I have problem putting up a rigged on bi wings aircraft from world war 1. is there any easier way of doing it? i did tried on my first time but did little bad job with it. I use black thread that was included with the kit from Revell Germany. Would be great appericate if you can help me out. Im looking for simple and easier way. Let me know thanks [:)]
HERE is a good article to get you started.
First thing, throw the thread into the parts box and keep it for tow cables or tie-downs. It’s fuzzy and doesn’t look like wire.
My personal favorite is using stretched sprue to rig biplanes… You don’t have to cut it exactly to length, like wire. Just get it close to length, glue it down and let it sag a bit, and then put a lit incense stick close (but not touching) to it. The sprue will suddenly snap tite and you’re done. Pratice a bit first though, because it happen REALLY fast, and you also have to keep in mind how close it gets to other lines & wires… It’ll melt those you don’t pay attention to.
Slientmodeler: Try this I rig my by planes with some stuff called Beadalon I get it at Michels it’s used to make necklesses it’s steel wire covered with clear plastic covering. It comes in several sizes I use 012in or 0.30mm. It comes in 75 foot rolls. Glue it in place with ca I used it on my 1/32 Revelle Spad13 looks awsome try it. ACESES5[snWcm]
I just didn’t rig my aircraft in the beginning, since they are 1/72 I told myself you couldn’t see it anyway. Someone suggested thin guitar string, and that is what I’ve been using since then. An ultralight E string is .008" so possibly slightly out of scale (about 1/2" in 1/72) but it looks ok, and while a bit tedious, it is not that hard to do. Just cut to length, put a drop of epoxy on the wing where the two ends will sit and that’s it. Since it is steel wire its already silver. A guitar string is cheap, usually about $1 for a string which is plenty for a fighter, probably enough for anything with a single engine in 1/72. If you plan on doing lots of aircraft you can get bulk deals on the guitar string I got a box with 48 strings for I think $12.
Stretched sprue sounds like a good possibility if you have the skills to work with stretched sprue (personally I’ve never had much luck stretching sprue) and it is the cheapest way to go.
(edit) Here are some photos of the Airfix RE-8 with the guitar string rigging
Try EZ Line - IMO, there’s nothing easier to work with or more forgiving. The .003" size is what you’ll want to use.
I prefer using 0.004" steel wire. I cut it to length by measuring the gap with a pair of dividers and securing it into place with Testor’s clear parts cement. Looks much closer to scale in 1/48 scale than anything else I’ve found. Stretched sprue is my second best alternative but it takes a lot of practice to get the diameter you need consistantly for a model with a lot of rigging to be done.
thanks everyone!! wow alot of different opinions to try. [:D[ i like to work with 1/48 scale the most. i do believe i have one 1/32 scale spad some where. one of you suggest using guitar wire, and umm where can i find it since I dont play music and im airhead with it LOL. but again thanks for many different suggestions. [snWcm] doesnt hurt to try all of it [:P] and umm i have see company called S-something sheet where u do make sratchbuild mostly in white color. i did saw a very thin rod line will it work?? let me know thanks [:)]
What you use depends on the scale you’re building in and your financial resources. The few (2 to be exact) biplanes I’ve done are in my preferred 1/72 scale, so they are rigged with my preferred medium of stretched sprue because it is 1) Abundant, 2) Cheap and 3) Easy to fix if you screw up.
You should be able to get guitar string at any decent music shop. You should be able to buy individual strings, you don’t want a full set. Once I found I liked using it I did a search online for bulk guitar string and found quite a few places, then just shopped around until I found a price and shipping I liked.
I’ve also seen some people mention using surgical wire, which can be found in even smaller sizes, but I don’t know where to get that.
Depending on how detailed you want to get, you can use a variety of sizes, I’ve read some of the supporting cable bundles could be as big as 1" in diameter, while the control wires were much thinner. I was surprised to find out how big they could be since I always assumed they were something like 1/8".
You might also want to take into account the time period of your subject. For aircraft that were rigged with aerodynamic RAF wire, like the Grumman F3F, you might want to use Evergreen strip for the rigging (for the 1/48 F3F, Accurate Miniatures very kindly provided photoetched parts for the rigging).
Best regards,
Brad