Hardcore shipbuilders have all probably heard of invisable thread for rigging their ships with. This is an advanced technique, akin to adding photoetch parts and ship's crew to their 1/350 and 1/700 scale work. For modelers working on one, another or both of our two builds, it is something that they might want to try. Invisable thread comes in 0.1mm and 0.2mm thickness, and in clear or a dark gray-green color. This latter removes the final task of having to use a permanent black sharpie marker to color the emplaced rigging with. Invisable thread can be purchased at any sewing supply center among the thread bobbins for sewing machines. If you have good references to work from, rigging can be done useing a combination of slow setting super glue to anchor each segment, fast setting super glue to tie off the end segment, and lots of patience. Remember to allow for catenaries in long segments and slack in the signal halyards.
I don't know of any 1/700 signal flags, but Revell used to include a sheet of flags with their large scale Battleships, Cruisers, other warships and liners. One thing about the positioning of flags on warships. Most drawings in instruction sheets repeatedly show the flag flown from the flagstaff on the stern. When ships are at anchor, this is correct, with the appropriate naval Jack flown from the flagstaff on the bow. Whenever a ship gets under-way, the national ensign is transfered to the mainmast, and prior to engageing an enemy, the normal ensign is replaced on the mainmast by the ship's battle-flag---usually something like 3 or 4 times the size of the normal under-way ensign.

Thanks for the valuble tips Bluebear. Yep, rigging is somthing I have not mastered yet. When I decide to give it a try this is the method that I will use. But I wont think about rigging till all the other challenges are met and the model is finished. My nerves will be calmer then! #:-)

Cheers mate,

Garry

I used regular good old fishing line painted black on my 1/350 fletcher, but it might be a little too thick and it does not bend so well giving it a sort of funny look. Does the invisible thread bend better so that you can get more of a loop to the rigging?

Thanks for the tips Bluebear. In the RN I think the "Battle Ensigns" were flown from both masts. I've read that these were "twice the size of a double bed sheet." I guess that is about as big as a King sized sheet now days. They were supposed to "give the enemy something to shoot at."

One of these days I plan to have a modeling room all to myself. When that day comes I have a small RN white ensign that I picked up twenty years ago to hang on the wall above my desk.

For larger scales, such as 1/350, light weight monofilament fishing line can be used. If you attach the line to the yardarm with superglue, you can put a kink in the attach point to simulate the pulley, instead of tieing the line around the yardarm. Radio antenna runs can be tensioned by holding a match a few inches away, running it back and forth under the line, or a safer method, use a burning incense stick---its slower, but you avoid the risk of introducing the newest ship in your fleet to the perils of Greek fire. When you're done though, you have to use a permanent sharpie marker to blacken the lines #:-)