Tow Cable for Scale Model Tanks – Braided Steel Wire (0.5–2.0mm)

Give any armor build the tow cables it deserves. Tow cables are a signature detail on tanks, armored vehicles and heavy machinery — but the ones moulded into the kit (when they're included at all) rarely look like real steel wire rope. This is finely braided metal cable that coils, drapes and catches the light like the real thing.

Each length is genuine twisted steel wire in a scale-correct gauge — soft enough to bend and shape by hand, so you can drape it naturally over your model's tow points and stowage just like the real thing. It keeps a little natural springiness, so for tight or precise bends you can ease it into place with needle-nose pliers, and for a run you want to stay put, a quick anneal (a brief pass of heat) relaxes the wire so it holds its form. Cut to length, shape, glue and paint.

Which diameter for which scale?

• 0.5 mm — the finest gauge: rigging, antennas and small-scale detail (1/72, 1/48).
• 1.0 mm — all-round detailing and lighter cables; great for 1/48–1/35.
• 1.2 mm — the 1/35 workhorse; correct thickness for most WWII and modern armor tow cables.
• 1.5 mm — heavier tow cables and larger 1/35 vehicles; bold, visible detail.
• 2.0 mm — heavy cable for large scales (1/16, 1/9) and oversized recovery and towing gear.

Real vehicles run cables of different thicknesses, so mixing a couple of gauges on the same model looks more convincing than a single size.

Buy the set and save

• Complete Set — All 5 Sizes (Best Value): every gauge from 0.5 to 2.0 mm, so you're covered for any scale and any subject you build — the whole range in one pack, at the biggest saving versus buying sizes individually.
• Essentials Set — 3 Sizes (0.5 / 1.2 / 2.0 mm): one fine, one medium, one heavy — the three most-used gauges that handle the vast majority of 1/72–1/16 builds. The smart pick if you don't need every size.

Each diameter is supplied as a 100 cm (1 m) length. Or choose a single diameter above if you only need one gauge.