Landing Gear Selection (Shindin)

May 18 , 2006

Specs for Shindin 1/5 scale FW190 Retracts

Type:	Pnuematic
Upper Struts :	6061 t6 Aluminum 745 od .378 id
Lowers:	1018 steel .375 od 3/16" hardened steel ground steel pin
Swing Angle:	74 degrees (0 forward rake)
Axle Angle:	7 (97 degrees) 0 (90 degrees by request)
Cylinders:	Bimba Commercial
Weight:	15.3 oz each including the door standoffs and scissors
Common Options:	Aluminum gear door standoffs Scale lower scissors Milled detail bands 1/2" steel lowers
Sizes Available:	FW190 A, D or T152: Most 80", 90", 100" models
Optional Tail Gear:	Retractable or Fixed option .60 size up to 100" sizes 1/5 scale model... - 2.5" travel - Fixed gear -2.5 oz w/o cylinder

Quality Gear at an Affordable Price

The Shindin Machine 1/5 scale FW190 gear are one of the best sets of scale landing gear on the market today. Custom made per your order, they bring a very high level of quality with lots of custom tailoring, optional accessories and strong durability at a much lower cost than competitive options.

The photo above shows the gear as they arrived for my FW190, including optional accessories and tailwheel gear (non-retract option chosen). Assembly of these gear is extremely easy and takes a matter of minutes. I'll cover it in detail on this and future pages as I progress with my FW190 project.

Ordering your Retracts

When ordering your gear, planning in advance for how you will install them is very important. Make sure you know where and how you will fit them (both retracts and tailgear), which brings me to my first point... length. The first thing Lenny will need to know is the dimension you prefer from axle to pivot point. On the JDM 1/5 scale FW190, I found 11.75" to be the proper length to match scale and fit well. Any longer could present a problem with fit. This gives you a total retracted length of 16.75" from the tip of the air cylinder to the end of the lower strut. If you want a different angle on the axle or any other modifications, you need to plan them out and discuss them with Lenny. Also, forward rake can be added to your gear at as an option at a nominal cost.

Shindin gear utilize BIMBA commercial cylinders that extend outboard towards the wingtip rather than in towards the fuse.

The operating mechanism is very high quallity and the travel is very smooth with crisp locking at both the extended and retracted positions.

The photo below shows the hardened steel axle pin with set screw flat pre-milled at the proper angle to provide optimum fit inside the lower strut. Also shown are the optional aluminum gear door standoff brackets and the lower strut scissor apparatus. On the right, you can see the beautifull milled, scale tailwheel gear. The fixed gear are shown, but a retract option is available for an additional $25. This tailgear weighs 2.5 oz as shown, without the retract option.

Assemblly of the Retracts

Assembly of the retracts is quite simple. It begins by installing the two brass pressure fittings into each of the two Bimba air cylinders. The one on the end of the cylinder supplies air to extend/deploy the gear, and the one on the side of the cylinder pushes air to retract the gear. Do not use Loctite or other thread sealant as it can get inside of the cylinder and create problems with operation.

Instead, get a roll of Dupont Teflon Plumber's Tape and cut a small strip about 3/4 inch long. Wrap it around the brass threads in a direction that will "tighten" the tape onto the threads as you thread the fitting into the tapped hole of the cylinder. You want to have your tape go around the threads at least one full circumfrence, if not twice. Thread the fittings into the two holes and tighten very snug.

Next, unlock the gear locking mechanism in the main armature by using a small piece of wire to slide the brass cross bar out of locking position. Rotate the strut breach so that it presents the main hole upward and insert the upper struts into it. Rotate the strut so that the axle hole is at the appropriate angle and tighten the set screw. Remember that both sets of gear can be used for either right or left wing, it all depends on which direction you rotate the struts and insert the axle. Be sure to set up one set for left and one for right wing.

If you decide to use the optional gear door standoff brackets, slide them onto the uppers into approximate position and snug down the set screw. You'll see two extra holes and corresponding screws included that will later be used to fasten the gear doors to these standoffs. You'll have to tweak the rotation and position of these standoffs further as you complete the installation and detailing later.

One of the options available from Shindin is to have some of the scale detail bands pre-cut into the upper struts if you choose. I decided to not have this done as I prefer to add these types of details later myself.

Now you can slide the optional scissor mechanisms onto the lower struts and tighten their set screws as well. Like the standoffs, further adjustments can/will be made later to refine position and rotation. Rule of thumb is put the upper band right above the bottom of the upper strut and the other band on the lower strut goes just above the axle.

Lastly, insert the steel axle into position (making sure to extend it the proper direction for right and left gear) so that the flat spot lines up with the set screw in the bottom of the lower strut. Note that the flat spot faces down towards the set screw and has been pre-milled at the appropriat angle offset of 7 degrees so that the set screw hits it perfectly flat.

That's pretty much it for basic assembly. Further installation steps still need to be made to get them installed and operational, such as adding a pnuematic air system including pressure lines, valve and servo. Also, if you choose, additional detailing and painting can later be done, including building and mounting the gear doors.

I am extremely pleased with these gear so far and am very confident that they will be more than adequate for the job. In addition to the high quality, they just simply look great. Read on in my site to see the installation steps as they progress, the additional detailing that I will be adding, and ultimately a full report on their performance in the field. Actually, just after the writing of this article Shindin has released a new version of the FW190 gear that are quite different than these. Both will be available, so be sure to check with Shindin to determine the best version for your particular model.