Hi Folks, I normally do armor kits but have been in a slump of late. So I have decided to try a biplane out. I got a great deal on an Eduard "Weekend Edition" Bristol F2B Fighter. What do people use for rigging ? I have heard of 2# monofiliment fishing line being used. How do you make it taught ? Do you super glue it in place? Are there any other thing used instead ? Any tips would be appreciated a lot ! Thanks, Tom

The following is from the Early Aviation Forum here at Aeroscale.

". . .First of all leave the top wing upper surface and the lower wing under surface unfinished. Why you ask? These are the areas that you need to apply glue to. An open flat surface is easier to work with than the narrow area between the wings.

Drill straight through the wing next to the strut at the appropriate angle. There should be two holes for each strand. Note also that one hole can possibly hold upto 5 strands. The key to working with monofilament is start by the upper cabane strut locations and move out and down with your strands. Used spring action clothes pins to clip on the strands once their through the lower wing area. One clothes pin for one strand. This pulls the strand(s) tight and then you just put one drop of thin type super glue in the hole. Don’t use metal hemostats as they can over stress the small 5-8 mil strands and after your complete it will go slack and heat application won’t tighten it permanently.

When your finished rigging use a sharp #11 blade and clip all ends of the secured strands. Then scrap any glue spots off the plastic and finish to suite your chosen profile.

The other choice is ( I prefer blackened brass) fine wire. For 1/48 and smaller try .006-.008. For larger scales try .015-.020 and up. Brass is best choice for short runs of 1½ and smaller. Brass has weight and will tend to sag over a period of time. Turnbuckles can be manufactured in scale, it just take patience. In smaller scales you can simply replicate turnbuckles with an application of thicker gel super glue then paint when dry. . ."

For the Bristol F.2b here is a build thread.

Shipshape in Bristol Fashion

Thanks a lot for the tips on rigging, even more thanks for your build log. It looks like the Ol' Bristol will be a challenge, there's a lot of rigging on this baby !
Tom