Willie is right on the toe-in. It keeps you tracking straight more easily. Otherwise, it will tend to zoom off in one direction or another with the nose off the ground and insufficient rudder authority.

As for the brakes, the other lead is likely the gear leg itself. There are a couple ways to do this, but the simplest is just to have a coil inside that thick hub and a magnet on the wheel hub. As the magnet spins, electricity is generated. By shorting out the leads (look for just a switch inside the fuselage), the wheel sees a braking effect. In the latest MAN there was an article on making a dyno. Same concept.

Andy