The main gear spreading is a result of bouncy landings. Land softer. Making the landing gear stiffer would just make the belly of the plane rip out instead of bending the aluminum. Its much easier to straighten the aluminum than to rebuild the fuselage.

The Pull-Pull or going to 4-40 pushrods on the .72 4-stroke powered one is a very good idea. The 2-56 (or is it 2 mm on that one?) pushrods are really inadequate to that size engine.

I've helped a beginner with assembling one of these ARF's... and yes they are VERY nicely done.[8D]

The student (his 3rd plane... and he had just soloed a few days before) unfortunately refused to listen to his instructor and managed to put the plane in so hard: the LE and TE of the wings met... The rudder went through the entire fuselage and wrapped around the engine (what was left of the engine) Amazingly...the covering on the wings wasn't punctured ANYWHERE.[:-] and the TE was unbroken on one wing. (you could hold it by the TE and it was like an accordian... returned to the correct shape of the wing.) Not one useable piee of the radio system... I think he salvaged a few clevices and control horns.