Styrene Link Tracks

DreamKnight

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Dec 8, 2009
Messages
1,160
What's the best way to do these? I just put on one side and it was a pain in the MAJOR putput. Should it be glued together before painting or after? I already have the tracks painted and using CA glue.
 
Just wait until you do multipart-per-links. Or worse track links that are pinned together. There are jig or you could make a jig to help you out. Just do short runs, The extra work, done well is the difference between a good model and a GREAT one though.
 
Styrene? Step away from the CA..........

Couple of questions......are the track and road wheels painted?

If yes, continue, but use a liquid cement, like Tamiya X Thin, or similar. It will give you time to move things around and get situated before it is on there for good, something CA won't do.

If the tracks and wheels aren't painted, then there are a few ways to do it, and depends on how far along on the kit you are.

Some guys will place the road wheels on the torsion bars, build and glue the tracks on around the wheels and return rollers, and then once all dry, remove the tracks and wheels in once piece and paint them that way. Once painted and weathering applied behind where the track would go, pop on the assembly and continue weathering the track and wheels.

Personally, I hate most styrene track. Sherman track usually isn't so bad, as it is generally 3-4 pieces per link (usually one track link, 2 connectors), if you only glue one side of the connector, trapping the next link in place, then essentially your track is still "workable" so it can be built in one long section, paint, weather, and then run the track onto the wheels, glue on the last link, and viola.

What kit is it on? There are some other tricks as well for more modern tanks with the side skirts....like not building the top run of tracks, as you can't see them once the side skirts are on.

I like the Friuli tracks, made out of white metal, and give a little weight to your kit. Links connect with a piece of wire...no gluing required, and remain workable. MK tracks are good also, but hard to get.
 
Individual links? I always assemble first and paint later.

I will usually assemble them with liquid styrene glue, (Tamiya/Tenax/Proweld etc.) I will do a run of say twenty links, let them sit a bit so they are solid yet still a bit pliable. I will shape it to the sprocket and then while it's sitting, do another run and attach it to the first, shape it to the road wheels etc. and continue this way until I have half of the track run complete from sprocket to rear idler and holding the shape.

When solid enough to handle, set them aside and work on the other half of the track run, starting on the sprocket tooth the other run ended on and continue around in the same method until I end up on the rear idler where it will meet the first run. All the while, shaping the tracks to the sag you want around the return rollers.

Lastly join the two halves together and glue the joints. If you are careful you can join the two halves at one end only and still be able to remove them as one solid yet flexible track to make painting of the road wheels easier, like in the picture below.

HTH

panthers-2.jpg
 
They link and length ones. I posted a pic on the build thread:

http://www.scalemodeladdict.com/forum/index.php/topic,1111.0.html
 
Just saw that. ;)

Similar process but a little easier. Use the Tamiya liquid glue you have before painting them and slowly assemble them part by part letting them set up a little yet remain flexible enough to shape to the suspension.

Like Scott said, stay away from the CA, it dries far too fast to allow you any time to work with them.
 
ScaleModelMadman said:
Just saw that. ;)

Similar process but a little easier. Use the Tamiya liquid glue you have before painting them and slowly assemble them part by part letting them set up a little yet remain flexible enough to shape to the suspension.

Like Scott said, stay away from the CA, it dries far too fast to allow you any time to work with them.

Bah, that gorrila glue CA takes a long time to dry but it clogs up the link alcoves. I'll sand out the links and use tamiya for the other track. I already painted them lol
 
DreamKnight said:
I already painted them lol

The glue might be strong enough to penetrate the paint, fit two pieces together and give it whirl.

I've had to re-glue painted track that came apart before and it worked. ;)
 
ScaleModelMadman said:
DreamKnight said:
I already painted them lol

The glue might be strong enough to penetrate the paint, fit two pieces together and give it whirl.

I've had to re-glue painted track that came apart before and it worked. ;)

It'll penetrate. It has before but it just runs the paint and smudges all over the place. I just have to be careful then when I do the final link on the wheels. :)

Thanks all for the suggestion. This might work better. I wasn't sure if I was just usingthe wrong glue OR if I was just doing wrong period.
 
DreamKnight said:
ScaleModelMadman said:
DreamKnight said:
I already painted them lol

The glue might be strong enough to penetrate the paint, fit two pieces together and give it whirl.

I've had to re-glue painted track that came apart before and it worked. ;)

It'll penetrate. It has before but it just runs the paint and smudges all over the place. I just have to be careful then when I do the final link on the wheels. :)

Thanks all for the suggestion. This might work better. I wasn't sure if I was just usingthe wrong glue OR if I was just doing wrong period.

That is the beauty of doing armor. Little too much glue here, throw some more mud on it, paint not quite right there, put a pack over it.

Stowage and cleaver weathering can hide a multitude of sins on an armor model!
 
Elm City Hobbies said:
That is the beauty of doing armor. Little too much glue here, throw some more mud on it, paint not quite right there, put a pack over it.

Stowage and cleaver weathering can hide a multitude of sins on an armor model!

That's not a mistake...

that's a shell hit. ;D
 
One of the neat things about modeling armor over planes is, the tank was the "home" of its crew, much more so than a plane ever is, It was not just a vehicle that was fought, but the crew lived out of it. It has that lived in and used feeling to it.
 
Haha ok I'll put in a couple of twin beds in the interior. :) Armor is fun... especially weathering but I still like building a plane more. ;) But that's just me :)
 

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