noted:

  • Nose Gear: C1, D20, D21, and D26
  • Rear Gear: D9 and D17
  • Wingtip Outrigger Gear: D15, D16, D18, and D19

The metal used is malleable and has some give to allow for any minor bending if needed. Also, seam lines will need to be cleaned up prior to painting just like the plastic kit parts.

Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.00

During World War II, the concept of creating airfields in days, rather than months or years, came about with the use of what was called “Pierced Steel Planking”. These were segments of metal, linked together to form runways, taxiways, and parking areas, to name a few. Its modern day equivalent is the M8A1 Landing Mat.

This is a fairly simple, straight-forward kit. Six sprues, each containing one section of matting, comprised the entire kit. The instructions show two different ways of creating a rectangular mat, and I build the 2nd version.

The only downside I have to mention is that when I assembled the kit, there was a minute gap down the center seam – although I cannot discount the possibility of an erroneous assembly procedure on my part.

Painted and weathered well, this would be a great little addition to any diorama in 1/72 scale. Best of all, each kit can combine with other landing mat kits for bigger aprons and parking spaces.

Review Author
Michael Furry
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$17.95

I am familiar with Scale Aircraft Conversions but have never used any of their products. Having a Fine Molds Ki-43 III, I was keen to compare these metal landing gear parts to the kit parts provided by Fine Molds. The SAC landing gear provides additional strength being metal, and the ability to slightly bend the gear if needed.

Upon close inspection, the landing gear provided by Fine Molds is my preference over the metal landing gear offered by Scale Aircraft Conversions. In my sample, the metal landing gear has mold part lines, heavy pitting, and a shape that is more oval than round. One of my struts had a curve coming out of the packaging, but this was easily bent back to shape.