How to make your own tow cables for 1/35 model tanks
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- Опубликовано: 19 сен 2024
- Make your own real metal tow cables for model tanks in 30 seconds. Forget the poorly molded effort that came in the kit, make your own and bend them to perfectly fit your masterpiece! Ridiculously easy.
My blog: www.davesmodelworkshop.com
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![MARDER III in winter camouflage - Part 2 - 1/35 Tamiya - Tank Model - [ Painting - weathering ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Eo0yKuYetv0/mqdefault.jpg)
My girlfriend and I are starting on a T34 tonight and I've got plenty of wire on hand. Thanks Dave!!
I use the cheap Brass photo frame or mirror hanging cables from them poundshops! The great thing with them is being brass so you can take a flame to them and the tight spring relises like what photoetch does and can look amazing as can be bent so realistic like! If you haven't found this tip out yet, you probably have but def give it a shot!
That's a great tip - thank you!
i have also used very thin solder to do this looks good and super easy to make coils of wire and to bend into any shape you want.
Fantastic method! I need to make some gritty cabling for post apocalyptic miniatures and this will be perfect
Exactly what I was looking for! Tamiya does a good job with neat and tidy stowed tow cables buuuuuut I want something a bit messier. I like the look of the tow cable running from the front tow point and running towards the rear.
Leave the default as is bro...awesome and realistic damage in my humble opinion. Great lil detail.
Thanks Michael. Cheers mate, always good to hear a comment like that :) Dave
wow it's so easy! thanks for the video
Thanks
OH YES and One OTHER Option... is to get/use "Picture Frame Hanging Cable" which can be found at Hardware stores or even "Variety" type stores with a hardware dept. AND it can be found in various thicknesses AND metal types like Copper, Brass or just normal nickle metal, and it's usually very very cheap?!
So easy - amazing!
I use picture hanging wire from the Dollar Store it's the same thing and the kit comes with other stuff I use to.
That's a really good idea, I love checking out dollar stores and looking for modelling ideas in the everyday stuff there. Nice one. Dave
this is genious!
Thanks Andrea! It's pretty easy and pretty cool, isn't it? Cheers, Dave
Thanks for the video, what gauge are the wire strands that you are twisting?
Dave, don’t let these malcontents and know it all’s try to ruin a great idea. I’ve been racking my brain on how to avoid paying all of this money for such accessories plus shipping . You come up with a great idea using items found around the house and some of these rubes aren’t satisfied with it. Tough. They can go pay Eduard or whoever to make them for them. Geesh
Heh heh, thank you Ocspic! I appreciate your kind words mate :)
Congratulations and thanks for the video, Dave. Just one question, what thickness of cables do you recommend for the 1/35 scale? Thanks in advance. Best regards from Brazil.
Thank you! I can’t quite remember the gauge of wire I used, I guess each strand was about 1mm to 1.5mm diameter?
legend 😯🙌💯
Thanks mate!
Thank you for the knowledge 🙏🏾 need this for my trumpeter challenger 2. The plastic mold is just awful
HI Crusader Matilda, glad you found it useful. Yeah, tow lines seem to be problematic for manufacturers, lots seem to have seam lines which are very tricky to remove. Good luck with it, Dave
This is a great idea. Ive been using it for years. Do you have any ideas Dave for tool mounting brackets for like the shovel ect..
I generally use very fine metal foil cut into strips. It's not as good as photoetch, but better than the older kit blobs of plastic!
Please consider keeping some of these 'blems' as they would be superb realistic detail...I have been around big cables and docks/piers and even aircraft arresting gear cable that odd bit you presented looked quite natural too me with the right dio the super detail would be freaking bitchin! ...just sayin. lol
Thanks Michael - good suggestion! I'm going to intentionally put in a dodgy one next time! ;)
great video, but a couple of questions , 1 would 3 strands fuse wire be ok, and the vital question what size drill; bit to drill out the eyelet,
Hi Hector, I'm sure fuse wire would work, it might just give you a more fine, smaller diameter end result. Also, make sure you don't over-tension it when you make it, if the wire is finer I imagine there's more risk of it snapping if you tighten it too far.
Re: drill bit size: it all depends on what final diameter you end up with once you have made your tow cable. I think mine was about 2mm from memory. Match your drill bit to the thickness of your final tow cable. Hope that helps! Cheers, Dave
HI Dave, thanks for the info, a query . do you use the eyelets that come with the kit?
@@DavesModelWorkshop This is for Hector and anyone else...
I posted above about basically Looping the wire/cable back on it's self and either soldering it to it's self OR using thin wire wrapped around as "Loop Keepers" and using CA Glue or Epoxy to hold it. You can also "TWIST" the loop once or twice to hold it in place before you apply the solder or thread or thinner wire to create the "Keeper".
While your tow cables look good I believe they use more than 3 strands of wire on the real ones making yours look too thick.
Thanks for the comment. It would be easy to use a higher number of thinner gauge wires to achieve a more authentic effect if that was a concern. Cheers, Dave
@@DavesModelWorkshop Yes it would! This is ALSO true for my "Thread and CA Glue" method as well!
I do believe that the usual or Standard "Strand Count" is about Five to Seven? And even if that is a bit low... it will STILL give a more "Realistic" effect!
I can give you another "ALTERNATIVE" to this but with THICK Upholstery Thread!
Take three Equal Lengths of the Upholstery Thread and some Cyanoacrylate or "CA" or "Crazy Glue" in either liquid or Gel form, and "Accelerator" fluid to cure the glue faster,
Using the same drill method, {OR You can HAND Twist them as well. That's what I did! :) } Twist the thread SLOWLY until it makes a nice "Cable" look!
{ I actually put my "Free End" in a small bench top, modeler's Vice! } and once it is all properly "Twisted" to the proper consistency, rub the CA or "Crazy Glue" along the length and then hit it with the spray "Accelerator" fluid, making SURE you DO NOT Inhale the Vapors as they are VERY VERY NASTY! {This is WELL Known to ANYONE that has worked with "CA" Glues and Accelerators in the past!} Once done, you can then cut to length and either apply the loop "Ends" or what ID DO is cut it about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch longer on both ends and "LOOP" it back on it's self! THEN I use very thin wire OR thread and wrap it around to make the "Loop Keepers" {Not SURE what they are REALLY Called?!} and using LOTS of CA Glue in Gel form, I get it so that it ends up looking solid. I spray a generous amount of "Accelerator" on it and when it cures, you can sand and/or file it smooth and paint it.
For the "WIRE METHOD" you can do the Exact same thing but Instead of using thread or thinner wire for the "Loop Keepers", you can just solder the wire to it's self creating the loop and making the Keepers smooth. This is easier in that you generally don't have to do sanding or filing to smooth them out.
{HOWEVER... IF You don't know HOW to Solder, or don't HAVE a Soldering Iron... then you Can use the thin wire or thread method as described above! }
I hope this method helps anyone? If you have questions, you can contact me through my e-mail posted on MY Personal, RUclips Page! :D
Joe Connolly
Jefferson, Wisconsin
AND a "Side Note"... I've been a musician for over 43 yrs. and have collected LOTS of Guitar AND Bass Guitar Strings that were discarded by band mates over the years and if I need "WIRE" In various gauges, lengths AND Stiffness, I have a crap load I've stocked up on!
So Old Guitar strings DO have a use AFTER they are no longer useful on an Instrument! :D
It's always good to look for "Material Sources" like this, because it is often either VERY CHEAP, OR as in the case of the junked Guitar Strings "FREE",
and "FREE" is ALWAYS a good thing!
It's not always necessary to Purchase materials?! They can often be found all over the place for CHEAP/FREE IF you know JUST HOW and WHERE to look for them! :D
Australian?
Yep. Born and bred.
Ow about showing us how you drilled the holes in the plastic and how you actually made the tow cable. What drill did you use? What size drill bit did you use? What type of wire was it that you used? Come on, do better.
Damien, I didn't show that stuff because it's not important: Use whatever drill you have access to. Use whatever wire you think will look right and that you have access to. If I told you it was a particular brand of wire from my local hardware store, that doesn't help anyone who doesn't have access to my local hardware store. "Do better", honestly...
How about guitar strings 😎😋😃😂😆
Can I admit something embarrassing? I've never played guitar, I don't know what guitar strings would be like to use! Sad, huh?