Airfix

[jcf]

I'm really tempted by the Bulldog, but it will need the rigging doing in order to do it justice and I don't think I'm up to it 

Maybe someone will do a photoetch rigging set.

I tried one of those sets once, admitedly in 1/72, and I'm still seeing the specialist 

i have a couple of them.  One for the Airfix Be2c and one for something else I forget.  Not tried either yet.
Can't be harder than elastic thread though can they?

Put simply ? Yes they are in my view, simply handling long thin straight pieces of brass is a PIA 

I'm surprised it was done in brass, was it
half-hard or soft brass?

Hard nickel silver (nickel-copper alloy) or stainless steel are what I've seen. 

[Wardukw]

I'm really tempted by the Bulldog, but it will need the rigging doing in order to do it justice and I don't think I'm up to it 

Maybe someone will do a photoetch rigging set.

I tried one of those sets once, admitedly in 1/72, and I'm still seeing the specialist 

i have a couple of them.  One for the Airfix Be2c and one for something else I forget.  Not tried either yet.
Can't be harder than elastic thread though can they?

Put simply ? Yes they are in my view, simply handling long thin straight pieces of brass is a PIA 

I'm surprised it was done in brass, was it
half-hard or soft brass?

Hard nickel silver (nickel-copper alloy) or stainless steel are what I've seen.

I've used high strength copper and brass wire in the past and it works well.
The annoying thing is it's quite flexible but once you get the hang of it ..it's pretty easy to use .
I get it from the destruction of electrical components and there's tons of different wire sizes to play with without alot of effort and its zero cost   

[NARSES2]

I'm surprised it was done in brass, was it
half-hard or soft brass?

Hard nickel silver (nickel-copper alloy) or stainless steel are what I've seen.

It was flat etch in half-hard brass, it was also a long time ago. The fact it was brass was what made it so "bendable". Wire is very different as it has that much more strength than flat etch. Years ago I used to use very thin diametre stainless steel wire, I got it from the manufacturer who was one of our members, but I thought I'd try the etch set simply to avoid having to measure the lengths. Back them my hands were steady and I could also deal with the stigmatism, but over tthe last couple of years unfortunately 

[NARSES2]

Never really got on with etch brass....nor Parafilm.

Parailm should be banned under the Geneva Convention 

[Beermonster58]

I use 5 amp fuse wire for rigging. Cut to length measured by a pair of dividers. Roll out on a hard surface using a steel rule or similar to flatten out any kinks and fit un place using PVA glue. As it's not under any stress, PVA is quite adequate. With a little practice its quite straightforward. It doesn't sag over time and, looks better  than flat p/e parts (which I hate anyway)

[Weaver]

Not that I'm inclined to get involved in rigging, but it seems to me that it shouldn't be beyond the capabilities of 21st century manufacturing to cut lengths of thin wire to the right sizes (in bulk, on jigs), put all the same size pieces in the same labelled bag, put all the bags in a box with some instructions, and sell it as a rigging set for a reasonable price. It would have the correct appearence of wire, rather than flat etch, but it would have the same convenience of pre-cut correct sizes.

The downside might be that the manufacturer would have to have access to a built up example of each kit in order to get the sizes. I wouldn't think that a show-stopper though.

[Mossie]

Could be tricky if you mis-aligned the wings very slightly. I've seen stretched sprue used, ends up a bit thick but fairly easy to apply.

[Beermonster58]

 The idea of a hypothetical set( per an earlier post) is a good one so, because it will be needed, why not include it in the kit ?. Clearly, it's too late for the current run but, future issues of this kit and, other biplanes could include such. On the assumption that most buyers of the Bulldog kit will be applying rigging of some sort they will have the option to use it or discard it at their discretion. No doubt some will raise the issue of added cost but, I don't see this as being any different a proposal to the adding of pre cut canopy masks to kits as, a lot of modellers advocate.

[PR19_Kit]

The Inpact series of 1/48 bi-planes in the 70s, which included the Bulldog amongst them, did include rigging cord in the kit. Even so they weren't considered all that expensive back then.

[Beermonster58]

The Inpact series of 1/48 bi-planes in the 70s, which included the Bulldog amongst them, did include rigging cord in the kit. Even so they weren't considered all that expensive back then.

I'd think that the economies of scale involved in mass producing rigging sets to go with kits like the new Bulldog would actually help minimise any cost impact.

[NARSES2]

If something like the Bulldog came with pre measured/cut lengths of "rigging" in either plastic or "wire" then I'd certainly be tempted. However it would need to be produced as an extra regardless of whether it was included in the kit or not as it's highly unlikely the people producing the mouldings would have either the ability or inclination to produce the rigging. It would add some cost, although how much I've know idea, but it would be a cost I'd be prepared to bare. The downside is that those who have their own preferences for rigging material and are quite happy to rig a model wouldn't be prepared to bare that extra.

A few years ago now I saw turnbuckles being sold as an extra for a WWI model in either 1/48 or 1/32 scale. Now assuming you could fit those they would make the fitting of the rigging theoreticaly easier    I've not seen any since, but then again I've not looked. As an aside it also showed how "far away" from the struts the rigging points actually are at times.

[PR19_Kit]

I'm not sure those turnbuckles actually WORKED Chris, I think they were just for appearance. 

IIRC they were for 1/48 kits and they boggled me at the time too.

[zenrat]

They can't even include seatbelts most of the time.  Fat chance they'll add rigging.

[Nick]

I bought a turnbuckle once. Full size one too. It was my donation to the Waterbird replica which first flew two years ago. Next time I'm up that way I shall look in and get a photo of it.
https://www.waterbird.org.uk/

[NARSES2]

I'm not sure those turnbuckles actually WORKED Chris, I think they were just for appearance. 

There were some that had a small loop at the end which you were meant to pass your rigging through, although I think you could attach sprue with a dab of super glue. I'll see if I can find the review in which ever magazine it was in.  The idea behind passing thread through the loop was that it was meant to make representing double rigging wires easier. I know I only ever saw them the once. 

Thinking about it, it may well have been iin Cross and Cockade ? They did/do have the odd modelling article, especially when Wingnut Wings were about.