Can anyone help me? I wish to change the tracks on my T34, but I have already completely fitted it together. What i’m thinkin’ of doin’, is to cut off the old vinyl ones, and fit some new separate track links, without takin’ the tank apart. Can the fittin’ of the new links be done with ease, in this case? This is the first time i’ll be usin’ aftermarket track links, and i’m wonderin’ if Maquette are a good brand, 'cos they’re dirt cheap.
If they are anything like the Maquette Pz 38(t) tracks I’m playing with right now, they are a flash clean-up nightmare. The links look fair, but certainly not up to the standards of Fruil or other high-end AM tracks, but they are better than the rubber band kit tracks. But hey, I paid all of $6 for the tracks, new road wheels, 2 different sets of drive sprockets, idlers and leaf springs, so I can’t complain too much.
Assemble the tracks into two long runs, one for the upper stretch, one for the lower, then assemble the pieces to fit around the drive sprocket and idler. I then usually fit one of the curved sections to each long length and then I paint them, making sure to mask the area where they join. Slide them around the sprockets and wheels, then join the two sections together and touch-up the paint.
You might have some problems getting them around the front fenders, if you still have them on. Cutting off the front fenders would be a small loss, since most T-34 quickly lost them in combat anyways.
think the Maquette links are dirt cheap?
Cause they are not worth much more than dirt in terms of fit.
Not to mention the knock-out blems and odd flash here and there that prevents proper mating of the links.
They may look good in the box, but trust me; stay away from Maquette, you’ll be glad you did.
I put a set of them on my SU-85. They took a little work and some patience, but they look very good on the finished project. When you consider the cost of the higher end tracks Maquette’s aren’t so bad.
As Spamicus said, they do loon great when done. They’re definitely not what you’ll get with the considerably more expensive Friuls or resin items, but detail wise, they’re great, IMO. They’ll just take more work.