For fun I tried hot glue strands on a tiny Viking ship back in 2014. It attracts dust, does not always hold to the plastic, and, when used hot, invariably attaches to the wrong spot or burns my fingers.
Use GM's method or use Jim Baumann's Streched Sprue process (look it up). With a good quality plastic sprue and good control, it can be stretched thinner than human hair. It's cheaper than Hot Glue too.
Jim B posted that his best quality Stretched Sprue came from the Heller HMS Victory kit. I recall he threatened to use the yards and mast when he runs out of Sprue.
Nino