Hey all,

Been reading a lot of posts on this site for a while and there is some great info it has help my modleing a lot.

Now my question is I am building the tamiya Dragon Wagon. The string for the winches how do i paint this to make it look like wire cable. I don't really go aftermarket due to budget already streched with price of kit and the sherman kit to sit on it. Any ideas would be helpful thanks in advance.

Hi Kris, what I do is cover the string in white glue or unbond then let it dry , this stops the string from goining "fluffy" then i paint it black, I usually thin the paint so it flows into all the nooks and crannies, when that dries I rub the whole thing with pencil lead this gives a good realistic steel colour the black in the nooks and crannies gives it depth if you want some rust on the cable I just make up a light rust colour thin it again and touch it here and there. Hope this helps

the photo is my m8 the tow cable is string

I use a synthetic string and soak it in Testors liquid cement. Pull it out and let dry. Paint it rust and apply various washes of black/ dirt. The cord I use is from center strands of 550 cord (paracord). I have a foot long chunk and it has 6(??) strands in it so I am ggod for a bit.

If you need a method of making multi strand tow cable this feature
http://dioramas.armorama.com//features/494
results in outstanding cables and is simple once you do it a time or two.
make it with a silver wire drybrush and wash with dark colors.