From the manufacturer’s website:

Manufacturing white metal parts for plastic scale model aircraft since 1990

We manufacture a line of white metal landing gear for 1/18 to 1/144 scale aircraft. Some Sets consist of the main gear only, while others include the nose gear, tail gear and/or adjacent related components. Some inaccuracies in the original kit gear have been corrected, but the mounting points remain identical to the factory parts. With numerous sets, we have not sought to duplicate non-load-bearing component parts where the factory plastic parts are reasonably accurate.

Zoukei-Mura’s Focke Wulf Fw-190A kits in 1/32 scale are fairly large, and with their interior components, they can be heavier than their counterparts offered by other brands. Therefore, having a sturdy landing gear for such kits can be an advantage. Plastic parts, although accurately molded, can break during handling or transportation, so using white metal parts can address such concerns. Scale Aircraft Conversions offers a nice set of landing gear for the Fw-190A series of aircraft. White metal parts are quite malleable and can be fairly easily adjusted by hand or with a tool.

This product comes in a small blister pack and contains 10 elements, all made of white metal. There are no instructions included in the set, but it is easy to follow kit instructions to see how the parts are supposed to be configured. The manufacturer’s website has a section that provides a short guideline on how to use the white metal parts. What I found quite helpful is the presence of two landing gear sets: one with an imitation of a rubber piece covering the telescopic arm (lower strut) of the landing gear and one without it. There is only one set of torque links, though. The package also has a rear landing gear set that one of its parts must be glued and another detached and attached to the kit using the kit’s instructions for guidance.

The quality of the white metal parts is good. These parts are not as smooth as the plastic parts, but this is a common characteristic of most white metal parts I have seen. I recommend sanding and polishing at least the lower strut section using fine sandpaper or a rotary tool. I compared the Scale Aircraft Conversions main landing gear struts to Zoukei -Mura’s white metal set, sold separately from the kit, as well as the kit’s plastic parts. All three are almost identical, while the plastic parts are a lot smoother. The Zoukei-Mura parts consist of just two long struts. They are, however, less expensive. Scale Aircraft Conversions set offers additional elements beside the two sets of struts, but at a higher price. If one decides to use metal parts, one may as well invest in the Scale Aircraft Conversions set so that all three landing gear points on a model are strengthened. I find the use of white metal parts handy, especially when someone plans to transport their kits to a show, or a modeling club meeting, as the model will definitely be sturdier.

The Scale Aircraft Conversions set for Zoukei-Mura’s Focke Wulf Fw-190A kits offers a competitive aftermarket option and advantages. One set of struts in my sample had two identical left struts instead of one for the left and one for the right wheel, respectively, and a few elements were slightly bent, although that last issue can be fairly easily fixed. A small plastic bag to hold the parts inside the blister pack might protect them from getting bent. I contacted customer service for the replacement of the duplicate strut and expect it to be corrected by the manufacturer. Despite the minor shortcomings above, I recommend this set to modelers as it offers some advantages over plastic parts.

I want to thank Scale Aircraft Conversions for generously providing this accessory sample for review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it.