I'm sorry folks, I didn't make myself clear. Let me try again. I am making a T-72M1 and want to know what the tracks are made of. Do I google T-72M1,T-72M1 track color or what? I have some books on tanks but they do not say anything about the tracks. I could probably find out by trial and error but I was trying not to have to invent the wheel again. I did not know if was a specific/fast way to get this info on a variety of different tanks. I appreciate your help and patience with me.

The T-72 has all steel tracks.

For tips on painting tank tracks, check out this thread.

Mike,have you tried www.primeportal.net?It's got tons of pics of almost everything.Jeff T.

Hi Mike,

The broader question here is "How do I research a particular build?"

There are many approaches, but starting right here on Armorama, the first step might be to find the general forum that covers the nationality or subject area that you're interested in.

In this case, the T-72, a Soviet-Russian tank. So, go to the Soviet/Russo Forum:

Armorama::Russo/Soviet Forums

Next, check to see if there're any "sticky's" that address your question. In the "Russo/Soviet" forum, there's a sticky at the top that covers the T-72 specifically:

Armorama::How to Build a T-72

If you open this sticky, you'll find several dozen links posted by other contributors to literally hundreds of T-72 photos, many of which show the tracks. Your quesiton is answered right off the bat!

Next after checking to see if the sticky's have any info for you, scroll down through the posts to find builds of models similar to the one you're interested in. On page two of the "Russo/Soviet" forums, I found this one:

Armorama::T-72, Khamis Brigade

This thread shows some photos of the model in progress along with several detailed photos of actual T-72's that address issues in that particular model-builder's project.

I usually look at as many build blogs of models of similar subjects when ever I start a project. I often use the search feature at the top of the page to look for the specific kit that I'm going to use or the AM that I'm interested in.

The process would be about the same for any subject, so fo instance, if you were interested in US WWII Sherman tanks, you'd start with the "Armor/AFV" forum, then check at the top for "Allied-WWII." Click that link, and there are several Sherman tank builds just on the first page. No sticky's at the top, but plenty of Sherman models and threads to get you going.

You want some suggestions about how to paint those tracks? Check out the forums list, then "Painting" forums, and the 3rd sticky from the top is: "How to paint tank treads."

You can find a ton of information here just by systematically looking through the forums and threads. After you've found the answers to your basic questions, then posting to ask about more difficult to find information will get you lots of help.

Welcome to Armorama!

THANKS MIKE! This sounds like exactly what I was looking for. I do have one question, what is a sticky?

Mike, look at the top of the Forums. See the topics at the top with little red push pins in them? Those are stickys. They stay there. If the Forum moderator determines the topic to be often asked or of universal benefit, he can make a topic a sticky.
I too would suggest referencing Prime Portal for track photos of practically everything. If you have a situation like M4 Sherman tracks, where they can be all steel or rubber padded, just ask us. One of us has either driven it, photographed it, or built it and we're all here to help each other. Welcome to Armorama!