Question: My Mig 21 came with fixed landing gear pre-mounted into blocks with a metal retaining plate. There are also pre-drilled mounting holes in the wing and fuselage that match with the retaining plate. What screws do you recommend for attaching the gear to the wing and fuselage?

Answer: Early production runs of the Mig 21 came with 12 metric Phillips head wood screws. Depending on market preferences around the world some modelers did not like the Phillips head and other modelers did not like the metric threads. The factory no longer provides the screws with the model leaving the choice of screws open the modeller.

Generally we suggest a pan head #6 or #8 wood or self tapping sheet metal screw about 5/8" long. Try the #6 first. Thread it into the pre-drilled holes and ensure that it bites into the mounting rail wood properly. If it does... go with the #6 screws. If the pre-drilled holes are too large for a #6 screw, try a #8 but if it is a tight fit, do not screw it in all the way. Back it out and redrill the holes first. You do NOT want to split the rails by forcing a large screw into a small pilot hole.