1:48 A6M Zeke - 3D-Printed Undercarriage Legs for Eduard

3D-printed landing gear legs for the A6M Zeke (Zero) 1:48 from Eduard

An accessory set from Eduard intended to replace the plastic landing gear legs of the Japanese A6M Zero carrier fighter (Allied code name Zeke) in 1:48 scale. The parts are made by direct 3D printing and are supplemented with cast resin pieces. The set is built for the A6M kits from Eduard, into which the parts fit as a direct replacement. It is not an airplane model; without the basic kit you will have no use for the set.

What the set offers

The landing gear legs are among the most visible parts on a Zero: on a parked aircraft you see them at full length and the eye looks on them for struts, hydraulic lines, pivots and thin edges. Injection-molded plastic necessarily softens them because of the parting line and the draft of the mold and leaves a ridge on them that has to be sanded down. Printed legs come closer to the real subject in shape and surface alike, they have sharper edges and finer relief, and there is no flash from a mold to clean off. They are also the parts that carry the weight of a finished model, so it pays to glue them carefully and let the joint dry properly.

Use and fitting

• First wash the parts in lukewarm soapy water to remove any mold release agent and print resin residue.
• Cut the print supports off with a sharp cutter or a fine saw, and never break them off by force.
• Glue with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue); ordinary plastic cement does not hold on these parts.
• Cut and sand with respiratory protection, ideally wet, as resin dust must not be inhaled.
• Before painting, degrease the surface and lay down a primer, otherwise the paint holds poorly on the smooth parts.

Who the set is for

For modelers who build the Zero in 1:48 and want the landing gear to match the level of the rest of the model, typically on an aircraft with the gear extended on the ramp or in a diorama. Working with printed and resin parts assumes basic experience with cyanoacrylate glue and sanding; complete beginners will be fine with the plastic parts from the kit.

An accessory, not a model. The base kit, glue, paints and other accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.