yesterday i finished my icm t34 and i painted the track and put it on. one went on easily, but the other i couldnt get it on for over an hour.


it made me think, what if i did not glue the track after putting it on, but before, and then put it on with it already glued, and not putting on the front or rear wheel until then?

how do you typically do it with rubber tracks? glue before or after

How do you mean "rubber"? Real rubber, nylon, DS, etc? How well do they glue with CA, or styrene glue?

I always connect the ends of mine before attaching them. To me it is a lot easier that way.

Thanks,
Randy

T
ry leaving the drive wheel off until you have the tread on , then glue the wheel on .

I put the "rubber" tracks (vinyl, DS or other crap) in
some small discarded food packaging and then I pour glue over it.
Then I get aftermarket tracks

The tip about leaving the sprocket and idler wheels off the kit and installing them together with the track works in most cases. Doing it this way avoids stretching the "rubber" track to get it over the sprocket teeth and getting the guide horns past the idler.
Leaving off the first and last road wheels could also help.

If the tracks on a T-34 need to be stretched like that they are WAY too tight!




There should be some slack, not much and definitely not overdone like many modellers do it, but enough to allow the track to rest on top of the road wheels.

The problem is that glueing afterwards can get difficult, especially if the joint needs reinforcing.

/ Robin

Soft plastic tracks as in vintage Tamiya?
Glue didn't work well. The alternatives were staples or melting the tabs with a heated screwdriver. Both of those methods have to be done before installation.
This problem paved the way for aftermarket track sets.

Join the track before hand and leave the sprocket unglued. Put the track onto the sprocket and put it on.

You can also leave off the outer part of the road wheels and form the tracks over them. Works with any kind of track, link to link and so on. When the track is shaped how you want it, glue to the wheels and then put on the outer road wheels.

If affordability is not an issue, then go for Friulmodel individual metal tracks (be sure to pick the right ones for your T-34), or you could try Kaizen individual tracks which are plastic with metal rods for the assembly. There are a few more vendors out there with other T-34 options.

I'm with Robin throw the bloody things away and go with metal tracks,have a look at the Masterclub tracks there good.

Thanks for the advice. On the tamiya kit I'm doing now I have glued the tracks first.

I know I'm in the minority because I dislike the individual links and prefer the rubber tracks.

I am in that minority too Mike. Been using them since the 70s so they are just what I am used to working with. Yep, it is the old dog new tricks situation.


Thanks,
Randy

That "minority" is larger than you think

Cheers / Robin

For simplicity, vinyl tracks can't be beat, been using them for decades.

For realism and detail indy links are the way to go.

There are several tricks for installation that I've used over the years and some are listed here. One of my faves is in case you have to mount and glue the idler and drive sprocket. You leave off either the front or rear road wheel, fit the track and then install the wheel. And I always test fit the track before buttoning up a hull in case I need to adjust the suspension to get realistic sag.

I agree with that. Thats what I always do especially when there is a poly cap.

I made up my mind when the tracks of some Italeri Sherman forced the first and last bogie to lift the first and last roadwheel. It looked as if the tank was driving across a deep ditch. I glued the bogies in place and got the track in place. Six months later I found the tank lying on its side in the display cabinet. The track had snapped under the center bogie and the force stored in that springy stuff flipped the tank on its side, as if an anti tank mine had detonated under the center bogie ...
Right then and there I realised that "rubber" bands wasn't for me, especially after taking a look at Italeris Pz I and comparing the strength of the suspension with the springyness of the track.
Indy-links can be irritating but I prefer that over the problems with the "rubber" bands (even those that are not made of Dreadful Stuff).

Call me a masochist if you like

/ Robin