Retracts look fantastic in the air and add a real touch of scale realism, particularly on Yaks, Extras, and other full-scale aerobatic types that were built with retractable gear. But they’re not the right choice for every flyer, so it’s worth being honest about the trade-offs.
Fixed carbon fibre gear is simpler, lighter, cheaper, and has far fewer failure points — no servos, no sequencers, no mechanical linkages to maintain. For sport flying, training, and even a lot of competition aerobatics, fixed gear is genuinely the more practical choice, and plenty of full-scale aerobatic aircraft (including many Extras) fly perfectly well with fixed gear in real life too.
Retracts add weight, complexity, and cost, and they introduce a failure mode that fixed gear simply doesn’t have: a retract that won’t come down. For sport and club flying, that’s usually just an embarrassing (and expensive) belly landing. For a model you’ve spent serious money and time on, it’s a real consideration.
If scale accuracy is a priority for you — flying at a scale competition, or your particular subject was retract-equipped in real life — retracts are worth the extra complexity. If you’re mainly flying for fun, 3D, or general sport aerobatics, don’t feel you’re missing out by sticking with fixed carbon gear; most judges and spectators won’t mark you down for it, and your maintenance list will be considerably shorter.
Whichever route you take, gear leg dimensions and mounting patterns are broadly similar between fixed and retract setups on a given airframe size, so our sizing charts apply either way.
Our EXTRA 300 150CC Carbon Fibre undercarriage is a good reference point if you’re shopping around.