Here comes another one of my questions. I started a couple Revell Germany 1/72 scale tanks. As nice as these tanks are, unfortunately they come with link and length tracks ( frustration). I tried to put the lower half of the tracks (painted)on a piece of masking tape. Next I brushed Testors liquid cement on the tracks and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. My next step was to wrap the tape with the track parts around the wheels and let it dry for about 2 hours. By the way this is a hint a fellow modeler gave me. Anyway, after I started to remove the tape from the model all the single links came apart. I had glue on the wheels, the sprocket and the idler before I wrapped the tape around. What Am I doing wrong or is there a better way of doing this. I am not a fan of building the suspesion and tracks unpaited and pait afterwards. So please help me out I already ruined 2 kits this way.
If I used masking tape to act as a guide to hold things in place I would be sure I used a very low tack tape. This means finding a tape that was as ‘least sticky’ as possible. I have some low tack blue colored painters masking tape that I use around my workbench. It can be found at most hardware stores.
If I read this right, you painted the tracks first and then tried to assemble with liquid cement? The liquid cement is reacting with the paint making it a mush, thus your links are coming undone. If you are determined to try to glue pre-painted tracks lengths together then I think you need to use another glue. Maybe try a slow setting super glue. Piece your lengths together and drop a few small dabs of glue and hold them steady until the glue sets. After drying is complete if you have any discoloration of the paint from the glue, then touch up with your original track color. Then just work your way around one side until it’s done. I think the main point here is to use another kind of glue. Liquid cement over paint probably isn’t going to work, as you have painfully found out already.
Personally I assemble the tracks, unpainted, in several units, the curves around the front drive sprocket, the curves around the rear idler wheel, and long runs between on top and the bottom. I glue these units together to make a complete track, a whole circle, then prime it, paint it, partially weather it, then install on either side of my model.
On indy tracks, I paint them on the sprues, trim and touch up. I assemble long runs of 15-20. Be sure to let them adhere for a bit, otherwise they will fall apart. Just assemble from the dive sprocket all the way to the idler and around. Now with link and length, it should work pretty much the same way, in theory anyway. Everyone will have a different way of doing it. Most use jigs to align, I never have, just lazy I guess.
The tape thing works better with 1/35 than 1/72. Also paint the parts after installation. You need bare plastic on plastic to get a good glue bond.
I usually start with the bottom run and the indy links to curve up to the sprocket and idler wheel. Do not permanently glue the sprocket until you’ve done the indy run. Sometimes it is necessary to rotate the sprocket a little to make the links fit in between.
The final run it the top starting at the sprocket and working the way towards the idler. You have to do some dry fiting in case the circumference is ½ link too long or too short.
I tend to assemble the running gear completely before I attempt to install the tracks. I’ll assemble them in small runs, then use strips of masking tape to hold the runs in place around the wheels. I’ll still keep it sectioned off, in 2 or 3 major sections. WHen dry, I’ll paint them off the model, then attatch.
You can usually get away without ever gluing the sprocket in place. Once the tracks are together and on the model, they will hold the sprocket on. In fact, it can be rather difficult to get them off it you want to.
If you leave one pair of links not cemented to each other (I try and leave a pair on the rear or top of the idler), you will be able to gently lift the otherwise completed track run off the drive train, then paint and weather it, then when dry, put it back on the tank and super glue the last pair of links together. This works very well for me, especially on German tanks with sag in the runs.