Silly question time...
Ok heres my quandry, Almost always when I build an AFV kit, I almost always screw up the tracks. I prefer kits with link to link plastic track...and as usual, I inevitably build a run and the links do not link up. I end up squashing them together at the drive sprocket or clip off a link and cover the area ( and rest of the tank) with mud.
So how do you guys get your tracks to come together?
Thank you.

If you can, adjust the idler wheel to make the perimeter of the track smaller.

I place the tank on it's side, with all the wheels dry fit on it, and measure the length of the track run with a tailor's tape measure. I wrap it around the wheels just like it was the track and get the exact length of the track run. Then I put two pieces of tape on my bench that far apart. I build my track run in one piece, install it on the wheels, tape the ends together, and let it dry overnight.

That's a good idea, but for live track it's better if the idler was adjustable. The run often seems to be 1/3 to 1/2 a track out and an adjustable idler addresses this problem.

I make my track a link or two long on purpose so I have some sag room. This allows me to adjust tracks as I want and get a bit of a dip on the top rollers.

I build separate lengths:
1. one for under the roadwheels, from the point where the first roadwheel touches the ground all the way to the corresponding spot on the last roadwheel, this one is always flat and straight.
2. one long one to go on top, starts one to three sprockets onto the
roadwheel and all the way to barely touching the idler, adjust sag according to images of the real thing (some tanks use what is called "live track" and those
do not sag visibly in 1/35th scale, the real thing might sag a few quarters of
an inch but this is nearly invisible on a model)
3. now it starts getting difficult. Build short lengths to go between the bottom run and up to one tooth onto the sprocket and another to go from the bottom
run up and over the idler. While these are still soft it is relatively easy to give them a little sag. Tanks with "live track" will have visible bulges in these areas
since live track wants to bend outwards, other types of tracks will hang more or less as they want (check reference images). The bulges in these two short
runs should be able to adjust for the length of one single link, if not then add a itsy bitsy little extra sag to the top run.
4. one last little bit to join the ends around the sprocket. The teeth of the sprocket will control the position of the longer runs so this last little bit will always fit.

When all the lengths have been shaped it is usually possible to join pieces
1, 2 and 3 into one long one, a very deep U, and paint et.c. The last assembly is then to "close the U" with the short bit around the sprocket, since this is held
by the sprocket teeth the gluing isn't all that critical.

Note: While reversing the tank slowly the track can sometimes follow the sprocket up-and-under on tanks with sprockets at the rear end. Similar for going slowly forward when the sprockets are up front. I have seen this with my own two eyes standing 2 yards from the sprocket of a Swedish Leopard 2 (Strv 122) at a public exhibition some years ago.

/ Robin