Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) produces cast metal landing gear and other accessories for a host of aircraft models in every conceivable scale. This offering is designed for the Wingnut Wings Sopwith Snipe kit in 1/32nd scale and is a direct replacement of the corresponding kit parts.

The kit contains four (4) parts in white metal. Two landing gear struts, the axle cross member and tail skid are included. All parts are nicely cast with a minimal amount of clean up necessary. A few small mold parting lines needed some clean up, with a few lights passes of an Exacto blade doing the trick. Some straightening was required to correct a few bent parts damaged in transit. This was easy to accomplish using light pressure and the kit parts as a guide.

The Snipe used a bungee cord suspension and split axle which are faithfully reproduced. The instruction booklet with the kit includes good detail photos that are useful when adding this set to the kit, which is a straight replacement for the kit parts. The only decisions to make here are which painting options are going to be used. I chose the Semi-Gloss Black option, as most of the kit markings call for this. I primed the parts with Tamiya White Primer in a rattle can. The quality of the castings became evident after priming. I brush painted two coats of Tamiya Semi-Gloss Black on everything. I detail painted the bungee cords with Jo Sonja Acrylic Gouache Fawn. The axles were painted with Testors Enamel Gloss Black to change sheen values with the semi gloss. ;When everything was dry I added a wash of artist oils to the bungee cords to deepen the recesses, then dry brushed some AV Iraqi Sand to bring out the highlights.

I’m impressed with the overall high quality of this set. It’s simple to use, clear in it’s application, and looks great when completed. I spent about 3 hours including clean up and priming and painting. The results are good and will look great on my completed Snipe. SAC produces high quality castings and the Snipe set is no exception. I enjoyed working on these parts and the completed parts look great. There’s good value in this set, as in all SAC sets. While the kit plastic parts are well made and look good, this SAC set enhances the overall look of the model and are a bit stronger in supporting the model’s weight. I recommend this set to all Snipe owners out there. If you don’t have a Snipe, then check out the full line of SAC products at their website WWW.scaleaircraftconversions.com and look for sets for an upcoming project, or just to get inspired!!

My thanks to Scale Aircraft Conversions and IPMS/USA for providing this sample for review.