Wired

The Revell-O-Rama displays from the sixties were designed to use wire to hold the models in a “flying” posture.

My plan is to display models in a “flying” state using some derivative of this idea. The first thing I’ll need is some wire. The stuff that came with the Revell-O-Ramas is similar to, but not quite as soft was some florists’ “stem wire”  that I have on hand. The stuff can be bent with a pair of needle-nosed pliers (not one pair, I mean two pairs–two pliers–oh forget it).

Here are some shots of the testing and evaluation process.

Each wire “hanger” will be “custom bent” to fit the particular model it’s intended to support. The idea is to attach it to the wall using drywall anchors and some screws and maybe washers.

Then the model will just hang off of the wall. The wire might tear up a decal or scratch something, so I might work on “padding” it with something like tape or cloth.

The wire I have is a little softer than ye olde Revell wire. I’d like to find a source of the harder wire but I have a feeling that attempting to explain what I’m doing to some wire-selling clerk would be a nightmare from hell. Anybody know something about specifying the hardness of stem wire? Anybody?

I’ll be educating myself on this. Stay tuned.

2 Replies to “Wired”

  1. Try using a wire hanger for a shirt. Source: local cleaners. Usually “free” with a clean shirt. Mine come with a thin wire hanger, painted white.

  2. I like Your idea – some bloke on a Danish modelling site had a like approach but used a wooden block attached to the wall with the model attached to it with epoxy glue.
    This is an elegant solution as the model won’t necessarily take damage. How about using a thin copper cable which is covered in plastic sheating which may help the model stick and not damage the surface – like this:
    [IMG]http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1569/13657831/24678229/413503861.jpg[/IMG]
    The wire is soft and bends easily by hand. It may be too soft.

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