Tank Tracks and Road wheels

[sandy29]

Hi. I have noticed that on some of the tank builds the tracks and road wheels are the last items assembled. Is there a particular reason for this?
I also have a problem in gluing the painted parts to the hull etc. I have been told to use a certain paint which is strong enough for the glue to adhere to.
I have to scrape the areas on the parts for the glue to work, which is a bit time consuming. I would appreciate some advice Thank you sandy29

[AridTalons]

I follow the directions about assembly of the road wheels (usually first step) and attach it to the hull last, after painting. Its a bit tricky to paint road wheels and tracks if they are already assembled onto the tank.

What paints are you using? I use Tamiya acrylics and have no problems.

[sandy29]

Thank you. I use Tamiya Acrylics. Th paint seems to lift off and you can feel the part is not secured properly, do think my first coat of paint does not adhere to the base styrene?

[Lysus]

Best to lay down a layer of primer before color coats. The paint will stick to the primer much better than it will to bare styrene.

[sandy29]

I still have quite along way to go to finish and I will follow your advice regarding under coat. Thanks again

[wookiee76]

As mentioned the reason wheels and tracks are painted off the model is simply to make it easier to paint them and the lower hull, as for tools etc i put them on before painting and then paint them in place, does take a steady hand though.

[digger303]

As mentioned the reason wheels and tracks are painted off the model is simply to make it easier to paint them and the lower hull, as for tools etc i put them on before painting and then paint them in place, does take a steady hand though.

PLUS
when painted off the model you can use something like , silly putty, liquid frisket, masking tape to cover an area so it can be glued afterwards. Sometimes paint the lot and use super glue to stick um to model !

[Stokesy44]

Got to agree with the boys above. Definitely put the tools on before painting the main hull colours. Gluing them after painting gets you into a world of hurt. You're almost certain to get glue on the hull around the connection points and there goes your lovely paint job.

As for the wheels, with the exception of a few vehicles (Sherman tank and T34 for example) you will be looking at double or inter-locking wheels. Much easier to paint them separately, especially if they have rubber rims. Build yourself a paint station and put the wheels on cocktail sticks or something similar. Much easier that way.

I tend to put my tracks on last, having painted and weathered them already. They're a bugger to paint once on the vehicle, especially since they're not the same base colour as the rest of the model.

I sometimes wish I'd stuck to aircraft but then when I'm working on an aircraft I wish I was going full speed on a tank build! Its mad but that's why we love it!

[sandy29]

A big thank you to every one for a world of information. I like the "tried and tested" and it won't be long before I want some more information. Sandy29