INDIVIDUAL TRACK LINKS

[Paul Senter]

I am in the process of completing a 1:35 Stug III (Dragon Smart Series). It s a brilliant kit and goes together well. The kit comes complete with two sets of magic tracks which, again look great however they are individual links and do not 'clip' together to allow the tracks to be fitted. Necessity has forced me to come up with a cunning work around which you may or may not find useful.

I had been given the tip of laying a thin piece of masking tape down, sticky side up and placing each track link on the tape. Once complete, apply some slow setting glue and drape over the wheels. This worked fine until the tracks started wandering off the tape. To combat this I offer the following tip.

Get yourself some thick card (about 2mm ish) and cut yourself a 3 sections about 50mm longer than your finished track (you may have to guesstimate that). One section needs to be about 150mm and the other two about 50mm wide. Using the widest card as a base, glue one of the thin strips flat on top so that you double the thickness. You then glue the second strip next to the other thin strip leaving a channel the width of your track. Either measure your track links or use 3 or 4 as spacers. Once the glue has set, lay your tape, sticky side up along the channel and the two card strips will ensure your tracks stay on the straight and narrow. I have made two and so far they are working.

This method will also allow you to paint and weather the 'inside' of the track before you place it on the vehicle.

Hope you find this useful

Paul

[Deleted]

Well done Paul, that's a good tip. I remember my first initiation to individual plastic track links with the Italeri Sherman ... grrrr!

I also noticed the same type of track link with the AFV Club M548A1, so I've got hold of a set of Fruil aftermarket tracks, I'm told they sit better but are just as fiddly.

[Paul Senter]

Fiddly aint the half of it - but both tracks are sat on my bench, well sideboard as I am a 'kitchen table modeller' (garage conversion begins soon!) and waiting for me to mix up a suitable colour to spray them with. If the whole lots falls to pieces when I fit the tracks, ill let you know. If I can find me camera ill post a couple of pics if the explaination is a little confusing.

Paul

[iansadler]

hi , the best method is to lay a small run of 5 track links against the side of a steel rule , this keeps them square , add glue , allow to set and repeat as many times as needed for top or bottom run , but always deduct one less when building , . this one is the adjuster to the final fit cheers ian

[Paul Senter]

Well the plan partrially failed as one track disintegrated and the other went on with only a little adjustment. I think as Ian Sadler suggests do it in sections, certainly not in one go.

Anyway - you lives and learns. I have a hankering to complete the PzIV Smart Kit from Dragon so I will try it then in the meantime I have been distracted by wingy things although the kit I am doing has a Kettenkrad so at least I get to play with some armour (ish).

Paul

[Don Cabriolet]

senter104 said:

Well the plan partrially failed as one track disintegrated and the other went on with only a little adjustment. Paul

If you want to build a full run of Fruil metal track in one go you need a box of staples for Office Staplers. With a pair of pliers straighten out one 'arm' so you have an L shape, one short arm and one long.
Place your links together and push the long arm into the fruil link holes in place of the wire which is always a bit too flim in my opinion.
You can use the short arm of the staple to wiggle the long arm about until it seats properly. a pair of side cutters (not your best ones!) will snip off the protruding wire, it won't come out, but a drop of UHU glue or similar will hide the end of the wire.
This trick works best on bigger track - T-34, Tiger or Panther size, and is tops for T-34 as you can glue the track to the bottoms of the road wheels and get the sit right, allowing the surplus to drape over the tops of the road wheels realistically.

Don't forget the tracks are now 'handed' left and right - and make sure the wire side is toward the hull - there you are another masterpiece I hope!

[Paul Senter]

Thanks for that - these were plastic 'magic tracks' though.

Worked out ok in the end - they look pretty good now and once I had allowed the glue to set a little, used tube cement, it was easy enough to add a little sag without splitting the track.

I might try metal tracks next time - although the cost may be prohibitive and I feel that the next set of plastic link tracks I do will be much easier.

Trial and error

Paul