Nit Pickin'

 by Brian R. Baker  

First, let me establish my qualifications to write this kind of thing.  I am a retired history teacher, active pilot and flight instructor, avid aviation photographer since 1950, and prolific 1/72 scale modeler.  I’ve been around airplanes all my life, and have never lost my enthusiasm for flying, aviation history, aircraft photography, or modeling. I’ve done a lot of kit and book reviews for Modeling Madness and for the IPMS website, and have been to a number of conventions and model shows over the years, as well as fly-ins and air shows. My intention is to write a short note every so often on some phase of modeling that might be helpful to inexperienced or even experienced modelers.

One thing I have noticed on a number of models I have seen recently, and this is mainly the fault of the kit manufacturers and requires correction by serious modelers, is the position of the landing gear on an airplane.  Years ago, I built the 1/72 scale Heller Polikarpov I-153 kit, which is an excellent little kit in most repects. At that time, I built straight from the box, and after completing the model and setting it on its wheels, I noticed that it sat at a grotesque angle, much higher than the actual airplane.  Airplanes sit at an angle to the ground for an aerodynamic  reason, especially those with tailwheels. After thinking it through, I figured that the landing gear struts were too long, and needed considerable shortening for the model to look correct. 

Then I discovered the problem---the designers of the kit had obviously modeled their kit on the I-153 that was displayed at the Paris Air Museum.  They took their measurements based on the airplane in its display condition. The plane was suspended from the ceiling, and in that condition, the landing gear oleo struts would have been extended fully, much like a car’s wheels hang down unnaturally when it is on a hoist and the weight is not on the wheels. Oleo struts compress with weight, much like an automotive shock absorber, and on the ground, they are nearly but not completely fully depressed. There are different types of landing gear shock absorbing systems, but they all do basically the same thing. Even the bungee cord system on the Piper J-3 Cub, and the spring steel “bounce-o-matic” gear struts on a Cessna change position when the airplane leaves the ground.  In modeling, if we  were fanatics, we could duplicate the system by making the gear from fine telescoping  tubing, but I’ve never seen that done in 1/72 scale, much less any other scale. So we have to present the landing gear as a rigid structure, something is it not.

The  solution is to present the landing gear in its normal “on the ground” position, unless, of course, you intend to suspend the model, in which case the gear struts should be extended. This is where a good reference library comes in handy.  Drawings don’t quite do it, as many drawings include the same mistake, so the best source is a good photograph of the airplane, preferably from the side, showing the actual position of the wheels in relation to the airframe, gear doors, etc. And watch for wide angle lens photos, as they might be distorted.   Look at a number of photos of the airplane, noting its exact position, and trim the gear struts for accurate length.   I have seen a lot of models at contests and displays that don’t take this factor into account, and it destroys a little of the realism that we are all striving to create.  Next time you do a model, check the photos as part of your research, and you might find that the landing gear needs some modification for accuracy.

 If anyone would like to respond, I’d be happy to reply.