I’m currently building a Tamiya tiger one. I have a set of model casting links and I can’t build all these in one setting.

If I do two or three sets of 10 links each a day it will take me approximately a week
To 10 days to complete.

Will I run into flexibility issues?

Thank you

If they are the workable tracks with the pins you should be fine. Having built numerous sets of indy tracks I can tell you its not as daunting as it first seems. Once you start you actually get into a kind of rhythm and it actually goes pretty quickly. Good Luck.

Thank you for the reply Armorsmith.

That’s the problem. No pins. I have done those before which made things much easier.

Unless I hear from someone else, I guess I’ll just have to plan on a solid hour of no interruptions.

As long as you do not glue the pointed tips of the pins, only the parts of the pins where they have the bolthead you will be fine. If you add glue to the pin where it inserts into the next track link it will set them together. DO NOT insert the pin then add glue or it will run all the way through.

Use the jig supplied. However, I usually split the 4 pin tab into 2 separate parts - 2 pins each. That way you can be assured the glue has not dried on the 1st pin by the time you add glue to the 4th pin then insert them.

Here is a tutorial that may interest you (I hope its okay to post it here!)

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/3/t/71782.aspx

No pins? What track set do you have?

Presumably, an old one. When Model Kasten appeared on the scene thirty-some years ago, they offered one-piece, styrene, link to link tracks, which were assembled using liquid cement, and shaped into position while the cement was still curing. It was a mind boggling improvement over vinyl tracks, but. as said, they took a lot of work to assemble (Tamiya still sells a similar set for their Tigers). As these links all had solid guide teeth, they have been replaced by more accurate workable versions, and are not seen much anymore.

Personally, I always invest in set of metal tracks from Fruil Model.

I got fed up with Model Kasten - you only need one tiny bit of glue in the wrong place and it sticks. Plus who can be arsed to glue all the guide horns on as well!

With the non-workable sets, I tend to keep them together with a length of low tack tape like the Tamiya stuff until I have each run done. May be easiest to do a top and a bottom run, or to have the join where the sprocket is. Then drape over the assembled suspension and use carefully applied liquid cement on the joins between links. When set, remove for painting and then add afterwards. If you keep the join at the sprocket, the teeth can help to pull them back together but it also helps to leave the idler axle loose to adjust if necessary.

I always build indy-link tracks as shorter bits, glued stiff.
The bottom run, between the first and last roadwheels are always shaped as the surface the tank stands on, in my case a flat sheet of glass in a display case.
The bits curving around the idler and sprocket follow the curvature of those wheels. The piece around the sprocket usually needs to be made of two or possibly three sections. The bits from the "ground" go to the first one or two teeths on the sprocket, same for the top run.
The tricky bit is to adjust the slack by letting the runs from ground to idler and ground to sprocket hang down a little, the top run can also be adjusted for slack. The top run is shaped to have a suitable sag.
This allows me to concentrate on pieces instead of trying the build a complete track, getting it to hold together and then draping the whole thing around the suspension and closing the last connection.
The tracks for an M113 can be built as two pieces, one very very deep U which reaches from the sprocket around the idler and back to the sprocket, one tooth onto the sprocket at both ends and then a few links to close around the sprocket.

My two cents / Robin

I personally think MK tracks are great & wish they were easier to get. I have to scour the internet to get a set at a reasonable price, or to get a set at all. I wish MK would keep production up. To make it worse, MK does not sell direct outside of Japan.

Damon.

Hi Peter,
It’s an old set. I got them for free a couple years ago and they are in a ModelKasten bag / packaging. I did not know they were the non-pin set until I opened them.
But the price was right and I’ll just have to play through.

I have read robins “two cents” and Robert Lockies suggestion and like the ideas and I am going to take these approaches.

Here is how I do it with Model Kasten non workable tracks. I assemble and glue a few links less than I need to complete a side. Then if the glue has set-up,I place the run on the return rollers and position the tracks to where they should be. Holding the tracks in place,I take a hair dryer and heat(slowly)the tracks. As the glue softens the tracks start to sag and you can guide them to where they should be. When they are positioned where you want the,let them cool and then add the final links. This why I always complete the ruining gear first. Hope this all makes sense. Ted Nichols