Hey all - think this might be my first post in the armor section…been playing around in aircraft and GB’s since I took up modeling again this summer.
So here’s the deal. I build 1/48 WWII aircraft almost exclusively, but I’m thinking about dipping my toe back into the armor pool. I built maybe a dozen or so growing up, and I’m eager to see what I could do with all the techniques and skills I’ve been picking up the last few months.
Just one thing.
A few of the armor kits I built - or tried to build - when I was young contained individual track links that just about drove me crazy with frustration. And not the tracks I’ve read about recently, that click together or join with pins. These were just shove-em-together-and-glue-em. I swore off them pretty fast once I discovered Tamiya’s rubber bands.
But reading around the past few days, it seems like maybe track links have come a ways since the early '90s. The Friuls look rather impressive, but I’m a total noob when it comes to other armor-focused AM companies or anything deeper than basic terminology (link and length).
Anybody willing to help me find my feet here? Or point me in the direction of that perfect article, if it exists?
I’d like to help more then I will. Fruils are very heavy and give a great sag. They are white-metal with individual pins. Lots of work, but I hear the results are great. Many like Wbill swear by Model Kasten indy tracks. I have one set, but have yet to put them together.Fruils and MK’s, mind you are typically $30 and up, almost the price of some kits. Dragon includes magic tracks in many kits which are styrene tracks individually trimmed and ready to go. Little to no cleanup, but are non-workable.
I have thus far only built Tamiya indy trackss and a few of Dragon older kits with the non-magic tracks. Tamiya’s were very nice and went together more or less easily. I didn’t know of an easier way to do it, untill I heard of the Karl’s tutorial. I’ve still yet to try it, but will on my next appropriate subject. Here’s the link.
I use Karl’s method all of the time and it works great.
When possible, read that-can i plop down $40 for Friuls, I love the Friuls. I, like the majority, build German armor and the sag you get is great. For US stuff with taut tracks the use of the rubber band stuff seems easier. I have come up with a couple of trick to really speed the Friuls assembly process.
Wow, thanks guys! Karl’s method seems involved but doable. Certainly better than my memories of trying to glue links around the drive sprocket (something tells me I was doing it wrong).
The Friuls look gorgeous as well. I’m hesitant to spend that much on tracks, but hey, I’ve just plowed about $50 into aftermarket goodies for a Tamiya Razorback (decals, PE, resin seat, turned brass blast tubes), so I don’t really have any room to complain!
Got a bid going on Tamiya’s early Sherman at the moment, and I think I’ll toss one of Zvezda’s T-34s into the cart next time I need to order something from online. Want to get started with something a bit more basic before tackling German armor or Dragon kits…
Well, I was in your boat also, coming from 1/48 aircraft to armor. I happend to stick with 1/48, so most of my amor kits are from Tamiya, as they revived this scale for armor a few years back. If you are willing to go with this less popular scale for armor, the Tamiya kits are all length & Link. that is the tracks consists of maybe a dozen pieces per side. Each piece may have a few links to a whole run of links connected. The sags are molded in. Obivously, this is not going to work if you want your tank to sit on irregular ground on some diorama. But works well otherwise and is quite simple to put together.