Undercarriages can be cripplers in terms of weight so for low wing types plug in undercarriages are preferred,make up paper tubes which fit into the wing or fuselage,the undercarriage can then be removed for flight giving better performance and more scale appearance in flight.
For high wing types with fixed undercarriages we are stuck unless you build such aeroplanes as the Heston Phoenix or Cessna 210 with their retracting undercarriages,like the low wing models these can be left off for flying.
If you have no choice then a simple swinging arm undercarriage is best,to do this pivot the legs in tubes anchored to the lower fuselage,the legs can be made from bamboo ( buy a cheap Chinese blind from a pound shop for a good source of bamboo) with small wire right angle pieces attached with cotton and bound then cemented,from the front of the leg attach small rubber bands which anchor on the fuselage,when the model lands the gear does not rip off but folds back nicely,well worth the extra effore and canm be built light if a bit of thought is put into it.
Make wheels from laminations of circular balsa,attach to the chuck of a drill mounted in a drillstand and hold glasspaper against the wood as the disc spins,bush with brass tube,paint with artists acrylic paint to finish.
As you can see the exercise throughout is to constantly save weight for improved flight performance,the undercarriage is important to this exercise so plan things carefully in this department.
For high wing types with fixed undercarriages we are stuck unless you build such aeroplanes as the Heston Phoenix or Cessna 210 with their retracting undercarriages,like the low wing models these can be left off for flying.
If you have no choice then a simple swinging arm undercarriage is best,to do this pivot the legs in tubes anchored to the lower fuselage,the legs can be made from bamboo ( buy a cheap Chinese blind from a pound shop for a good source of bamboo) with small wire right angle pieces attached with cotton and bound then cemented,from the front of the leg attach small rubber bands which anchor on the fuselage,when the model lands the gear does not rip off but folds back nicely,well worth the extra effore and canm be built light if a bit of thought is put into it.
Make wheels from laminations of circular balsa,attach to the chuck of a drill mounted in a drillstand and hold glasspaper against the wood as the disc spins,bush with brass tube,paint with artists acrylic paint to finish.
As you can see the exercise throughout is to constantly save weight for improved flight performance,the undercarriage is important to this exercise so plan things carefully in this department.