[pjal84]

Few problems. First I want an Israeli F-16...not a problem you say, just buy a Witty? *sigh* If only it were that easy. My problem lies in the fact that I can't just buy a Witty because of the fact that an airplane with its wheels down on the ground in both combat and on my shelf is worthless practically. It just doesn't work for me. I am currently vacillating about biting the bullet on a buying a Witty Israeli F-16 (I almost don't care which one) bent on modifying the undercarriage by removing the gear and cutting/hacking/etc. the gear doors off the plane and then gluing them right back on. I've seen pics of a modified Su-27 from Gaincorp and it was a bit rough in spots but nothing some patience couldn't remedy. What I need from the esteemed folks here at this forum is rather simple...is what I want to do possible? Are the gear doors metal and part of the casting and therefore not even removeable? That's the biggest issue that I can think of. Making the landing gear disappear shouldn't be to hard. I think. Any help on this endeavor would be greatly appreciated especially if you have your own success/failure stories.

P.S. I also am curious about the rest of the Witty line now that I think about it...so if you have any input there as well, please share. F-14's aren't of to much interest simply because I've been spoiled by Century, F-15's are next after the F-16 but they don't look quite as nice as Dragon's if you ask me, and as for Hornets....eeeeeh...mixed bag. I could sway either way.

[tank nut]

I hear ya dude, I have two me 109's from them and I HATE that I can not put the wheels up on them, you would think they would GET it by NOW!!! let us hope they soon do!!

[firefighterpilot1]

If you're careful enough, you could remove the gear and the gear doors easily and glue them shut. I am heavily modifying a Witty as we speak, this should be a snap (pardon the expression ), especially if you have any modeling experience. If you're nervous about the gear, what I'm doing would have you cringing.

The gear doors should be made of plastic, I've never seen any made out of metal, so do be careful with that. The hinge on each door should be the weak point, but if you find the glue is particularly strong, just try to use a razor to cut through the glue so you don't break off part of the door when trying to seperate it at the hinge. Breaking off the tabs is likely but you won't need those. As a matter of fact, you will have to remove those to get the doors to close flush if the tabs happen to still be on when you take the doors off. I use an exacto knife to remove any excess plastic left from the tabs/glue/ uneven plastic. If you are cautious but willing to take a little risk, you'll be surprised how well they can turn out.

[skidmarksdiecast]

The worst part about converting a Witty to gear-up is gluing the doors in place. Witty's landing bay doors are not the correct shape or size, for the landing bay openings, and much sanding and carving needs to be done to get the doors to fit properly.

[pjal84]

Beautiful. Glad to see I am not the only one that will be working on this. I'll probably place an order for a Witty F-16 this week or next. If you can, post some pictures of the build as I am pretty sure there are some interested folks out there. I'll be more than happy to do the same. I know it has definitely been a while since I've brought out my exacto and mini-files/sandpaper but I feel I'm up for it.

[firefighterpilot1]

Originally Posted by pjal84

Beautiful. Glad to see I am not the only one that will be working on this. I'll probably place an order for a Witty F-16 this week or next. If you can, post some pictures of the build as I am pretty sure there are some interested folks out there. I'll be more than happy to do the same. I know it has definitely been a while since I've brought out my exacto and mini-files/sandpaper but I feel I'm up for it.

I am waiting on a a part I ordered online. Once that's in, it should be finished up soon after that. Pics will follow.