Okay, I have to add my story about homemade tow cables. When Tamiya brought out their first full-option Tiger I, I bought one and decided to do what I could to improve the various parts (this was before anybody came out with aftermarket parts). One of the things I wanted to replace was the plastic tow cables, and I figured it would be cool to use real wire.

I had worked in various places in the Shipyard, and spent some time in the Crane Shop - so I knew what our cables looked like. Most of them were 6 steel strands wound around a central (flexible) core. I bought several coils of picture-hanging wire, and then - no matter how carefully I tried - could NOT get them wound by hand into something that was smooth, even, and realistic-looking. I eventually came up with a system where I C-clamped all 7 strands together and suspended them from a table. Then I used a plastic lid from a coffee can, and punched one hole in the center, and 6 holes along the edge. I fed one strand through each hole, and clamped a large fishing weight to the end of each strand. Then, I slowly turned the coffee can lid, and wound the outer 6 wires around the center one. Once I got the hang of it; it wasn't too bad. I had enough material to make four of them, and my girlfriend came to the conclusion that I was "completely nuts to have even gone down that road" as she put it.

It was an interesting exercise, but in hindsight; I wouldn't do it again - there isn't really all that much difference when comparing it with one larger single strand.