Thanks very much to Ross at SAC for doing the hard work for us on this gear. We at IPMS USA sincerely appreciate your contributions for review!

If you have not built the new (2013) release of the BF-109G, may I recommend you try one. The detail is great, fit as well, and the engineering shows much concern for the modeler. This is not the original 1967-vintage model many of us remember.

One weak area of the kit is the landing gear; Revell DE’s plastic is a bit softer than other companies, and this contributes to the lower cost but also means things like landing gear can bow or break over time. In the case of this model, the gear is also made up of three main parts, cemented together. It makes the fidelity to life that much better, but at the same time can contribute to some difficulty in assembly. It’s also a failure point.

The way the gear is engineered, there are positive attachment lugs which slide into the wheel well. This contributes toward the correct “sit” of the aircraft, as the actual aircraft has forward “Rake” to the gear struts, which complicates the modeller’s dilemma when you consider the outward camber of the wheels, the natural “Splayed” look when viewed from the front (Like a Giraffe on ice), etc.

SAC’s gear takes the effort just that much futher toward a strong assembly; the legs are cast in one piece, and the whole assembly slides into place. Add the miniscule upper strut links, the lower oleo links, and glue in place with superglue or epoxy.

The aft gear also benefits; this is typically a weak area on many ‘109 models, and the internal attachment tube is also cast as one part. This makes for a robust assembly when mated with the metal gear.

As usual I cannot say enough good things about SAC products. They are rapidly becoming one of my “must have” items for a build. Thanks again to Ross and SAC for producing one more in a long line of fantastic metal gear for our modeling enjoyment!