hi all
well, i decided after much pacing of the model shop to buy my first tank in some years...and the winner is - a tamiya panther type g late vers. Now, ive done the hull, and its all ready for spraying - but ive seena lot of posts on here about the tracks - getting them right so they look the right weight, and have the right amount of sag. How do i do it? I found myself confronted by the long rubber strip of track and i know it wont look right - can i chop the links up? how do i do it? whats the best way to get them looking right? i hope that i can get this kit done well enough being my first in a while, and its my 1st attempt at that extra detail,
so all help is very much appreciated.....

Thanx all Alpha dont panic! dont panic captn mannering!!

Before you even attempt to add sag between the wheels,.check your references to make sure there SHOULD be sag there. If there is, rubber band tracks are tough, but not impossible. You can superglue the tracks to the wheels and dab some accelerator to get them to set instantly. You could place spacers halfway between the wheels to get the track to sag while the clue sets. You could run some thread from the lower track through the upper track to keep them on the wheels, though this won't create sag. You could insert straight pins or thin brass rod into the hull at the low point of the sag and paint this to match the tracks. But the best way to get good sag is individual link tracks.

The right tension on the Panther tracks was obtained when the track begin to touch the second road wheel (satarting from the front) or a little behind but in front of the third one.
To obtain that with the vynil Tamiya tracks you can use Cianoacrilate glue to fix the track to the upper part of the road wheel (don´t exagerate the quantity) or if you want a better and durable result use little pins inserted in the lower hull at the proper height so they can press the track down to the right position. The pins can be seringe nedles cuted to the propper size and trimed the point. In the inner part of the hull you´ll have to glue a suport so the tension of the track won´t move down the pin.
That Tamiya kit has side skirts, if you´re planning to use them I think that there will be no problem with how the track will look in the upper part, don´t know, you can try if you don´t want to work.
I don´t know if my redaction is clear. If you don´t understand it I´ll try again.

thanx for the advice - i think ill go with glueing the tracks to the tops of the wheels. I had a check and managed to find some piccies of panthers without skirts - youre right of course, no major sagging on this type of track. slap on the wrist for me lol oh i cant help it im a keen lad he he.

great stuff thanx for the help - hope it looks good when done!

alpha

If you want, junk the 'rubber bands' and go for the Friulmodels white metal links. No, they aren't cheap, but be warned, once you try a set you will be spoiled for anything else. At least I am.

They take a little time to assemble but are well worth it for the added 'realism' on your tank. And the weight factor is already built right in to them.

Take care and happy modeling. sgrity :-)

Antoher way to use the rubber band tracks and get the sag into them is to tie them down with black thread. You won't even know it's there. :-)

Alpha 1-7-0:
Show us photos of the Panther when you finish it. Ask whatever you want and happy modeling.

Guys,
Better than Friuli's and a whole lot cheaper are WW2 Productions resin "snap-together" track! The links snap together and you can build a run in about 20 minutes (do THAT with Modelkasten or Friuli's!). Even better, they make both Panther patterns! Drop them a line at: [email protected]. Or, drop me a line and I'll send you their catalog.
Regards,
Georg

thanx for all the help guys, its very much appreciated, ill be sure to post pics as soon as i can - at the min its no more than a ready to wash hull, turret and wheels. I'll be starting the dio very shortly around 10" by 10" ish - its a bit contraversial i think, cos im modeling the tank
like its just fired, recoiling on its suspension, with the smoke drifting from the barrel. (gulp)
hoping it comes out well!.

i think i shall stick with the out of the box tracks on this one - and prob by seperate links for my next. we shall see how it goes.....

alpha planning. its all in the planning.