by spejic » Sat Sep 12, 2020 10:00 pm
shipclambake wrote:off the fantail of a ship, Im sure its some kind of wire attached the the helicopter but what kind of wire?
It depends on the scale. In other cases of in-air aircraft it could also be a consideration where the wire is connected to the aircraft and at what angle, but this case is the simplest with a perfectly vertical straight wire going into pretty much the center of gravity of the helicopter. In the more complicated cases you might use something that doesn't bend or deform much, like spring wire.
In your case you would use some kind of steel wire because it's stronger for a given thickness than copper or plastic and is already close to the right color. If you are modelling in 1/700 you can get very thin wire by taking apart woven cables, like the kind used to hang picture frames to walls. Obviously doing that will get you wires with lots of kinks. Straighten the wire by putting it between two very flat hard surfaces (like two cutting boards) and then sliding them back and forth.
For larger scales, I might use something stiffer. Try looking at sewing needles in a sewing store - some are very thin. You can also try looking for beading needles, which are usually two springy steel wires joined at the ends to make what looks like a single wire. I like using those for antennas in 1/72 tanks. Stores that sell equipment for beaders will have spools of thin wire, but those tend to be very soft and I would not recommend getting those.
[quote="shipclambake"]off the fantail of a ship, Im sure its some kind of wire attached the the helicopter but what kind of wire?[/quote]
It depends on the scale. In other cases of in-air aircraft it could also be a consideration where the wire is connected to the aircraft and at what angle, but this case is the simplest with a perfectly vertical straight wire going into pretty much the center of gravity of the helicopter. In the more complicated cases you might use something that doesn't bend or deform much, like spring wire.
In your case you would use some kind of steel wire because it's stronger for a given thickness than copper or plastic and is already close to the right color. If you are modelling in 1/700 you can get very thin wire by taking apart woven cables, like the kind used to hang picture frames to walls. Obviously doing that will get you wires with lots of kinks. Straighten the wire by putting it between two very flat hard surfaces (like two cutting boards) and then sliding them back and forth.
For larger scales, I might use something stiffer. Try looking at sewing needles in a sewing store - some are very thin. You can also try looking for beading needles, which are usually two springy steel wires joined at the ends to make what looks like a single wire. I like using those for antennas in 1/72 tanks. Stores that sell equipment for beaders will have spools of thin wire, but those tend to be very soft and I would not recommend getting those.