I have installed the upgraded FlightLine P-38 landing gear and now flown several times. The good news is that the upgrade improves landings superbly. All landings have been much more scale, no bounce and no bent gear. Due to the size and weight of the P-38 I fly at a club site on an asphalt runway, so the new gear help absorb the impact of this fairly heavy foamie. The not-so-good news comes with the installation. First the nose gear requires the complete disassembly of the retract due to the use of an 'E' clip to hold the strut in place. Removing and replacing the clip requires a lot of patience. Second after installing the main struts I found the gear doors could not fully close when the gear were retracted. The only way I could solve this was to shim the front of the gear by approximately 1/4". This allows the doors to fully close. The shimming did not cause any landing problems.
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I took the nose gear assembly out to install the upgrade. How did you even get to the "E" clip? Did you have to split the black casing apart? Appreciate any of your insights on this.
The main gear installs went fine but the nose gear has me stumped. -
Yes. You have to remove the screws and split the case of the retract unit apart. Watch Ryan's video to see how it works out. The video is very helpful. https://www.motionrc.com/collections...-pnp#video-tab
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Just take your time and be very careful so parts don't go flying when you take it apart.... Slow and steady is the ticket to success...Comment
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Thanks so much for directing me to the installation video!!Comment
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Glad to help!!! The Tigercat is so much easier. The connecting pin stays in the retract unit and set (grub) screws secure the new strut.....
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I too went ahead and ordered the "upgraded" gear when I purchased my plane last year...I ALSO purchased the "low bounce" tires that were featured in the MRC flight review...however...be advised to all...the low bounce wheels will not fit when using the upgraded (e.g.. non-stock struts)! The video was shot with the original gear installed and 'Pilot Ryan' opted to install the low bounce wheels to help soften the landings. Perhaps the gear upgrade was not available or conceived yet when the vid was made. SO...I had to run the stock wheels with the upgraded struts..and the new low bouncers...just sit in a box with nothing to do. A small waste of my money at the time, but not the end of the world though. Maybe I am the only one that experienced this...?Comment
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Installed the upgrade struts on the P-38. Definitely had to file the top of the strut swivel to get the "e" clip back on. Reinstalled and works great. Only thing is the retract doors don't close as the main gear wheels are too large. Guess I'll do like shocktrooper and put the stock wheels back on and try it. Any other suggestions are welcomed! Thanks Hardway!Comment
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The video linked above has unfortunately disappeared. I'm thinking of just cutting off the existing strut and fitting the new unit on the shaft. Has anyone tried doing it that way? I've done that on several similar models for the nose gear that swivels like this one does. I did both the 1.2 m and 2.0 m Eflite T-28s this way.Comment
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