I was at a model show today and purchased a dragon tiger 1… turns out there are no tracks with it. What I thought I saw were just spare tracks, not the whole thing. Seller said everything was in the box, but my fault not for thorougly searching.
Do any of you know a good set of tracks for the dragon tiger 1 set 6406? Not vinyl rubber tracks, preferably individual plastic tracks (friul model are out of my price range since I’m a student. But if that’s the only option I’ll get it over vinyl rubber).
Lastly the tank on the box art has zimmerit, any recommendations on good zimmerit for this model? Would the tamiya zim work?
Kaizen makes a workable track for the late production Tiger I. Model #30956, they are plastic but the links go together with a metal pin making them fully workable. I used them on my Tiger I, Jagdpanther and M4 Sherman. I like them and you can get them anywhere from $22-$30 dollars on e-bay or Hobbylink Japan.
They don’t have the weight of metal but being fully workable they sit down like metal tracks. Big improvement over Bronco, AFV, Masterbox and other low cost suppliers.
ok then, that sounds like a great option to me. Workable tracks and plastic, so they are affordable. Yesterday at the amps show in Austin there were some friulmodel going for 15-20 dollars. Next month there is an Austin IPMS show so I will see if I can get my hands on some cheap friulmodel tracks for the late tiger. Otherwise kaizen tracks seem like the best choice.
I also have a bit of a stupid question, but the kaizen tracks have 220 links but only 55 pins (according to their site). Don’t you need 220 pins for 220 tracks?
No, what they mean is that you can 55 straight rods of wire to cut into pins to attach your links. Each rod will let you make 5-6 pins, depending on the width of the link. More than enough to finish the assembly. I like the straight rods of wire instead of the coiled wire the other suppliers give you. You don’t have to straighten out the wire before cutting and they are much easier to handle.
To make the pins just take a block of wood and drill a hole the length of the pin has to be drop the rod into it cut it just above the opening so you can pull out the cut piece and continue with the next cut. You make all the pins you need in 30 minutes.
To see how they assemble go to Adam Mann you-tube channel. He does an excellent reveiw of the different vendors tracks and how the assemble.
Marcus, thanks a lot for the great info. I watched adam manns video and it was extremely useful. First I will try to find a good deal on some tiger tracks at an ipms show next month. Otherwise I will get the kaizen tracks for sure… problem is they are out of stock on both the websites Adam Mann recommended. They are 20$ on sincere hobby (do you know if they are any good) and hq hobbies in the USA but for 26$.
And tojo, thanks for the track recommendation, but if I get metal tracks I’ll just jet friulmodel. Also looked for the cavalier zim set and they are around 25$. I might make the zim out of putty instead.
I haven’t done business with either hobby stores but if they are in the USA that could be a plus.
Making ZIM out of putty is the cheapest way to go. I installed a ready made ZIM from ATAK for a Tiger II that was really nice stuff. Easy to remove from the sheet and fit perfectly. I was able to purchase it on evil-bay for $18. The next tank that requires ZIM, I wll do it by hand just to save the money. I need to break my habit of spending more money on aftermarket than what I spent for the model.
That’s why I’m going to to use what I have and not spend more. Like I said I will try to get a deal at a model show next month. Otherwise kaizen it is.