I had a chat with Fightnjoe earlier today, and I told him I was assemblying the Modelkasten tracks for my Tiger II. He asked me if I could send him some pics, and I decided to post them here instead.
Ok you start with this. Of course you have to cut them from the sprue first and then clean them.
Then you place the parts in the jig that comes with the kit.
Then you take an old fine pointed paint brush and some glue. You put some glue at the base of the pins, NOT on the tip.
Then you insert the pins in the track links. Long pins on the outside of the tracks and short pins on the inside.
Then you wait a couple of minutes, and then cut the pieces of sprue off the pins.
And this is what you get.
You make 11 1/2 sets. Let them dry, and them join them together to get this.
And thats it. Easy if you ask me, takes alot of time but worth it.
Now all it needs is paint.
And there is plenty of left overs for the carpet monster.
EDIT
I have now dry fited one track, and this is what it looks like, the sag is beautiful. Im sure Friulmodelisimo tracks would give the same result.
Thanks for the outstanding pictures and directions. I was just looking for good workable tracks for a couple of my Tigers. Have you ever worked with Fuilmodel tracks?
I was wondering if they were metal instead of plastic. Which are the best?
Very cool walkthrough and illustrations monrad. I’ve always been curious though as to the advantages, perceived or otherwise, to having workable tracks on a static model. I can see their value in replacing rubber band tracks but what are the advantages vs. indys if any?
1st. Friul vs. Modelkasten. Hmm I guess its a matter of what you like. They are both good, I prefer Modelkasten because I like working with plastic.
2nd. advantages of workable tracks. The big andvantage is if you want to use the model in a diorama, because the tracks will follow the shape of the ground. Also when you have assembled workable tracks, you can paint them and then put them aside until you need them. Indy links are glued together, and I simply find them harder to work with. Again its a matter of what you like. I tried a bit of everything, and I prefer Modelkasten, others may have a different preference.
I don’t know what the price will be in the USA, but here in Denamrk they are a bit pricey, they cost almost the same as the tank it self, but its the same with Friulmodelisimo tracks.
I checked out some Modelkasten tracks at www.bentbutnotbroken.com and they charge about $42-$45 (US dollars) for a set of workable Tiger I tracks.
I asked about the workable tracks because I’ve got Tamiya’s 1/35 R/C Tiger I. It came with those danged rubber tracks and I hate them. I plan to pull it off the shelf once my big projects are done and make some modifications. Maybe a new paint scheme and some new tracks.
Do NOT use modelkasten tracks for a R/C model, they are not strong enough, if you want tracks for a R/C model you should go for Friulmodelisimo tracks, they are much stronger.
I have a set of Tiger I tracks and was amazed at how much simpler they are than the stinkin ones for my Stug III C/D. Those took forever, single pins and open horns. But in the end a very impressive item.
Thanks for the info, I will use it when I strat my tiger soon.
I prefer ModelKasten over Fruil as well. The only advantage Fruil has over MK in my opinion is that there is 10 times less clean up. Each Model Kasten track link is molded to a sprue unlike Fruil’s which come seperated, with a little cleanup. But I will say that working with MK’s Tiger I tracks can be a little frustrating as you need to attach each track tooth as well.
This sounds like a great thread Monrad. My problem is I can’t see the pictures, and this subject is one I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can on. Maybe they will show on my computer later, sounds like you did a great job illustrating start to finish. Thanks for posting an interesting thread. semper fi, mike
Thats ok Monrad. For some reason some of the pics are starting to show on my computer. I’ve run into this before, but I’m still fairly new to computers so I really haven’t figured out an explanation for it yet. Regardless, I enjoyed the thread, and as I said it’s a topic I’m interested in for future builds. Thanks for your knowledge and sharing. semper fi, mike
Word to the wise on MK tracks , once painted they break apart , and not in just one place , sometimes many , after my jagdtiger set ( almost identicle to the above ) I will not be using anything but fruil again or wwII productions tracks ( you can’t find these anywhere however in the usa) The Mk tracks are really nice to look at , nice thin and accurate , but they are truelly frustrating after paint , the side pins are just too short period !
