Cutting the red BEC wire and using a separate 4S 4.8V NiMH for receiver and retracts extended the life of the retracts, but only by a few flights. The retracts don't burn out after doing that, but they stop working after a while. My T-28 has had soft smooth landings every time, never a hard landing. Not so much my flying skill, but mostly due to the plane being very easy to fly. I was getting tired of replacing at least one retract after every 2 or 3 flights. I contacted Horizon again and they would no longer send me replacement retracts. They said the retracts had been improved so I ordered and paid for a complete replacement set. On 4.8V one was dead right out of the bag and one stopped working the very first day I flew. I have been through 7 replacement retracts including the 3 new versions, which look identical to the originals. I gave up after that and ordered a set of Electron ER-30 retracts. Minor mods to get them to fit, but well worth it. Yes, they are expensive, but I was fed up and now I have dozens of flights on my T-28 with no problems at all. Just smooth fast retraction and extension every time. Some people have had better luck than I with their stock T-28 retracts. For others with similar retract issues like I have had I hear the E-Flite retracts work better than the stock retracts and cost less than Electrons. I'm just sharing my experience and wish all the best for Carbon Z T-28 owners as it really is a great flying airplane.