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Wingnut Wings Kit - Yep it's a rigging question...


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  • 2 weeks later...

in doing some research (looking at phots) it's pretty clear that there are only a handful of turnbuckles proper used on the DH.9. Most rigging seems to be crimped cables or such anchored to small points -  the observation that, as WnW thought, these are too small to model, seems apt.

 

i read that typical cables were approximately 4 to 5 mm on smaller British aircraft and 7mm on larger ones. The kit calls for 0.15mm lines which is about right for a 4 to 5mm cable. This is pretty thin on the model. I don't think i could even see this. I think the heavier EZ line stretched a bit would be good - the thin stuff i can't even see - it's thinner than a hair. 

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Most RFC/RNAS/RAF aircraft had flat "streamline" rigging wires, that are not actually wires :) 

 

They were essentially a metal rod, with threads at the end, and flattened in the middle. The ends were left round and had threads for tensioning. There's only a bracket and the threads/nuts, no turnbuckles. Turnbuckles could be used internally or on control wires, though some aircraft like the Snipe could have RAF streamline "wires" internally as well, for whatever reason.

RAFWireTerminal_zps98e8ce81.jpg

Found somewhere in the internet...

 

As EZ-Line is not round it can be used, but WnW also recommended Prym knitting-in-elastic stetch flat wire for use as RAF streamline wires. (which is what I intend to use on my post war DH.9)

 

Jeroen

Edited by jeroen_R90S
added Prym remark
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thanks - good to know - i knew that some rigging, on the wings, was flat (streamlined) but i didn't know how that works so this explains it and how the fastenings appear. THe kit i believe shows where the streamline rigging is (between the wings) although the ability probably to model the distinction is probably not that noticeable but should give the Prym stuff a look-see too. The kit notes the streamline rigging at scale would be 0.1 x 0.3 mm so certainly a flat profile...

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5 hours ago, Jboldt007 said:

just bought the DFW C.V (late) kit retail too ... and the germans didn't seem to get into the funky rigging from what i can see.....

 

I have built four WNW German aircraft and the rigging on them is round and pretty straightforward.  

 

Ernest

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The best advice is too look at the real aircraft if you can, plenty of photos if you can't. 

The opinion of WNW to not use turnbuckles is valid. They look cool on the model, but they are nearly always way out of scale. WNW suggested just giving an impression with blobs of paint.

WNW was in fact working on supplying photo-etch for streamlined 'RAF' wires, and had sets on display at one model show for each of their RFC models. The instructions were going to incorporate the advice to only attach them at the upper end and leave the bottom end free-floating in a hole. In the end, they never went into production. In my opinion PE rigging never looks good, because of the buckling that occurs with temperature changes and from being flexed when the model is handled (even in the model shot on the box of Tamiya's Swordfish the PE rigging is kinked).

Other alternative materials are stiff stainless steel or carbon fibre wires (never seen either used, don't know where you'd get them from), elastic thread (by far the easiest, but rumoured to deteriorate in time, and the flat stuff will always twist) or stretched invisible thread (which actually adds structural strength to the model). 

 

Tony

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Thanks - after reading this... i went and rooted around in my stuff and found some K&S 0.35mm steel wire.... the thinnest i have. i dabble in large scale (1:20.3) rail stuff and i like the steel wire better than brass because... well... it's STEEL...and it doesn't kink or bend like brass plus one can blacken it easily. And it's stiffer. One needs a steel wire cutter (you'll ruin your standard clippers trying to cut the stuff otherwise) but it looks great. The only problem i see is that getting down to a scale rigging line for 1/32 means something thinner ...  which one can get of course... but the thinner one gets the more the risk of it "bending" under gravity I assume? - it's not under tension so the line has to be stiff enough to not droop unrealistically? But maybe it's a consideration - certainly more work and angst than E-Z Line  (which other than fingers and clippers is the one thing AC actually sticks too !)... the sections would need to be cut and fit pretty accurately ... but i don't relish the idea of having to re-rig something because of handling - or an aging of a synthetic line... but i don't know... i guess one has to try... 

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For what it is worth, I built a Roden WWI aircraft about 10 years ago and rigged it with EZ Line.  The rigging still looks like the day I finished it.  My display cases do not get much, if any, sunlight so deterioration due to UV rays is not an issue.

 

Ernest 

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yeah i'm coming around to EZ Line ... its amazing stuff because it holds in tension with even the lightest pull. Good to know it seems to last .. at least in the "shade".

I went to my local hobby store which has a good selection of K&S wire and such but the thinnest steel rod (actually piano wire) is 0.38mm - below this you get into spooled wire. I've seen some very thin stainless steel rods online ... but very expensive. 

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