I am asking for help from all of the 1/72 armor builders out there. I want to make a radio antenna but I don’t like using the stretched spru method. I’m open to any ideas, tips or techniques.
Consider using a cat whisker. (Don’t pluck or pull it from your cat’s face, just snip it off with small shears. The cat will appreciate it, and so will you if you try to pluck it from your feline buddy!)
Nicely tapered and quite durable. Paint with water-based acrylics.
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Our cats are constantly shedding old whiskers. Usually just put them in the bin, but might have to keep them from now on.
We have a really (REALLY) large cat that has huge whiskers. He breaks or sheds them occasionally, and I’ve collected up a few of the straightest ones over the years. Even have 1/35 scale uses, since they can be used for small, short antennas on some larger objects.
I’ve also collected up a small container of very (VERY) small feathers from hummingbirds. We get at least one or two every year that Kamikaze into our glass deck doors, so no live birds have been sacrificed. These are useful if you’re a figure painter and need to replicate feather plumes used on some uniforms. (Like the black crow feathers on Italian Bersaglieri helmets.)
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I use .015 wire that I found at hobby lobby. The brand is Metal Shapes and you don’t have to bother getting a cat.
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I occasionally dabble in smaller scales and some years ago invested in a cheap, supermarket handbrush:
Thousands of perfectly straight nylon bristles, ideal for the job. No need to torment the family moggy!
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Cheapo paint brush from the dollar store. Make sure the brush has nylon bristles; they are very flexible, and taper to a point. One brush provides thousands of “antennae”. 
Flyhawk M1A2 backdated to M1A1
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Thank God I’m not the only one. I feel less “felinophobic” now.
what about a bristle from a paint brush ie a painter’s brush not a hobby brush or even a make up brush if they are long enough.
Uhhhh…look two posts up! 
Follow on question how long should the antenna be on a 1:72 scale modern US Army truck?