Wots Wot lack of Rigidity -help!

[i12fly]

I’ve acquired an unflown ARTF balsa Wots Wot but when it is fully assembled, looking from above you can easily push the top wing backwards and forwards about 6mm each way relative to the bottom wing.

The single centre section strut is weak and twists because it is cut out, and the 2 narrow interplane struts each side are unable to prevent it twisting.

It seems like an accident waiting to happen so what I’m considering is either:

Stiffen the centre section strut with sheet on both sides (would it cure the problem?), or

replace the 4 interplane struts on the sides with 2 ‘N’ form struts, or

more drastically, cut the wing tips back to the rib and fit a wide single strut at the ends similar to the Panic –which works well for Panic (but this would look naff).

 

Maybe there is a better way, I’m not sure which way to go, has anyone with a Wots Wot found a better solution to this twist problem?

 

I see that the foam-E version has a strong ‘triangulated’ cabane strut arrangement with a single but wide interplane strut each side, also the original Chris Foss kit had four cabane struts which would be good and rigid. Both of these systems would offer more resistance to the wing twisting.

[J D 8]

   Chris Foss models are lovely flyers but some of the structure design in the ARTF ones is rather poor I recon. Perhaps changed to ease production.

     Firm up the the cabane strut fixing to the fuselage by whatever means you can and see how it feels then.