A newer addition to Scale Aircraft Conversions large line of metal landing gear is this set for the Wingnut Wings Junkers D.1.

Like most of SAC’s sets, this is meant as a drop-fit replacement for the kit’s plastic landing gear. The set comprises of both main gear legs, the landing gear “wing” between the legs, and the main axle. All are made of sturdy, white metal.

I could see no appreciable difference in the detail between the kit items and those in this set. They look to be almost the same. If anything, I believe the SAC details were a bit softer than the kit items. The “wing” had a bit of a molding mishap and there is some excess metal on the top port side (see the photos). I think this will be a bit challenging to clean up and retain the details of the rivets and corrugation. The axle came slightly bent (which I know is common with white metal pieces, but still annoying).

I will say the SAC gear is considerably stronger than the kit plastic. The J.1 is one of the smaller and lighter aircraft in the Wingnut Wings lineup, so I don’t know that it really needs the extra-strength gear. If anything, I would use the legs and axle (after straightening), but not bother with the metal “wing”. Cleanup on this piece would be tedious and it offers nothing over the kit piece. The photo on SAC’s website of this set did not show the blemish, so I think I just had a one-off, but I still don’t see any advantage in using the metal piece for this particular item.

I would classify this in the “nice, but not necessary” category. These aren’t cheap, so I would rather spend this on a gear set for a kit that really needs it. SAC offers many sets for kits that really DO benefit from the metal gear. Unfortunately, I don’t really see this as that situation. On the other hand, if you break a part, this is a great option.

I would like to thank SAC for the review set, and to thank IPMS for allowing me to review it.