Have not started mine yet but I would suggest that you do not follow the instructions to the letter. Put the hull together and get it set right and add the spare tracks and other exterior parts later. This is if I understand your post here. I do this on my models, jump around and get the hull and Turret together and then add all the other parts. Gets the basic shape right when possible
Cheers
Dave

DJ

Can you be a bit more specific about the problem? Was it because the assembled track is fragile or because something on the upper hull fouled the track?

I've got one side of the track assembled so far and I've stuck the two endsof the upper hull together so I can eliminate the joint. The upper and lower hull parts seem to dry-fit together reasonably well (apart from aligning the nose, that takes a bit of care) and doesn't affect the track.

David

DJ

I did the left-hand track last night more-or-less by accident. I'd done the top run over the weekend so I was experimenting with adding a few more links and got to the stage where I had to finish the run or risk it setting out of shape. In the end, I used one less link than the number specified, which left a couple of slightly too widely-spaced links in the last bit. Of course they're at the front where's it's most visible. I'll have another look tonight with a view to replacing some of the links with spares. Apart from the front the rest of the track, especially round the sprocket, looks excellent.

I used Tamiya extra-thin cement which seems to hold the links together okay.

Davdi

DJ

I think I created a few problems for myself by ignoring the instructions - at the front I worked upwards from the front road wheel up and around the idler to join with the top run. What I should have done was work from the end of the top run down to the front road wheel which would have hidden the problem better. Some of it may be down to Tamiya's engineering - the four-link section they give you is a bit inflexible and it would have been better to have all indy links down to the bottom run. As you appear to have four links left over on each side I might use these instead of the block.

The indy link track that comes with Dragon's old IS series may be a pain (literally) to assemble but the links hold together without glue so you can adjust away without worrying about the glue setting. I managed to dry-fit two entire tracks and install them over Christmas.

David

DJ

I wonder if it's down to the glue you've used? I tested the strength of the joints on my track last night and using the assembled track as a handle I managed to pick up the lower hull without disaster striking. I've dry fitted the upper hull and it doesn't foul the tracks, but that might be because I haven't added the front end of the track guards.

David

DJ

Same glue as you - applied before joining the links together, then a little touch into the joint once they were together.

David