1:32 B-17 Main Landing Gear (Unloaded) for HK Models

The Fortress that came home damaged

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress first flew in 1935 and from 1942 bore the main weight of the daylight bombing campaign over Europe. It earned its nickname from the number of defensive machine guns, but it only became a genuinely well covered machine with the G version and its chin turret. Crews took to it above all because it could make it home even with part of the tail torn away.

Why replace the landing gear legs

In 1:32 scale the span of the model approaches a meter, and all that mass rests on two main legs. This replacement is cast in resin and corresponds to the state in which the oleo strut is not loaded: the piston rod stays extended and the tire keeps its round cross-section. That is how the landing gear looks at the moment when the wing is carrying the weight of the aircraft, which means on a model mounted on a stand or caught on approach with the gear down.

Reworking the nacelle

The plastic leg is cut off at the pivot inside the engine nacelle and the mating face is trued with a flat file. The hole left by the pivot usually has to be opened up with a drill, because the casting has a thicker pin than the injection-molded part. Dry-fit as you go: the part has to drop into the bay without force, otherwise the joint will break off under the weight of the model.

Checking the stance

The wheel axle belongs horizontal, and the angle by which the leg leans forward has to be the same on both sides. The quickest check is to look at it from the front against the light on a flat board. Resin carries release agent residue from the mold, so degrease the part before gluing, as otherwise not even super glue will hold.