Elastic cord rots at some point too. I loop rubbrebands so they are not loose. i think 3 loops for a #64. Its just getting in there. It saved my plane at a contest. I stalled it on takeoff and it all came apart like it was suppose too. Spent the rest of the day fixing stuff, but flew it the next day. If you want to get rid of them, I would use a allen screw and have something to thread into the wing . Dr1 is the best flying WW1 plane I have flown. My TF SE5a is not bad; I have re-engined it so it should be better and the worst was a scratched Fokker EV. Have the VK Camel kit but building a Reeves Camel right now. I lucked into a Saito 90 twin that will probably end up in the small camel mainly for weight; my Dr1 is powered by a Magnum 52 FS and it does just fine.