Aussie Marines AAVA-7A1: Finished Pics Page Four.

[zenrat]

Finished all the links.
That's 180 individual track links.  Each one made up from a grey plastic track link with a triangular black plastic track pad glued to it with Tamiya Extra Thin.
Each grey part had three sprue attachment points to clean up.  It proved impossible to snip them off cleanly enough to not need a brush with the sanding stick.  Each black part however could be removed from the sprue (one attachment point) neatly enough not to need cleaning up.
I now have to glue all the individual links together.  They clip together in a very weak manner - just enough to hold together while glue dries enough for them to be handled.

[NARSES2]

I'd still choose them over rubber bands. 

The old Airfix 1/76 rubber band tracks were the only time my mum used to help me with my modelling. She used to sew them together for me. It was about the only thing that worked to hold them together.

[Old Wombat]

I'd still choose them over rubber bands. 

The old Airfix 1/76 rubber band tracks were the only time my mum used to help me with my modelling. She used to sew them together for me. It was about the only thing that worked to hold them together.

The other problem with vinyl "rubber band" tracks, Chris, is that they don't hold paint. I have yet to find anything (useful) that will really stick to them without, eventually, flaking off.

[zenrat]

I'd still choose them over rubber bands. 

The old Airfix 1/76 rubber band tracks were the only time my mum used to help me with my modelling. She used to sew them together for me. It was about the only thing that worked to hold them together.

The other problem with vinyl "rubber band" tracks, Chris, is that they don't hold paint. I have yet to find anything (useful) that will really stick to them without, eventually, flaking off.

I was thinking about this last night (actually more in respect to painting soft plastic toy soldiers, but it's the same cause).  What if you gave the tracks a light soaking in caustic soda solution?
This leaches the plasticiser out of the vinyl model companies use to make tyres and so should have the same effect on tracks.
The trick is finding the time period long enough to etch the surface but short enough to prevent them shrinking, hardening and cracking.

[NARSES2]

I was thinking about this last night (actually more in respect to painting soft plastic toy soldiers, but it's the same cause). 

When the Airfix figures were the only affordable option for a 11 year old wargamer we used to coat them in thinned white glue as a primer. It helped, although the figures would be mounted on unit bases as well to limit the handling. The other trick was to use Plasticine to modify them, I once converted the Airfix Foot Guards into Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, and then use Banana Oil to harden it.

The only problem is that the chemical makeup of that soft plastic has probably changed since 1963 ?

[zenrat]

Of course the track related pain isn't over as I still have to glue them together.  They are designed to clip together weakly (just enough to allow them to be posed and glued) but this does not always work and even if it does clipping a third one onto a pair will inevitably cause the first tow to separate.
So i've started glueing them together in pairs.  I then got bored doing that and painted the road wheels.  As it was a public holiday today (Labour Day) I had all day and managed to airbrush the wheels camo green and then brush the tyres black.
The SMS acrylic lacquer paint goes on very nicely straight out of the bottle and dries in no time.  Good stuff.

[NARSES2]

As it was a public holiday today (Labour Day)

Is it just me who finds the Australian Labour Day Holiday falling the day after International Woman's Day slightly ironic ? 

[zenrat]

As it was a public holiday today (Labour Day)

Is it just me who finds the Australian Labour Day Holiday falling the day after International Woman's Day slightly ironic ? 

The pieces of track are getting bigger now.  I hav two long straight bits to sit under the road wheels.
Given I will have to paint the tracks before they are fitted I think the way to do this is to build my own link and length tracks out of the individual links.  Which of course Hobby Boss could have done for me.

[Old Wombat]

The pieces of track are getting bigger now.  I hav two long straight bits to sit under the road wheels.
Given I will have to paint the tracks before they are fitted I think the way to do this is to build my own link and length tracks out of the individual links.  Which of course Hobby Boss could have done for me.

That's pretty much what I did (with the Bronco tracks) when building my Tamiya Matilda.

[zenrat]

Today, after continuing with the slow business of glueing individual track links together, I glued the top of the body on.
AAV WIP 15-03-2020 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[zenrat]

I decided it needed some weight to stop it tail sitting seat it nicely on the tracks.
AAV WIP 21-03-2020 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Other then that i'm adding stuff to the outside.  Handles, guards, hinges, railings, etc.  Some styrene, some PE.

[Scotaidh]

I decided it needed some weight to stop it tail sitting seat it nicely on the tracks.
AAV WIP 21-03-2020 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Other then that i'm adding stuff to the outside.  Handles, guards, hinges, railings, etc.  Some styrene, some PE.

I see you went kinda nuts there ... 

[zenrat]

 

[Old Wombat]

Aussie Marines argh nuts!

[zenrat]

Having finished sticking bits to the body of this thing I today masked all the windows (play doh - very easy to do), plugged the hatch holes and have commenced painting with some primer.