barison82

Shame!! Although of course being easier than fiddling around installing the gear yourself, it can be a real issue for breakage in transit (the 747 is a heavy model); also, it's annoying if they are not glued in straight. The other benefit is having the choice of using a non-permanent method when attaching nosegears yourself; so you can remove them if needs be. The manufacturers like use a permanent method of attachment.



That packaging should really be updated. I recommend getting some soft foam sheets and cutting them to size for the nose, tail (cut square and place underneath) and fuselage areas (cut to length and placed on top) to protect the model from the hard plastic cradle when in storage/transit, and dispense with the plastic sheets as they don't offer much in the way of protection. I've done this with all of my birds and it sorts out the problem with the risk of cradle rash on these models. Because the gear is already attached, a small hole needs to be cut in the foam to allow the gear to poke through. Sounds fidgety but it's worth doing to protect the model better for the long-term. That soft plastic film/nosebag can also start to stick, or even bond, to the models' surface over time - there is a detailed thread somewhere about this - with the potential to even damage the finish if in long-term storage. I've noticed that Aeroclassics now use a more brittle type of plastic sheet in their packaging, which may be better, but a cradle made completely out of foam is the ultimate solution to the problem.

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