I am in the process of getting rid of all flexible tracks (vinyl, DS, other rubber stuff) in my stash.

Tamiyas M1 Super Sherman seems to be equipped with T74 tracks.
The T74 tracks by Bronco, AB3545

don't match the photo shown at
http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/tracks/vvss_tracks.html


It could be doable to fill in the little cutouts
in the trackpads in Broncos T54E1 set (almost the same shape of the chevron, steel backed vs rubber, acceptably similar except for the little cutout at the short edges of the link)

Real T54E1 link at Sherman Minutia:


Questions:
1. Did the IDF use any other type of track on their HVSS M1 Shermans ("Super Sherman")

2. Any other source of T74 tracks than Bronco? I want to use T74's on some other kits as well ...

3. Clever ideas for converting T54E1's or any other track type to T74's?

4. Do I have to give up and use Tamiyas rubbers?

/ Robin

After spending time looking at this it does seem the Israeli M1 Super Sherman did have the T-54 type track.There is always a possibility that the T-74 type tracks could have been used too with all of the various types of M4 Shermans Israel did import in the early days.

I’ve just been cleaning up a set of RHPS T74s. No cutout there.

I imagine that they are now in the Panda range although I acquired mine years ago and just discovered that I had them. The block each have a sink mark that needs filling but it’s just a case of a swipe with filler and sanding flat when dry.

While no M4 set is work-free to build, the RHPS sets always assemble without cement and fit correctly round sprockets. I just scored a MK set cheaply on ebay and they look like serious tedium to construct by comparison.

The cutouts are in the M54E1 and M54E2 (cuff), the T74 doesn't have cutouts.
I'll check for RHPS tracks
/ Robin

In Tom Gannons's 'IDF Shermans', there is some photo evidence of:

T48's (rubber chevron pattern),

T51's (plain rubber blocks),

T54E1's (metal cleat and face, all steel),

T54E2's (steel chevron fitted with duckbills, reducing ground pressure),

T56 (3 bar cleat, 3 pins in the trough),

T62's (with the 3 rivets on the face, shown on M4/105),

T74's, (metal cleat and face, backs are rubber)

T80's (HVSS, all steel, chevron),

T84's (HVSS, rubber blocks),

He indicates while some tank tracks might be from museum photos, all the above mentioned tracks have appeared on operational IDF Shermans at one time or another.

Thanks for the answers

/ Robin

Hobby Link Japan just posted to their site that there are 2 new, 1/35 scale, Sherman track releases, with a September release, by Master Club.

T54E1's -and- T54E2's