This was to have been a full gear replacement review until the USPS decided to treat the package like the gorilla from the old 1970’s American Tourister luggage commercial. Unfortunately, the package did not fare anywhere near as well as the luggage did, as it looked like it had been stomped flat. After sorting through the carnage I was able to gather together enough surviving parts for one main gear leg.

What you get in the package is a full gear replacement in white metal for both main gear legs and the tail wheel. As you can see from one of the photos, the SAC gear has simplified things by making the main gear legs three total pieces and main tailwheel leg as two total piece, versus five pieces for the kit’s main gear and three for the kit’s tail wheel.

Detail is crisper on the metal gear than on the kit’s plastic parts. The replacement parts are a drop-fit with no issues whatsoever. The kit design is such that the gear must be installed early in the sub-assembly build and not after painting is completed, and the added strength of the metal gear is a plus.

I have used SAC products many times on my tricycle landing gear aircraft where there will be added nose weight and thus a need for stronger nose gear. At $17.95, one will have to ask if the metal replacement gear for a tail-dragger aircraft is warranted. Only each individual modeler can answer that question for himself. I can recommend this product to anyone who wants a little easier assembly and better detail for his Tu-2. It is a fine product and works as advertised. On tricycle geared aircraft, I consider these essential; for tail-draggers such as the Tu-2, I consider these to be a nice choice for better detail, but still optional.

Thank you to Scale Aircraft Conversions and IPMS/USA for thr opportunity to review this quality product, and brickbats to the USPS for almost destroying the package.