I've seen pictures of both models and real vehicles in which spare tread blocks are used as added armor protection on tanks. This seems especially prevalent on later model PzIV's, usually on the front deck and on either side of the driver vision ports. I happen to be building a PzIV H and wouldn't mind adding some of my huge supply of extra PzIV tread links to the vehicle. My question is, does anyone know how these would be attached to the vehicle? Its hard to tell in a lot of the pictures. Would they be kept on by their own weight, welded directly to the vehicle, or would the crew fabricate brackets to hold them down? Any help would be much appreciated.

Maintenance crews would add connecting points for these tracks or the tankers themselves would find a bracket where it could be attached using various bolts.

Superglue..........just kidding

No, No...duct tape...lol!

Really, I think Rob's right. They would fabricate some kind of bracket to to attach the tracks to for stowage. I did read somewhere about the idea of using the spare tracks as armor, especially when they were stowed on the sides of the turret or on the front of the tank between the tracks in front of the driver, and it was said that as far as extra protection they were inadequate. I think tank crews may have put them in those places because-a) that's where they were supposed to be stowed and b) as a false sense of extra protection.

I sparingly use track as protection on the model. Track block ain't light. After that blaring flash of the obvious, it always strikes me as peculiar that anyone adds them to the turret. The excess weight has to have an effect on the turret motion. Plus, getting those damn things up there must have been a sweat producing drill and a half. The point I discuss with others is use that extra track sparingly. Now, use of sandbags is another matter. They obviously worked. As did several examples of placing concrete over the sandbags on the front slope. Ah, the innovativeness of people seeking to avoid death! Captivates and amazes me to this day.
DJ :-)

DJ,

Duct tape looks much like The Force :

They both have a dark side and a bright side, and they both hold the universe together !

Yeah, but did it look good?

And what did the judges and spectators say? Was it realistic enough?