Tow cables for military vehicle models are among the most rewarding upgrades there is: the plastic imitation from the kit gives way to genuinely braided metal cable that drapes naturally over mudguards and towing eyes. We hold steel and copper cable with end fittings for named tanks, shackles, towing eyes and universal lengths in diameters from 1.1 to 2.5 mm, in sizes from 1:72 up to 1:16. Below: when to take a ready-made set and when to take plain cable, plus how to shape it to match a photograph.
1.1mm Metal wire rope for AFV Kits
2.76 €
1:35 Shackle for russian tanks KV-1, KV-2 and JS-2 - 4 pcs.
7.16 €
Stainless Steel Towing Cables o0,6mm, 1m long
3.96 €
Stainless Steel Towing Cables o1,0mm, 1m long
4.36 €
1.25mm Metal wire rope for AFV Kits
2.76 €
Stainless Steel Towing Cables o0,9mm, 1m long
4.36 €
On a real tank a tow cable is a soft, heavy thing that follows every bracket it touches. A styrene moulding never plays that part: it is rigid, it carries parting seams and it hangs in mid-air. Braided metal cable, by contrast, can be laid exactly as a period photograph shows and will hold the shape. We sell it either as complete sets with cast or 3D printed end fittings for a particular machine — Churchill, Chieftain, M113, Tiger, Panther and dozens more — or as plain length you cut to need.
A set with end fittings is more convenient: eyes and brackets follow the original and the length is right. Universal cable earns its place when you are building a machine no set covers; pick the diameter by scale, usually between 0.5 and 2.5 mm.
Steel cable is springier and keeps a bright metallic look, while copper shapes more easily around brackets and, once blackened, reads convincingly greasy. If a length refuses to hold its shape, pass it briefly through a flame to soften it.
The same type of cable is made in several sizes, and the thickness of the strands has to match, or the cable will read as a hose. Go by the designation in the product title.
Fix the end fittings with cyanoacrylate from the model glues section, and look through the other military vehicle detail parts as well — a cable is the natural first step towards a more detailed machine.
