For all those who have or thinking of getting this kit.This is a waring,if you have this kit then buy the after market tank treads to this kit.If you have this kit then if you could WAIT,I am sending this piece of junk back to Italeri.I had to drill and place a brass rod in the idle wheels because of the rubber band tracks.Believe me it was not easy since I had it put together.The plastic used on this model will not and I repeat will not take super glue,cyanocyate or even model glue after it breaks.Once I got the idle wheels fixed and applyed the tracks,the boogies started to brake.This is due to thin plastic in critical places.So if you don’t want your blood pruessure going up or do as I did by putting my fist throught it.I would suggest not buyying this kit or sending it back to Italeri and demend either different tracks or a better done kit that will not brake.A kit that will work with glues and set.If you use super glues you will be dissappointed when they will not hold and cristalizes…Digger
WOW, I never had that kind of trouble with an Italeri kit, but I DO agree that they have the WORST tracks on the market, bar none! I actually built this kit–the original one, and got some AM tracks for WWII, as they came with late tracks if I recall correctly?
It’s to bad we can’t find a reliable email address to barrage them with demands that they make bettter tracks; I mean, surely at ths stage of all the modeling advances out there, they cancome up with a better track?
Hi guys,
I have that kit in my stash, in the Testor issue. I had no idea it had these shortcomings… Can you quote an item number for replacement tracks?
The only Italeri kit I’ve begun (not yet finished) is their M110, and what I’ve built so far seems pretty good quality – at least it did a few years back before it went back in the box and into the stash, due to time or interest constraints.
TB379
Digger,
Sorry to hear that you had difficulties. I too have built the same kit last year, but luckily I didn’t encounter those problems. Unfortunately, I think this is the only M24 kit that’s available in 1/35.
Unfortunately, the M24 OOB isn’t the greatest. However, if you want to go super accurate then I highly recommend the Formations Models upgrade which includes a new turret, new roadwheels and tons of other extras. You’ll still need an Eduard or Royal PE set and replacement track links.
Not a cheap way but it’s all we have for now. (and wouldn’t you know it, I’ve accumulated all those items! Just need the time to do it)
It’s actually a very decent kit except for the stiff tracks. It came out in the mid-80s and i built it back then in the Testors box. It was recently reissued as a retooled kit that backdated the model to a WW2 version. The original model represented a post WW2 tank.
The best tracks for the original post WW2 version are by Armour Track Models, TK-06. I believe they did a set of WW2 tracks for the kit as well.
I think the Chafee is one of the most neglected model in the the hobby. It has been years since it first came out and not one manufacturer has come out with another one to improve on it. Many shermans and panzers came but no sign of a new chafee is in sight.
It actually does build up beautifully–I had no problems building it…but ugh, those awful tracks! These are resin replacement WWII tracks.
Wow, thats a really nice Chaffee doog!! I hope mine builid up as well!!
I agree that we’re stuck with the Italeri/Testors offering since no other mfg has taken the initiative (Dragon, Tamiya are you reading this???) and the tracks are the lamest ever, no matter which version you get!! I have two of these in the stash (WWII & Post) and have a great set of Armour Track rubber chevron tracks for the post version…guess I’ll have to go Friuls for the WWII version!! The kit cost me less than $20 on eBay, the tracks will cost me another $40!! [sigh]
I built the Testors issue about 20 years ago. It was a straight OOB as all mine were back then. I did not have any incidents with the kit tracks on my build. I have the newer “WWII” release in my stash now. I do agree about Italeri’s tracks being way to stiff, but so are Academy’s and Trumpeters. I do like AFV Club and Tamiyas single piece tracks in the softer plastic.
Has anybody used the new Dragon DS single length tracks yet and have a recon report?
yes especially those of us who want to model MOVIE scenes…since the Chafee is a stand in for US main battle tanks of WWII movies [:-^]
Yeah, The Battle of The Bulge, for instance, with M24s up against M48s standing in as Tigers… though why they had Tigers in December 44 painted up in panzer gray I’ve never worked out. The only vehicles seen in dunkelgelb, olivegrun unt rotbraun were a small group of American trucks… And to this day I don’t understand why!
TB
Wait a minute! Do you mean this ISN’T a true German King Tiger tank from the Battle of the Bulge???
After seeing that picture I feel a Panzerlied coming on [:D]
Thanks for the [tup] on the Chaffee, Ernest, but correct me if I’m wrong–isn’t that an M-47?
Cool idea for a build, by the way! [swg]
[(-D] Yeah doog, I built this for the Italeri GB 2 a few months back!! Part of my homage to that classic WWII movie, “Battle of the Bulge”! That’s where the Italeri Chaffee comes in: When I get a chance it will be built and painted to represent Sgt Sam Duffy’s M24 in the movie even with the strange camo scheme! I luv all the battle scenes with the “King Tigers” and the “Shermans” (Panzerleid is playing softly in the background now!!)
DRAGON…lay off the Tigers for a while…we NEED a NEW Chaffee!!! How about this…1/35 M24 Chaffee 2 in 1 Smart Kit??? [tup][tup]
Hi Bufflehead,
Great minds think alike! Cool build!
I remember a 1:16 figure coming out several years ago, a portrait figure of Robert Shaw/Martin Hessler, and I’ve often thought it would be sooo coool to pose that figure in the hatch of a King Tiger.
TB
I might have a solution to the “stiff track problem”. I’ve built two of Italeri’s LVT’s and those have some pretty stiff tracks. I noticed when I initially put the tracks on the model, that the suspension was under a lot of stress. Here’s my solution that worked really well.
- Put all of the suspension on the model
- Heat up water in pot almost to a boil
- Put one track in the water for about 30 seconds
- Immediately put that track on the tank. The track should be nice and floppy. It will have expanded due to the heat and will fit easily over the suspension.
- After about 3 minutes, the track will cool and shrink to fit the suspension nicely.
I’ve done this about 6 times and it’s worked every time. Noticed the slight sag on my LVT’s tracks:
Jesse
Very, very cool, Bufflehead! I did a “Hessler’s King Tiger” build myself, about ten years ago:
Love those M47s!
Concerning the Italeri Chaffee, I’ve built a couple of them, and encountered no problems at all with either of them…even the stiff tracks. Those were older releases, though…is it possible the newer releases are featuring a lower grade of plastic and vinyl?
I replaced the kit tracks with a set of Friuls. What is nice with that set is that it comes with a corrected set of sprockets. The kit comes with either the post WWII or WWII track depending on issue from what I have read in the forums. Mine was a Testors issue with the Post WWII track. The Fruil set is the WWII set.
Mike T.