The tracks are killing me!

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

Hi All,

I’ve been working on a Tamiya King Tiger (1/48) and was having a great time. I even created the zimmerit with spackle with no problems at all. But then I had to construct the tracks. between a dozen and two dozen segments that had to be connected and placed around the tank wheels. I know there’s got to be a better way to do this than the method I used. Someone mentioned using a strip of tape and slow-drying glue before placing them on the tank’s wheels. Then you use CA to keep them in place. What is best for these things? I tried to “lock” the segments together and attach to the wheels at the same time, which didn’t work too well. I think the whole thing gave me an anurism [banghead]. Oh the pain…

Bob

2

Theres a great article on this in an FSM Issue. I’ll explain it in a nutshell. Dry fit all roadwheels, attach treads, then remove the entire assembly after allowing the treads to dry on the wheels, remove the wheels, paint the treads, put the wheels back in the treads after those are painted as well, and replace the entire assembly.

Of course this would not work for anything with a large space between return rollers and actual roadwheels, such as a panzer IV, but a King Tiger should work just fine.

Hope this helps

-Alex

3

Here’s an alternative approach, for fitting link&length tracks, but it only works if you’re confident about, and happy to, paint the tracks and running gear in place, or as one unit.

Build the lower hull. Do not fit the upper hull in place yet. Now build the running gear, and cement it in place, except for the drive sprocket. If you want to paint the tracks and running gear as one piece, but off the model, only dry-fit them in place. Now cement the bottom run of the tracks in place.

There is usually a short length of track, and one or two indy links, going towards the idler. Cement the links to the short length with liquid poly, leave a minute or so, and then install this to the rear of the bottom run, using CA. Cement the top of this section to the bottom of the idler, again using CA.

Now comes a short length of indy links - usually 6 or 7 of them - which go round the idler. Place them together, outer side down, on a length of Tamiya Tape, and cement them together with liquid poly. The Tamiya Tape helps to hold them together i the correct position. Again leave them for a couple of minutes, and then test-fit them around the idler. When you have them as you want them, CA this section in place carefully - you don’t want to get CA on the tape. When the CA has set, remove the tape.

Now construct the top run, using the same methods as those described above. If relevant, create a slight sag (don’t overdo it - a saggy track is a shed track, and it’s something modellers often tend to exaggerate) where appropriate, and if the upper runs permit you to do this. Again, use liquid poly to connect the links to each other, and CA to cement them to the wheels.

Finally, you’ll be left with some indy links to go round the drive sprocket. Cement a length of these, two links short of what the instructions say you’ll need, using the same method as described for the idler, and dry-fit them in place on the drive sprocket. Now dry-fit the drive sprocket in place, and join the bottom of this run to the front end of the bottom run.

A point to remember about the King Tiger (and some other tanks, notably the T-34) is that the track links come in pairs. Make sure you use the right type of track link in the right place.

There will be a gap of one or two links between the top of the drive sprocket and the front of the top run. Use as many of your remaining links as you need to close this gap, using CA to cement them in place, and test-fitting as you go. You may need to file the very last link a little short to get it to fit. This isn’t a problem, since it will usually be covered by a side-skirt, and even if it isn’t, you’d only know it was a problem if you knew to look for it.

Finally, cement or the drive sprocket in place with CA, or dry-fit it if you want to remove the tracks and running gear for painting, and connect the track links top and bottom. I normally use CA for this. If you’re going to paint the tracks and running gear on the model, then job done. If not, wait until everything has dried thoroughly (it doesn;'t need to be overnight, but leaving everything overnight does no harm), carefully remove the tracks and running gear as one unit, and paint them.

You can then re-install the traks and runing gear after you’ve painted the rest of the model, but before, obviously, cementing the side skirts, if any, in place.

This sounds fiddly, but it becomes second nature after you’ve done a few link&length tracks, and I find it simpler, and quicker, than any other method I’ve come across.

Cheers,

Chris.

4

I did a whole tutorial on it with plenty of pictures on Armorama’s “Features” section. You can find it in there.

5

[#ditto] what the doog said! I followed his toot and it worked beautifully.

Thanks doog!!

6

Wow…that is really interesting,not too sound high and mighty,but I have built at leat ten of the Tamiya 1/48’s with the link and length tracks,icluding the KT and I never had a problem with the tracks.I just follow Tamiya’s instructions and order for the track placement.I paint them off the tank and attach them one link at a time as per instructions.i secure them with a little Tenax,I then touch up the paint where the glue might have messed it up,then I weather the entire set of tracks while on the tank.I just take my time and let them dry enough not to come apart.i hope this helps.

Now if you want to go crazy like me,I cant deal with those Magic Tracks,I am having nightmares just thinking about them for my T-34/85

7

Thank you all for the assistance! I certainly appriciate it. I will give a look at Doog’s tutorial. I realize now one thing I did to make the job even more difficult was to add far more of the parts than I should have before attempting this. It was my first attempt to add zimmerit, so I attached everything that required that first. I’ll know better next time.

Thank you all again for your help!!

Bob