So, I just spent $35 on a set of Fruilmodel tracks from Discountmodels.com. They are a bear to put together, but I have about 10 inches done now for my Pzpkfw IV Ausf. J. I can tell they are going to look Awesome when I set them on the model. I’d Love to get more but can’t justify $35 a model. Does anybody have any suggestions as to where to purchase these at a good price?
Thanks,
abastyr
That’s about what you’re going to pay anywhere. [:(]
Yep, it’s what I’ve seen around, too. Great Models had them for about $28, but raised their prices about 3 or 4 months ago. Mission Models is about the same, too. Sorry.
Hometown hobbies ( http://www.hometown-hobbies.com/home_page ) has them and none of them list higher than $30.00, Pz IV Ausf J list as low as $26.00.
I respect anyone wanting to go the extra mile for those tracks, but I can’t justify the cost. I mean for the same price, you can in most cases buy a whole kit! I have opted for indy tracks in most cases for tracks that sag, and they cost about half as much as Fruil. They are plenty of work also. I don’t like vinyl, but on armor that tracks don’t sag, I can’t justify the extra cost of AM tracks. Of course this is just my opinion.
Hmm I use modelkasten tracks they look great too, but I think the price is the same. [V]
I just find it easier to work with plastic.
Thanks to the strength of the Eurodollar , ( these are made in europe) , and the high cost of import into this country the price of them has gone out of sight ! They do look great when done and I think if you can afford them , they are definatly worth it ! That is around the average price for them BTW. Good luck with your panzer .
the Price over in the UK that i paid for the Panther tracks was £23.99 wich converts to $43.68, so your still getting them cheaper in the US than in Europe
WOW I figured they would be WAYYYYYYYY cheaper over across the big pond ,they have gone up almost $5 at my supplier in the past 2 months and that was the reason given ! Maybe he just wanted to line his pockets $5 more?[;)] Or maybe Britain and its high taxation is still a place not to live ? Your parliament does have a funny way of arguing I will give you that ! Kinda like the player haters ball from Dave chappelle show , only with white types![:D]
Check out R&J products, I haven’t bought any from them in about a year, but I know I didn’t pay that much for them. I’m thinking I paid about $26 US. Of course they may have raised prices also.
R&J is showing them at $26 to $28. Cheepest I’ve seen, so far. Thanks, Steve!
They are made in Hungary, where i am from, and they are expensive there too. last time i checked they were $25+. I will check for youall the current price over there, when i go there this summer. [:)]
i think home-town hobbies is actually cheaper ($26-$29) than great model webstore’s price, which is around $30. have you tried using bent staples in stead of the crummy wire they give you? makes it easier and quiker to put them together.
Friul trax average about 3,900 yen ($37 USD) a set here in Japan, a bit more expensive than Model Kasten. Which figures, since MK is a Japanese company.
As far as it being worth the price, I believe that is entirely up to the individual.
For me, it’s worth it.
J Hulk: What is your opinion of model kasten tracks ? I did my first set of them a bit ago and when finished they looked just great , but after I painted and weathered them , then tryed to pust them back on the tank they literally fell to pieces , it was so frustrating to say the least ! Needless to say , that will be my last set of those , and this was a simple set compared to other MK kits , from what I hear . The solution would be for them to make pins just a bit longer , the ones they give you are just too short to take the strain of a bend after paint is applied . But that would require a retool of thier molds which I doubt would ever happen . They would sell more if they did this I believe , because the detail of thier tracks is second to none , I like fruils and prefer thier durability and ease of construction , but they are a bit out of scale if you ask me .
Shawn, as I’m sure you know, I love the look of the MK tracks too, but what trouble I had with them. I’ve got a set of Tiger I late tracks that I got before I knew all the trouble I was going to have with the MK tracks. I think I’m going to use my pin vise and drill the guide holes out a bit and make longer plastic pins to go into what would wind up being the inside (hull-side) of the links. I hope it works. I don’t want to go through what I did with the Panther links!!
Hi, guys!
I love the MK trax (although I’ve been using mostly Friul lately) and fortunately have never had the problems ya’ll mentioned, although I have heard similar stories elsewhere. I always do washes with acrylics; I have heard that washing MK tracks with enamels or lacquers can weaken the connections and cause the tracks to separate.
The Friul tracks are definitely stronger, of course. (Except the old crimp-style tracks)
I think MK tracks are more accurate and in-scale.
Hey, Brian. How you doin’??
I did wash my MK tracks with a thin oil and enamel paint mix, but I’m not sure that’s what caused them to come apart. The pins on the side with the smaller “nuts” were sheared off on almost every break. Very few of the larger, outside ones broke. Even if it was due to the wash I used, it seems like a little better design could have prevented the problem in the first place.
But I’m through them now, so I should get off the soapbox, I guess. The set I have for my Tiger I will be put together differently.
My e-100 is still waiting in the wings. I need to get the Artisan Mori mantlet and possibly a metal barrel before I go much further with it. Question for you…are the e-100 and Maus close enough that I could use an Eduard Maus PE set on the e-100??
Have a great day.
Howdy, Bill!
I understand what you mean about the MK pins. Guess I’ve been lucky!
About the PE: since the Maus and E-100 share the same turret, all the goodies for the turret will be fine, but the hulls, chassis, and running gear are completely different, so other than generic tool clamps or items of that sort, nothing would be interchangeable.
I didn’t know Eduard made a PE set for the Maus! Gotta look into that.
Good luck, Bill!
Yep, Great Models has it in stock for $17 (#ed35252). Looks like a pretty extensive set. Wish they had one for the E!