Hi all, I know this is a subject that regularly comes up but I thought it was about time i did one. As a reletive newb to the armor scene, I thought I would be a suitable candidate to do one as I ive been there. Anyhooo here goes.
The subject for this toot is a Stug IV though, as im sure you know, is very similar to hosts of other German vehicles that used similar chassis’
The links come with the kit molded in hard black plastic on 3 or four sprues. They have, to my mind, excellent moldings and look really nice when painted and weathered up. The only downside is that they have horrible moulding marks on each link
Depending on the finish that you require, these marks can be sanded off of each link. Very labor intensive and to my mind, really not necessary. You can hide a multitude of marks with a bit of mud. Anyway, the tools I use for track assembly are…A bottle of Revell liquid cement, a pair of decent tweezers and a Scalpel with a large curved blade.
Before you start make sure your vehicle has all its wheels assembled and fitted. Dont use any glue on the drive spocket or the rear idler as you will need to take these off in the assembly process.
Firstly you have to remove the links from the sprue. Do this by angling the blade slightly back toward the link and roll the blade from one side to the other.
Keep the blade close to the link negating the need to clean the link up afterwards.
The glue that I use to assemble the links will soften any loose edges from the cutting. It also softens the molding marks as well.
Dont remove too many at a time. I do half a sprue at a time. This suits as when I assemble the tracks I do them in three parts and half a sprue is about the right ammount for each of the three parts.
Onto the assembly. I assemble, dry (no Glue) about 8-10 on a flat surface. The fact that the links arent cleaned up helps them stay together.
Using an old brush (I keep one especially for glue) Paint the glue along the inside surface of the assembled tracks. Dont use excessive glue, just enough the cover the flat surface. This will seep between the joins of the links and do the job sweetly. After the 1st 10 carry on with another 10. Dont try to straighten the links too much as you go or they WILL come apart. Straighten them in a run of 20 or so using 2 straight edges.
keep going untill you have the length of your 1st piece. I gauge this piece by making a length the same as the bottom rollers of the tank. Use a straight edge or a ruler.
Put this 1st piece to one side to allow it to start to set and start on the 2nd piece. This piece has to be of similar length to the 1st. To assemble the 1st and 2nd pieces took me about 30 mins. 15 mins each inc photos. The 15mins that the 1st piece was stood, was plenty of time to allow the tracks to start setting and still be manipulated. I have found you can still easily manipulate the tracks after half an hour.
Now starts the bit I was (On my 1st tank) dreading. But really its no big deal. Take the 1st piece, dont worry it wont fall apart, and place it on the drive sprocket. When fitted to the tank the join needs to be at roughly 12 oclock.
Wrap the track around the sprocket enough to keep the join at 12 oclock but the rest needs to go under the rollers. Keep the length nice and flat. Fit the drive sprocket back to the tank and sit the tank back on its wheels to allow the track to set in position while you assemble the third piece.
Measure roughly the length of the top section of track.
Err on the side of caution and make this piece longer than you need. This will allow you to add sag to the track, if so required. When this piece is assembled and straightened, place it to one side and start on the fitting of the 2nd lower piece of track.
Slip the end into the 1st piece of track on the underside
while holding it in place at the join, start bending the track around the rear idler,
This will give you the bend point for the 2nd piece. Now, take the 2nd piece and the rear idler off the tank. Holding the track on the roller at the bend point, fold the rest of the track around it.
Once this has been done, re-assemble the track and idler to the tank. Join the 2 pieces on the underside with a bit of tape.
Make sure that you have waited at least 15mins before starting on the last piece of track as this piece requires a little more manipulation. Take the piece and slide it under the fender and up to its joining point of the 1st piece on the drive sprocket. At the back end, at the rear idler, the length needs to be about 2 links too long. This will allow for the producing of ‘sag’ in the track.
Now, hold the front of the track securely in place with a cocktail stick. From the front, pull the track down slightly between the drive sprocket and the 1st of the return rollers. Then, hold it at the first return roller with tweezers and pull down the track between the 2nd and 3rd return roller. Do this for the 3rd and 4th roller and the 4th and the rear idler. At the rear idler, check the length and the fit.
If its just too long consider adding a touch more sag to take up the slack. Or, take a link out and remove some sag to compensate.
Next, secure the track joins with tape. Make sure these joins are parralel with each other because these joins will be noticed on a finished model more than anything else on the tracks.
Use a cocktailstick, or in this case a ‘Q’ tip handle to secure the track to the rear idler. Once you are happy with the fit and sag of the track, put it to one side and leave it to set for a good 24hrs.
Remove the 3 pieces after the 24hrs for painting. This will be eased as you havent yet glued the drive sprocket and idler to the tank.
I hope this will be of use to someone, and hope I have made it readable.
Good luck.
…Guy
Yep, best way to lick the problem…