When I originally bought the Academy 1/35 Panzer IV ausf H (with Schurzen) I was pleased to find,
when I opened the box, that it had a complete set of independent tracks rather than the usual vinyl
or link-and-length ones.
Now, 6 months later, I’ve actually got round to building the kit, but am beginning to wish it had old-fashioned
simple vinyl tracks instead!
Basically, the individual track links (moulded in metallic grey polystyrene) do not seem to “clip” together in any
way, neither are there pins to hold the links together. It appears that the only possible way to attach the links to
each other is to glue them.
This would be very problematic, as the tracks need to be wrapped around the suspension to give the correct appearance of “sag” and it will be very difficult to do this - it seems I’d need to time it exactly right so that the glue joints are neither too weak or too stiff.
It also means that painting the tracks will be rather difficult. Painting the unassembled tracks will result in me getting glue on the paint finish, whilst painting them “in situ” on the tank will make it very hard to avoid getting paint on the suspension, particularly if I try and get mud and rust weathering on the tracks!
The instructions and diagrams, however, clearly show that the links should be fitted together, wrapped around the tracks and then joined at the ends. This definitely suggests that they can be assembled in a “flexible” manner, without glue. There seems to be no way to do this, however.
Am I doing something wrong here, or should I just look in my spares box for a suitable set of vinyl tracks (if I have some!)?
It’s a great shame, as it’s otherwise an excellent kit (apart from the lack of hull interior detail, and the fact that 90% of the instruction text is in Korean!).
The majority of Dragon’s kits are the same. What you need to do this is patience, a plastic cement (one that welds. If you are in the US, pick up Testors Orange tube) and an improvised jig (for me, a thick ruler attached to a board). Glue the attachment points and attach the links one at a time. Don’t get too much glue. Make yourself a long run of them, then let them sit for about 5-10 minutes. The glue will beging to cure and allow you to form them around the wheels and make the sag. If they come apart (usually just one or two will- not all of them!! Don’t worry) just reglue. As far as lengths, I generally make one really long run that will be the top, but long enough to drape down around the drive sprockets and idler wheel. Make a second run for the bottom part, leaving yourself a couple links short of complete. Then you can just add a couple more to complete the track. Not really hard, just takes time. I do one track per sitting. As for painting, you will basically be left with three choices. 1) Paint before assembly. 2) partially assemble, including forming the tracks to the wheels and sag, let them dry, paint and then assemble the sections or 3) Completely assemble and paint (I wouldn’t do this, as it would be hard to get all the nooks and crannies. I paint mine on the sprue, drybrush, assemble completely then give them a wash and dust coat. Hope this helps.
Drawde, Jason has the right idea with the kit tracks, I just do a variation, making sure the idler, Drive sprockets and return rollers are not glued down. A little BLU-tack will hold them in place initially.
I have a board with a piece of aluminium angle srewed down on it. This is a perfect straight edge. Make sure all the links are cleaned up first, and drill out the solid guidehorns and track loops if you want authenticity (not as onerous as it sounds). The Panzer IV had 99 tracks per side so I do a run of 48/9 first; this is the bottom run. I line up a link, tread down, with the side up against the aluminium. I then use Tamiya liquid poly and brush a little on another link and attach it to the first, and so on making the run. Every so often use a ruler to tap the edge opposite the aluminium strip to keep the run in line, and also down next to the guidehorns to keep the run flat.
Once the run has been done, turn the hull up side down (take turret off first [:D]) and lay the run over the road wheels. Form the end of the track around the drive sprocket so that the top run will join right at the front of the sprocket, then using masking tape, tape the end to the sprocket. Then go to the other end and form that around the idler wheel and tape that down. Do the same for the other side and let the tracks set over night.
Next day do the same for the upper runs using the remaining links. When the run is set lift the tape off the drive sprocket and idlers and lay the fresh track run over the return rollers. Form the end over the drive sprocket making sure that it fits snug under the first link of the bottom run. Curl the tape back over the new run to secure that end. Then do the same with the end over the idler. Then you can gently press down between the DS, Idler and RR’s to get the right sag look. Leave to set, then you can remove the track runs from the kit for painting (you can remove the track bay pulling off the Drive Sprockets, Idlers and Return Rollers if the track guard hasn’t enough clearance. Make sure you can remember which 2 halves go together (keep them separate is best).
This always works for me, and I have yet to get a break in links.
Thanks for the info!
I’ve checked in my spares box and can’t find any suitable vinyl tracks, so it looks like I’ll have to follow
your advice. Hope it turns out OK, I’ll post pics of the completed model when it’s done (unless it turns out a complete
disaster!)
Aftermarket isn’t really an option for me considering I only bought the kit because it was reduced to £5.99 at an airshow; a set of AM tracks would probably cost twice what the kit did
I have two sets of Vinyl tracks for the Academy PzIV. Email me and I’ll send them out to you if you want a back up for your indies. They are gonna just lay around here anyway if you want them.
