Even though I just started work on Tamiya’s Mosquito NF.II, I’m already starting to think about my next aircraft build – Wingnut Wings’ 1/32 Sopwith Pup RNAS.

Cool aside. Wingnut Wings was chartered/funded/what-have-you by Peter “Lord of the Rings” Jackson, himself a World War I aviation nut.

Why am I thinking about it?

Because it scares me to death.

Biplanes are…different. There’s the whole stacked wing thing, sure, but there’s also the challenge of recreating realistic wood grain, of the weathering being somewhat the inverse of traditional aircraft, and, worst of all, the rigging – all those little wires that hold either 1) articulate the control surfaces or 2) literally hold the plane together.

Fortunately, I’ve been finding some really good resources. The first, a few months ago, helped put my mind at ease somewhat about replicated wood grain. You can check out a whole tutorial on the technique HERE.

Next is a solution to the rigging nightmare. This ARTICLE offers several methods, but the third method, the Double-Loop, really appeals, and I think it will be the one I try.

Both of these seem rather involved…and I’m certainly not anticipating that the Pup will be an easy, blow-through-it build…but as involved as they may be, both the wood grain and the double-loop rigging both appear completely doable, so long as one proceeds slowly.

I’ll be sure to report back on how these go when I’m actually in the weeds with the Pup in about a month or so.