The first mod was to the Main Landing Gear to incorporate Retracts with a more scale appearance.

Main Gear: As you can see the real Twin Comanche has very short Main Gear. The Kit's Main Gear fork looks good but the Strut is too long. I opted to only use the bottom portion of the strut and replace the spring shock element with a simple single coil keeping it as short as possible. It comes apart easy after loosening the set screws and giving it a twist. Given the short length (3 in from Wing bottom to Axle center) it should't be wobbly but still provide some shock/give. Currently using 5/32 wire but may go to 3/16 if needed. Also note that I had to move the wheel well 1/2in closer due to the shorter length. (other builders actually had to extend the well out further with longer struts). The 1/2 inch makes a difference but you could get by with using the stock wheel well opening and a 1/2 in longer strut (3-1/2 in).

Gear Doors: The Kit Doors are too long and thick so I made some out of 3/64 plywood. The mounting plate covers the exposed part of the retract unit and anchors the door to the wing with a couple dubro hinges. I removed the hinge pins and replaced them with a piece of .015 music wire bent to provide a torsion spring effect. The door is not connected to the gear leg but instead pushes against it. When the gear is extended the spring has the most force against the Gear leg, and when the gear is retracted it still has 1/2 the force - thus keeing the door closed against the well. CA works well on the hinges and I did the final bend on the wire once the two pieces were joined, On the inside of the door is a ramp which allows the door to slide against the gear leg as it opens and closes (see Main Gear Door 5).

The next mod will be to the Landing Gear Mounts.

Don