How to replace retract on foam airplanes

[Motomill]

Joined Dec 2020 1 Posts

DiscussionReplace Retract on Foam War Bird Hi, I have a Dynam Hawker Hurricane that I have a lot of work into weathering. I have not flown the airplane yet and one of the retracts stopped working. I put them down, took some photos and one retract made a grinding noise when tried to put them up and no longer does anything. I have asked for a replacement retract. I am wondering how you go about replacing the new gear. Do you need to cut the foam or is there a way to fish the wire through. If I have to cut, I am wondering if there are any tips so I do not destroy the airplane. I have not been able to find any videos on this, however, I do hear about people replacing retracts on foamies Thanks for your help

[xviper]

I have not replaced a retract in the Hurricane but I have done so on the Dynam Grand Cruiser and Marauder. Dynam retracts were quite problematic at the best of times. The early versions did not work when the ambient temps got down below about 60F. I’ve put in different retract (not Dynam) and the problem has never shown up again.
With those two planes, changing retracts didn’t require foam cutting. The retract comes out with 4 screws and the wire follows a channel, parts of which may have a tape covering which can be peeled off and put back after. The wiring going into the fuse shouldn’t be hard to extract either. The wing can be removed to expedite the procedure. However, if you’re only getting the retract alone, the strut and wheel needs to be transplanted into the new unit. That may require some fiddling with tiny little screws.
Rather than powering up the plane and transmitter, a servo tester comes in handy to operate the retract if needed to get better access to the mounting screws. Also, a servo tester can sometimes make a dead retract work.

[Motomill]

Thanks Xviper - I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out. It is nice to know it can be done and I just ordered servo tester for the job. A servo tester looks like a must have for RC planes.

Thanks again for taking the time to post an answer!