Hi guys
I've just got the Resicast 'crab' conversion, and have a Dragon M4A4 on order. Only one problem - I hate multipart Sherman tracks - the pieces are so small I can hardly see them let alone assemble them!
Are there any aftermarket rubber band tracks in chevron pattern (AFV Club do some T49 3-bar tracks, but they're not suitable for the Crab)??

Dave:

The Academy Achilles kit has the same British steel chevron tracks in vinyl length. With a styrene "extension" piece on the accessory sprue, I think it may be long enough for the M4A4 suspension.

I'll check it out and let you know how the length is. Perhaps we could just swap the tracks straight up?

AFV Club has two style T49 rubberband tracks. They have the M4 and the longer M4A4.

I heard somewhere the longer M4A4 tracks are a little short. A little advice: I'd research this before I ordered.

Oh yeah the original Dragon M4A4 hulls were a little too long. Not forreted until the 3rd Firefly release

Ok, I'll play the fool for all the timid fools out there (I'm one of them if you haven't picked that up): what is a "Sherman crab"? The DD version (if so, never heard of it though)? Its probably something so simply obvious that I will just sit here in front of my...er...Ball State's computer screen and just laugh - much to the confusion and disturbance of everyone else in this lab (man I'm tired).

Jeff:

Here's a cool site that will show you how both the Crab and the Duplex Drive work: http://www.britannica.com/normandy/week3/sherman01.html

I used the AFV Club tracks on my firefly, really neat 3-bar cleat tracks, well moulded. They are a soft vynil and will stretch to fit the Dragon kit, however they're not suitable for the crab which should have chevron tracks, often with the duckbills to lower ground presure.

I may try Acc Armours resin items on this one.

PS- Pete (Stormbringer) has already PMd me re the Achilles tracks, apparently they will fit with the extender piece so I may take up the offer if the ACC A ones don't work out.