Hi there David, yes a machined is always stronger ! But mine its not
for decorative purposes 
i have many flights on it already
Before using it , i casted and tested many. There is no problem. One strange thing i discover with the Sukhoi is the forces involved of the frond gear. They are very little.
Because of the main wheels pivot point is very close to the CG the frond leg is handles less weight. I even changed the frond spring to one of the softest ones i could find.
Thanx for the heads up anyway ....i guess i could spend an hour casting 30 of this and changed them at the end of each flying day lol
..regarding cooling...you reminded my first time in castings .Total failure because of the dimentions of the plugs !
So i learned the hard way in casting you need to make plugs enlarged because after cooling the actual final part gets smaller LOL
