HI Guys!
Need helps to determine metal chain size for 1/35 tanks and softskins,Only size number appears on the on-line hobby shop's catalog.Thanks.
wfan4503

The most common size measurement ... at leat to me ... is links per inch. Even on this side of the Atlantic. The smallest I´ve found is 40 links per inch .... previously available from TWS (see my Brummbär thread).

Before you go "chain happy" be sure to consult actual photos of vehicles rather than other models. Model builders have the poor habit of placing chains all over their vehicles (which is very dangerous). In reality, chains were rare (except for WW2 French AFVs). Don't just follow the crowd.

Thanks for your valuable advise.
wfan4503

This is a very good point! Especially those artistically draped chains that are partially hanging off fenders, etc. Any more than a link or two of chain hanging off a vehicle in motion will tend, over just a little bit of time, to pull more and more links off the supporting surface until a "critical mass" is reached, at which time the weight of the hanging chain will suddenly pull the remainder right off the vehicle.

Just about any farmer or logger can tell you about stories of chains lost off trucks and tractors. (I have a personally embarassing story about such a chain that I found later in the summer when I mowed over it with a bush hog. Don't ask me how hard it was to unwind off the mower! )

Many of the chains that I've seen on models wouldn't last to the edge of the diorama base, much less down the road into action! In real life, chains travel best in boxes and bags that are tied closed, but very rarely while hanging off the edge of a fender.

Mike

Chains are part of vehicle equipment in many cases. Also bags for chains are allocated with them as well. People would be idiots for not keeping them secure and in their slots. The First Sgt would chew out anyone for being as stupid too.

But modelers think different -- they think: "it looked cool on so-and-so's model. I wanna parrot that as well"

Glad this thread is around. I am one of those "put chains on everything" modellers. Now, I can just sculpt some bags and perhaps leave a few links dangelling out.

Just tossing in a comment and opine, here...

I'd have to strongly agree with the previously-posted remarks about casually-placed and draped loose chains on AFV model... loosely draped and piled chains would eventually wander off. But chains may be fairly put onto models... anchored at least at one end and maybe wrapped around something to dangle from, or in some sort of chain-box or bag. You can see this all the time on rail equipment, tow-trucks, semi-trucks, etc.. Hooked chains can and do remain in place.

Those dangling un-attached chains would surely get lost pretty soon.

Hey! Real chains on model builds are COOL! I confess I do love them, even if they probably shouldn't be on the vehicle in question... I would suggest that maybe a little common sense would help us chain-o-holics to avoid fouling mini-brush-hogs!

Howdy wfan4503, don't be a Skeered of no chains! Contrary to popular belief chains are actually found on tanks and tracked things. Not all of them but they are there. A chain is very handy for pulling stuck light vehicles and trucks out of trouble. Especially as a tanks tow cables are not easily hooked up to them.


You will note that both tanks have a light type chain on board. Just ensure the chain is is secured with some clevis, straps or bolts as shown in the pictures above. Outta here, Mike sends . . .

I put chains on my builds as well, as I think they add yet another color/contrast to make the model more interesting. I agree that they should be placed with a bit of common sense but sometimes things were done in a rush, rules weren't always followed etc.

but enough talk, the proof is in the pictures:

Ken, 'tanks' for the supporting fires! Outta here, Mike sends . . .

My biggest problem with scale chains is finding the right ones for small retaining chains. Not the big boffy tow chains, but those little one that in real life are 2-3 linkc per inch and used to stop things like pins and caps getting lost. In 1/35 they would need to be 70-100 links per inch or about 1/4mm per link and I just haven't found anything that small.

Do a search on here for a really cool method of twisting fuse wire together, and then opening up the "links" with a no. 11 blade. It looks very convincing and is not 2 dimensional like the very fine PE chain is.