Scale Aircraft Conversions has produced white metal replacement landing gear for the recently issued Skunk Models Workshop F-16XL kit. (See my kit review at F-16XL Experimental Fighter).

I have reviewed several of these sets and have purchased several 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 kit plastic parts. The set includes "light" main gear for early XL configurations and "heavy" main gear with landing lights, for the post-1983 modification, which includes the NASA versions. Detailing is improved over the kit parts. An altered nose wheel strut assembly (more accurate detail of bracing) is included. The main gear bay rear bulkhead is also rendered in white metal for the additional strength. The supplied items also include all main and nose gear braces, and the nose gear oleo scissor and light assemblies.

A side-by-side evaluation (see photos) indicates identical or improved cast replacement parts that should provide a greater strength assembly, significantly improved weight capacity and abuse tolerance. The photo of my completed review build with the kit-supplied gear after a display case mishap should reinforce this statement. I will be using the SAC gear in my follow-up build of a second kit as a two-seater.

The parts will take any brand modeling paint I have tried, after a soapy water wash and clear rinse, followed by a coat of Tamiya primer. In some cases (not on the F-16XL, obviously), if your subject’s gear is natural metal, painting may not be necessary.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to the IPMS Reviewer Corps and Scale Aircraft Conversions for the opportunity to review this item.