I'm in need of professional help/advice.

[Steinar]

I got this Loftleidir DC-8-63 (on the right side). Unfortunately the fuselage is bent like a banana. Most of the models released (I’ve heard) has this banana shape. But at AACF recently I was given a perfect straight model but missing the front gear. So how on earth can I remove the front gear from the bent one to the straight one?

I’ve tried hot water and hairdryer but the gears are stuck. Impossible to remove.

A typical situation when you want to remove gears they are stuck. If you don’t want to remove gears they normally just fall off.

Any professional advice out there?

Steinar

 

[Charter]

Hi.
Try using an ultra-thin cutter to get into the space between the landing gear and the fuselage and gently pull it out. They are watchmaker's tools like pliers and cutters.
The landing gears pieces are glued or pressed in. Using hot water is counterproductive because the heat causes the small metal particles that are part of the zinc/metal alloy of the fuselage to expand, thus shrinking the space in which the landing gear block is contained. This usually works on smaller 1:500 models, where the clearance is much smaller. Often, a small air pressure plug forms that blocks the landing gear and keeps it in place but, according to Murphy's Law, this only applies when you want to remove a landing gear, not when you want to keep the landing gear in place!

 

[Phantom]

heat causes the small metal particles that are part of the zinc/metal alloy of the fuselage to expand, thus shrinking the space in which the landing gear block is contained.

Yes, material expands with a temperature increase, but that obviously also applies to said space.
Heating/cooling hub-shaft connections for assembly/disassembly tight fit joints is a common practise in engineering.
If the models gear is also made of Zamac (which it usually is) heating doesn't make a difference though unless you'd only heat the fuselage and cool the gear which is hardly doable.
Heat however softens the glue so is a great method to get such things apart.
Word of caution: heat may damage your base paint if there were any residues left on the blank prior to coating (=> the paint bubbles!)

AC models usually have a pretty low fit quality which is compensated by excessive use of glue - this doesn't make things easier.