hi fellas, just a question : after looking at several builds of armor it came to my attention; why does almost everyone metalize (shiny) there spare tracks stowed on tanks??? the drivetracks o.k but the spares [sigh]? it is for my liking (or not ) logical to have a shiny look on the spares because the are not in use, or am i wrong?
Allegedly the maintenance crews oiled the spare tracks that where nailed to the hull to keep them in good order. The Germans maintained the philosophy of a clean, maintained piece of equipment will last longer and work better than a pile of, eh, unloved equipment.
Ofcourse, its less of a challenge then, eh?
As Michael has pointed out, some were spare tracks. Others were not … if you look at the spare tracks on most Allied W.W.II vehicles they were there as added armour. These would be well worn, overused tracks and would be in very worn state. They would also accumulate more rust than an active track used on the vehicle.