hi all..

I have some tamiya vinyal tracks that i'll be using on an academy M10 and was wondering what the best glue is for these...... super glue...? a vinyal glue...?

may have to shorten the tracks by a link so heating method may be out on this one........

want to get it right the first time..... so any tips welcome..


:-)

If they're the old vinyl tracks then there isn't a best glue. Tamiya made them totally ungluable as some sort of test to sort out men modellers from the boys. Apparently you have to struggle until they're two inches thick with super glue then get them off again so you throw them away and progress to Fruils. At least that's what I've always done.

Vinnie

Although I have never tried it, perhaps a vinyl cement from the hardwear store would work on these old style Tamyia vinyl tracks.
Shorting them, I would suggest simply using the old fashion way of staples, and hiding the connection under a road wheel, I don't think you'll get the strength you need with a but joint, even if you find a glue that will work.

Edit---- if you find a glue that will work on these old tracks let us know.......

lol ok fellows... i'll prob be experimenting.. btw they are old style vinyal/rubber... but robbed off a fairly new kit.... the M4A3 sherman..

If they are from the new M4a3 kit then they are glueable with normal Liquid model glue but if they are form the old kit then they are not..HTH
Bryan

I simply staple the tracks with two staples and hide them up in the sponson and weathering

Superglue works just fine on them. Apply the superglue and hold it together with clothes pins until set. I usually leave them overnight at the least. For shortening, I also use the staple method.

I built the m4a3 and for the tracks I used regular testors liquid cement, then used a clothing pin to hold them together.

I actually had to resort to a needle and thread on one pair of tracks (back in the bad old days before aftermarket tracks)

I've used a general purpose and automotive adhesive called 'Goo' to glue the track ends. It's a single solution glue, but really thick and usually messy when trying to glue small items. It's more elastic than epoxy, so might be some kind of super rubber cement. Sets very strong in a couple of hours or over night. But staples, or needle and thread, are always reliable. A slip with the soldering iron, or too much heat, will melt and ruin the track joints.

Gorilla Glue worked for me on the old tracks. u can get it at any hardware store.

Typical liquid cement here without using staples and it works like a charm.

Alternatively you can get thin threads and strap it up and then hide it with weathering.

I usually softened the vinyl with Trichlorethylen (don't know the correct nam in English). This done, I applied several drops of superglue and held the bondage tight until dry.

I used this method too to figure the sagging effect for the Soviet MBT's prior the AM tracks showed up.

olivier

I have used super glue on all mine. Melting the little protrusions that go through the holes also. But, I assume since you've shortened yours you may have had to cut one of those end sections off.

It may be that you need only remove one or two links, in which case you can still keep the joiny-together bits of the track if you take a link from either end, and then you can glue them together without any unpleasant side-effects.
I think.

I've found that Tamiya tracks only need one link removing to make them fit properly, so you should still have one of the joining pegs left.

Which tracks are they? - the ones with the duckbills will only respond to heat or superglue, while the ones with the rubber chevron (in the newer versions of the Sherman) stick together with Revell Contacta.

The Contacta holds them together, but with a little carefully applied force the joint can be peeled apart, which was useful when I realised the tracks had to be shortened after gluing them together.

I guess I have been steering to individual links so much lately that I forgot about vinyl I went to stapling as I had so much trouble (exclusely with Italerei).