We have all done it and snapped off a track hanger on the turret and I was wondering if anyone knows of a way to make these things stronger and less prone to breaking or do I just need to be more careful...

Make them out of brass strip.
Drill a hole into the attaching leg, insert a brass rod, and solder in place.
Drill a tight, corresponding hole into the tank. Fill the hole with superglue, press in the brass rod. Coat the end protruding into the tank with a fillet of epoxy.

If you break those off, you cannot be helped.

KL