Well folks, I have officially registered major disaster number two with this kit (this is a new personal best for me...).
As I wanted to try and keep it all close to OOB I decided to ditch my usual turn buckle "rig after the wing is on" process and rig prior to attachment of the upper wing (ie glue the rigging to the top of the struts - this has worked will for me in 1/72 scale). Rigging and installation all seemed to go well. I come back to the model a few hours later and notice that a combination of slightly too much tension and some very long and thin inerplane struts has caused one of the interplane struts to snap, leaving the model looking slightly worse for wear and the top wing pulled to one side. Desperate attempts to remedy the situation and re-join the busted strut led to a number of the other struts popping out of place - more desperately applied blobs of superglue assisted me in fighting a valiant rear guard action but the inevitable crunch of mass structural failure could not be averted.
Dang.
I literally was mid throw when I gathered the good sense to not send the W4 flying. Damage report - all interplane struts pulled, one snapped strut, some pulled lozenge decal from around the strut and rigging attachment locations, but worst of all, some very ugly blobs of glue on the bottom of the upper wing which will essentially require sanding and a repaint of the bottom of the upper wing.
Dang again.
It's not that it is a bad kit. It is in fact a very good kit. Which is why I keep getting surprised by these disasters. It's not that I am a bad modeller - at least I don't think so (I reckon I have a reasonable idea on these biplane things having build about 10 of em). I am not doing anything differently this time than I have done any other time... Its just that a higher power somewhere has decided to test me with this kit (maybe as punishment for not having any major disasters before).
Alas, I am determined moreso to not let this kit beat me....! Stay tuned folks, as these things tend to happen in three's....
BC