Working on the Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog kit. The tracks are vinyl or rubber. What I did was, I hit them with a coat of MM Gray Primer, then a coat of dull silver. I airbrushed the inside with Rust, and then the outside got a wash of rust and a dirt color. Now, the inside where I airbrushed the Rust is peeling off, primer and all. Should I have washed the tracks first in soapy water? Is there some other reason it’s peeling?
Not gonna go through the whole process of painting these all again, so this is probably the last tank I do for a while. Kinda pissed. Anybody got tips or a little help?
sorry to here that Chris. i’ve tryed everything for years sometime stuff would work some times not i gave up on the RUBBERS[:P] and buy tracks Kasten, Friul, AFV, not sure of anyone else. but i’m sure someone here might be able to give you something to try. good luck
as soon as I see rubber tracks they go straight to the spare part box. Like Clay said try metal Friuls or Kasten are good too. I have heard that the new Dragon DS tracks are not bad but still the set I had went right to the spare box too
Yeah unfortunately paint just doesn’t like adhering to rubber tracks. My only suggestion is to attach the tracks around the wheels and then touch up the bits that have flaked off. And make sure you don’t move or flex the tracks again after that otherwise it will most likely flake off again.
Well, I did think to make a nice muddy or otherwise dirty groundwork base for it. I’ll just dirty it up a lot more with some mud n stuff to cover the flaws, I guess.
send the rubber band tracks to me. i tend to build wheels because of indy tracks. just found out the new ASU-85 has indies so i may have to swap it for a wheelie.
i’ve oainted rubberband tracks with acrylic wahes wihout any problem. i have painted rubber tires with dark gray and sometimes that will flake off as i flex it onto the hubs but i can touch it up.
Vinyl tracks need to be painted with a type of paint that “bites” into the acrylic but doesn’t eat away at it. I often prime vinyl tracks or tires with Future acrylic floor polish. I then paint the acrylic coating with regular model paint.
You mean “bites into the vinyl”, Rob? Huh. Another surprising use for Future. Interesting.
I have three more armor kits in the stash- Tamiya M4A4 Sherman with the 75mm gun, a Dragon BMP-2, and the old Italeri M-901 Hammerhead. Not sure what tracks those all have. Maybe I’ll pull 'em out and look again. Might be a good opportunity to practice your Future method.
Thing about aftermarket tracks is I really can’t afford much AM, so it’s not an option usually.
Is the, MM Gray Primer, that you used enamel? I’ve aerosol can sprayed enamel onto vinyl (rubber) track without problems before. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.
Also, yes, wash all parts first including the tracks.
Yes, bites into the vinyl without melting it later. Tamiya neve made an M4A4 and the old Dragon BMP and Italeri M901 both have plastic link tracks. Tamiya normally includes vinyl tracks.
Keep in mind also that Tamiya has two types of “vinyl” track.
One is the older lighter metallic grey vinyl track which you have to use the “hot screwdriver” method to join. These tracks don’t hold paint very well.
The other is the later “glueable/paintable” track, which is considerably darker (almost black) and somewhat less flexible… This type holds paint better, but is said to be susceptible to disintegrating when exposed to harsh solvents. It’s recommended that you only use acrylic paints for this type of track.
I used pastels mixed with Tamiya acrylic thinner to do my Sherman Jumbo. I slobbed various shades of dirt onto the connected tracks, let them dry, then attacked them with a toothbrush and stiff paint brushes. The tracks were then snapped onto the model. There was a bit of chipping and flaking, but most of it happened after awhile, maybe as the track stretched. Initial adhesion was pretty good.
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My advice would be not to prime the tracks with grey primer, and just run with the molded-in color with acrylic and pastel washes. The added layer of paint may be contributing to your flaking problem.
A buddy of mine told me that the newer Tamiya track formula is succeptible to splitting and cracking. He only uses acrlyic paints, so I don’t think the thinner is causing the problem. I could be wrong - have been so many times. I have not built any Tamiya kit with the newer track material, so I can’t offer any personal insight. But the old material such as provided in the M41 kit is very durable, and can survive almost anything. HTH.
I’ve been using ‘bumper paint’. It’s designed for rubber auto bumpers, you can pick it up at an auto parts store. Seems to work for me, just a good spray on each side and then I airbrush it with acrylics.
I know this is an old thread, but I thought this might help someone searching to find a solution. If you use BullDog Adhesion Promotor on the tracks first, it will allow the paint to adhere to the vinyl/plastic. BullDog sticks to glass, chrome, plastics and metal. It was designed for automotive use on plastic and urethane bumpers and trim pieces.
If you want to use your own model paints, use BullDog Adhesion Promotor on the tracks before you paint them. It’s designed for automotive bumpers and plastics. They claim you can paint chrome, glass and plastics with it. It is also a flex agent so when the tracks flex it should stay on a lot better. I used to do bodywork and we used BullDog on the bumpers and other plastics we painted. None of our work came back for the paint peeling off those parts. It comes in a spray can too.
ModRod have you ever tried Dupli-Color adhesion promoter? It’s way less expensive than Bulldog. Just wondering because I have so far given up on vinyl tracks because of this problem.
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