Need Advice on Tank Tracks

[Warren]

Gentlemen,
My experience with tank tracks is limited to the rubberized tracks found in the Tamiya tank kits. These are fine for my purposes since I am not a purist
in search of absolute authentic reproduction.

HOWEVER, I purchased the 1/35 scale ACADEMY T/34-85 kit. No problems with the kit EXCEPT FOR THE TRACKS. A portion of the tracks basically snap together,link by link which are then glued. These are the track links that go around the idler and drive sprockets. They need to be bent which becomes difficult as the glue dries. I finally gave up.

I purchased MINI ART workable track link set (#35216) for the T 34. These cost US$23 including shipping cost. These seem to be relatively cheap compared to the alternatives available in workable track links. I have seen HORROR STORIES on You Tube regarding the quality of the MINI ART track link kits.

My Questions are;
1. Does anyone have experience putting together MINI ART tank links? What is the best assembly approach?
2. I researched FRUILMODEL tank tracks. These are extremely expensive, and very time consuming to assemble. It seems one has to drill holes in each link and insert thin wires to lock the links together. The cost is a negative factor for me.
3. I found the Russian company MINIARM which makes tank links that basically just click together. No glue, no drilling holes, and no wires.
However, they do not have tracks for the T34.
4. I like the DRAGON MAGIC TRACKS. However, I cannot find a vendor. These tracks seem to be available only in the Dragon tank kits. Does anyone
know of a Dragon Magic track vendor?
5. The last workable tank link supplier I looked at was AFV CLUB. These seem to be all supplied from the Orient, (Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong).
I saw several You Tube videos depicting the assembly of AFV CLUB tank links, and it seemed almost as tedious as the FRUILMODEL tracks.
Does anyone have experience with AFV CLUB tank tracks? Would you recommend.

Lastly what tracks would you recommend for the T34 Academy kit? What after market tank links do you use?

Thank you.
Warren

[digger303]

Don't use tet cement. I use the revel cement . It is a blue bottle with a metal tube applicator. Apply glue sparingly and before it dries wrap around the section you want to do it will then bend to your will. Do it in sections...still tricky to join sections together.
2. yep expensive
3. Many others do, hobbyboss is usually the least expensive.
4. No...can sometimes be bought off another modeler who doesn't like them
5. I have used Masterbox..very tedious plastic but assembled like FRUILMODEL and the plastic pins sometimes break. They give you lots of spares.
6. No recommendations ..sorry. If I was going to buy like you I look at price and would lean towards click together.

[Warren]

Digger,
Thank you.
Warren

[Tomcat64]

Hi Warren, I recently had my first venture with workable tracks and on Stokesy's recommendation I used Kaizen tracks. They are single plastic links pinned with thin wire and worked really well.

I've had a look around and they do a T-34 set so it may be worth taking a look and seeing if there's any recommendations on the web about how well they'd work with the academy kit.

[Warren]

Neil,
I was considering the Kaizen tracks. The MiniArt tracks that I bought are in transit. However, they are held together with little pins which come attached on a link. These are very easy to shear off. If these do not work I will give the Kaizen a try.
Thanks.
Warren

PS Is the wire pre-cut, or is it a spool ow wire that has to be cut to proper length for each link?

[Tomcat64]

The wire is in straight lengths rather than on a spool but you do need to cut it to length. After some experimentation I found it was easier to push a full length into place and then trim to fit rather than trying to cut the right size up front. But I did put a dab of CA on the end of each link to make sure the wire stayed in place.

This is what the contents of my box looked like (it was for a StuG):




I assembled them in sets of ten links and then joined everything up at the end rather than trying to work with a full track length the whole time.

Hope that helps.

[Warren]

Neil,
Thank you for taking the time to post the photo.
When you "...joined everything at the end". I assume you mean that the entire length of track for one side of the tank was at that point one unit, and that you attached the entire length wrapping around both the drive sprocket and guide wheel at the same time, probably joining both ends at the bottom side of the tank. Is this a correct assumption?
This is possible with workable track links.
My problem with the Academy T34-85 model was that the tracks had to be put on the tank in four sections, a flat bottom and a flat top section which extended from the guide wheels to the drive sprockets. These came pre-assembled in the kit. The nightmare came in putting together the tracks connecting the top and bottom tracks. These connecting tracks had to be assembled and then formed in a semicircle. I used Tamiya thin cement glue
which as you know dries quickly. I did not have much time to measure the fit, and form the semicircle. I should have used the Revell glue which takes much longer to dry.
I gave up, and this is why I purchased the MINIART workable tracks. In retrospect I should have tried the Kaizan tracks since the videos in YOUTUBE about the MINIART tracks point to a very difficult assembly. One needs to be very careful not to shear off the joining pins. The plastic apparently is very soft.

Again Neil thank you.

PS
I plan to build a Sherman tank next. I think I will treat myself for my birthday. I will be 82 on June 19. I started making model airplanes around the time I got married in early 1969. Plastic kits were quite cheap then, and so was oil and gas. I paid US 18cents a gallon for gas. Over the years with the increase in the price of oil, the price of the model kits skyrocketed. Plastic is made from a resin which is oil based. I stopped modelling due to work and family commitments. I returned a few years ago, and am using my old photography darkroom in my garage as my "workbench" area. The difference in the hobby from 1969 to today is incredible. In 1969 the paint of choice was Testtors which was enamel. The glue came out of a toothpaste type tube. Everything was hand painted, and the quality of the kits were in the armature class compared to today. There was no internet or youtube so one learned by reading magazines of which there were few. Therefore, the learning process was slow and long.
The smell of the enamel and the clean up with turpentine was awful. Doing this inside the home became problematic.
Thanks again for your help.

[digger303]

It's not the plastic that is expensive, at one point it was the master molds that were very expensive. However they have gotten cheaper which is why we have so many kits which are of some what obscure or never made vehicles...paper panzers for instance.
Now I think there is the marketers (Dragon stands out ) which really push the price. Putting a price on kits that they think the market will bare. Wages also play a part.

[Tomcat64]

...
When you "...joined everything at the end". I assume you mean that the entire length of track for one side of the tank was at that point one unit, and that you attached the entire length wrapping around both the drive sprocket and guide wheel at the same time, probably joining both ends at the bottom side of the tank. Is this a correct assumption?
This is possible with workable track links.

Hi Warren, in my case I was able to leave the drive sprocket and idler just dry fitted until the final fit so I actually completed the full loop of the tracks before fitting them but there's no reason why you can't take the approach you've suggested. I fitted the loop of track over the running gear in the same was as I would for a rubber band track and then fitted the sprocket and idlers afterwards - it can be a little fiddly but it's what worked for me. One thing I should mention is that I did leave one of my short sections without CA glue until I was happy with the track length so that I could remove links if necessary.

As you can see from this shot I may have made a slight miscalculation working out how many links to use to get the sag in the track I wanted during the test fitting...

My problem with the Academy T34-85 model was that the tracks had to be put on the tank in four sections, a flat bottom and a flat top section which extended from the guide wheels to the drive sprockets. These came pre-assembled in the kit. The nightmare came in putting together the tracks connecting the top and bottom tracks. These connecting tracks had to be assembled and then formed in a semicircle. I used Tamiya thin cement glue
which as you know dries quickly. I did not have much time to measure the fit, and form the semicircle. I should have used the Revell glue which takes much longer to dry.

I think these are called "link & length" tracks - I've encountered them on 1/72 kits but not on 1/35 (yet), and like you I found them to be a complete pain to get into anything like the right shape. I remember doing some digging on the net when I first came across them and the advice there was again to leave the sprocket and idlers loose and work the track links around them first which allows you to then work the straight sections into place - and yes you need to use a glue that will allow you to play for sometime afterwards.

[Warren]

Tomcat,
Thank you.
Warren

[CharleyGnarlyP290]

I agree with Tomcat64. I have used the Kaizen tracks on two vehicles and I really like them. They work perfectly and the price is right. They are also quite sturdy... not delicate at all.