A discussion started with a T-80 tank ended to biplane rigging:
http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/board/index.php?topic=2288.0Modellers are strange people!
I think this is a topic worth of discussion: VVS had several biplanes and, after I bought this book, the Nieuports on my shelf became restless...
http://mmpbooks.biz/ksiazki/361I would like to compare what I know about rigging to other modellers' experience. First of all, TURNBUCKLES. For my 1/32 Pfalz D.IIIa I made the turnbuckles by following the tips I found here:
http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com/page8.htmlGas-Patch models makes 3D-printed metal turnbuckles. They are beautiful but expensive:
http://www.gaspatchmodels.com/turnbuckles/You should also be careful to use the proper type, which changed if used on simple wires, like WW1 German or French, or on flat wires, used by WW1 RAF and nearly all interwar biplanes, including Soviets.
In my opinion, making the turnbuckles makes sense in 1/32 scale. Up to 1/48, you can effectively simulate them with little drops of white glue, working them with tweezers to make them look like eyelets.
You can use many different materials for rigging: let's see them.
WARNING! Always make holes the same direction of the wire: if you put a wire at 30° or 45° in a vertical hole, you will ALWAYS see a "knee" of the wire in the insertion point.
SPRUE
It is fragile and difficult to make in great quantitis of the same thickness. It is good when some "sag" is needed, like on ships or i particular cases like on Pe-2's short wire between the canopy window and the antenna wire.
FISHING THREAD
I had my best results with it. You can glue it with CA on one wing. Then, cut it long enough to be tight when inserting it in the hole on the other wing. Then put a drop of CA on the end, insert it quickly in the hole and hold stretching it by pulling with tweezers a few seconds.
In case some sag remains, CAREFULLY approach a hot toothpick (burnit and extinguish it) to the thread. If it doesn't break, it will stretch.
After it's mounted,I usually paint the fishing thread Humbrol 56.
ELASTIC THREAD
Like these:
http://www.essebiemme.net/html/sbm_wire.htmlhttp://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/accessorieshttps://www.uschivdr.com/shopping-categories/shop-rigging-and-various/It's easier to install than the fishing thread because you don't need to cut it at perfect length. But, if you stretch it too much, if you apply it on an antenna mast,the tension could bend it. You can also paint it.
METALLIC WIRE
I never used it, because I fear that it could change its tension with temperature. I prefer the "real" stretching effect of fishing or elastic thread.
RB Productions has many sizes of steel photoetched flat RAF wires, like this:
http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_68&products_id=321These could be useful on Soviet biplanes like Polikarpov fighters, that mounted flat wires. They often had fairings and streamlined spacers, like the I-152 below.
This has up to now deterred me from making a gorgeous I-15 series biplane.
I hope that more skilled modellers on this theme will share their experience.