How to keep parachutes open?

[killer 88s]

I just got a couple of the bravo team rangers and want to hang them from ceiling, but i can't figure out a way to keep the parachutes open. I thought about rigging some type of wire frame, but i'd like to hear if anyone has a better idea.

[gouchy]

Been thinking of doing the same with some of my BBI 101st/82nd Airborne guys

I've thought about using twisties, removing the plastic/rubber sleeve and using the wire but wasnt sure if they were stiff enough for full blown chutes but might work for half deployed chutes (just jumped from C47s). Actually by leaving the sleeve on may blend better inside the chute if they were green sleeves?

Also considered using a bowl as a mould and starching/gluing the chute to shape

Another is maybe using some broom plastic or bambooish bristles to constuct the round frame like a chinese lantern

But I'm figuring twisties method is probably easiest to deal with

[aferguson]

i went to a dollar store a bought some clear plastic bowls of suitable size. Just stuck them underneath...virtually invisible.

BBI was going to include some foldable wire frame with their parachute figures but never did. That's an alternative thing to make but sounds complicated to me.

[Razor17019]

This question was asked when the first BBI paratroopers came out.
Here is a link to the old thread and how tmanthegreat did his with wire:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3334&p=32370&hilit=parachute#p32370
Tman, can you explain a little on how you made the wire frame?
Thanks,
Razor

[acisne]

The best way I found was to blow up a balloon to the right size and spray the canopy with some heavy duty starch.

[NWarty]

Run around yard with said parachute in hand. Have a buddy chase you with a can of spray laquer....

[AMERICAN_GRENADIER]

good ideas

[flyboy_fx]

A balloon, Lots of whte glue, hairspray, and starch.

[YT]

i went to a dollar store a bought some clear plastic bowls of suitable size. Just stuck them underneath...virtually invisible.

I made a wire rig for mine, but the guy at the hobby store did the bowl with his, and it looks much better.

[tmanthegreat]

Tman, can you explain a little on how you made the wire frame?
Thanks,
Razor

That was some good sleuthing! I was looking for that thread a while back and couldn't even find it. My closet sure has changed since those pictures were taken... A couple of the paratroops are still there, but that empty wall now holds a bunch of 32x aircraft in display/storage





Anyways, I did try the bowl method initially and didn't like having the plastic up in the parachute and I also didn't want to wreck the cloth by using starch or glue, so I went with the wire frame.

I had some heavy wire that I bent in a circle around a paint can and then made a couple cross pieces. This fit up under the parachute canopy. I then made a little wire hook that fit up through the vent hole at the top of the parachute. I then attached varying lengths of fishing line to that hook, which attaches to a hook on the ceiling. The whole assembly can be removed easily to dust off the parachute or move it somewhere else.

Here's a crude picture of the wire frame & hook viewed from the top down:


As you can see from my photos, the wire is dark colored and is hard to see in the parachute canopy, yet keeps it in the open shape pretty well

[killer 88s]

Thanks for the write up tman! I'm probably gonna use a wire frame for my troops as well.

[flyboy_fx]

[popeye357]

You could use a bowl like Afreg did but instead of leaving it in the chute, you could spray a ton of starch on em or even polyeurethane.