Friulmodel metal tank tracks for Renault FT-17 1:35

[McNab]

Hi guys

 

Hope you are all well and modelling away - as I am. 

 

Now, do any of you have any experience with building/fitting the above item for your baby French tank? My question is that there are two diagonal spurs on each of the track beds (is that the right word??? I mean the actual flat bit that contacts with the road surface) and I am not sure if they are supposed to be there or not. I have looked up various stock photos but cannot be certain either way.

 

Thanks in advance if one or more of you can help me.

 

Cheers for now

AMN

[Kingsman]

Yes they are supposed to be there.  If you'd bought the Voyager etched track set you'd be adding them individually!!!!  Having just built an FT, I can't see anything wrong with the kit tracks.  In fact I got hold of another set for my Schneider CA.

 

Here's a view of the tracks on the recently-restored Weald Foundation FT.  The grey paint is apparently authentic and the similar tracks on the recently-restored CA at Saumur are also grey.  The base metal is dark brown, so don't be tempted to sand back the paint to a bright metal effect on the spuds.  I don't understand the fascination with white metal tracks as NO tank tracks were silver metal.  Ever.

 

Note the oil: this tank had only covered a couple of miles from "new".  Each of the link joins was lubricated and Weald say that the rollers leaked like seives as they contained 500ml of oil with no oil seals!  I don't claim to be an expert but you might like to check out my recent build blog and finished item.  There might be some useful info in there.

 

Here's a view of the tracks on the early unarmoured prototype FT at Bovington, which shows that the link design did not change, although the Weald tracks have a slightly more pronounced lip on the inside edges.  I suspect that's just a sub contractor variation.

 

All FT links had some casting numbers on the face and many, if not most, had a large central single-digit number - probably the mould number.  Do the Fruils have these?  Hard to add if not.  I used Slater's plastic alphabets on my plastic links, blended in with liquid poly.

[McNab]

Hi DA, thanks for your response. In fact, I wanted the tracks for my Schneider CA as well! I had built the FT-17 by Meng, and as you say the tracks were fine for the kit. But… as the Hobby Boss tracks were not up to scratch and difficult for me to build correctly, I wanted to use the metal tracks either for the FT if they looked good enough or the Schneider. They ended up on the latter mostly because I liked them on there. 

 

Regards the flanges, I soon found out about 1 minute after posting my first comment that they were supposed to be there.

 

Thanks you once again for your detailed and informative reply; you are 'une bonne oeuf' as the drivers of the above vehicles would have said :>D 

 

[McNab]

btw there are no numbers on the Fruil castings

[Kingsman]

I added the large numbers on my Meng tracks for the FT using Slaters sadly-now-discontinued 1.5mm plastic lettering, well covered and worked in with liquid poly.  Their smallest size is now 2mm.  These were a little big and a little thick but they look the part.  I didn't bother with the tiny numbers, but a bit of textured plastic strip worked over with liquid poly would probably work.  I didn't bother with either on the Schneider as they can't really be seen.  And I'm inherently lazy...........

 

I got a replacement track set direct from Meng, but I had to provide evidence that I actually had an FT kit.  Much cheaper than a Friul set, although the shipping cost more than the parts!  On my Schneider I left the tracks until last after painting and weathering, and I found it quite difficult to wiggle the tracks into place.  Leaving the sprocket free to rotate would have helped.  The Meng tracks weren't quite the right length and I had to leave them a little slack as taking another link out left some of the joins pulled askew.  The Friul joins are of course more substantial and you don't need the slack for the slight twist necessary to join the plastic links.

 

For what it's worth, I blogged my builds over on the WIP forum and the completed models on Ready For Inspection.

[McNab]

On ‎11‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 11:30 AM, Das Abteilung said:

I added the large numbers on my Meng tracks for the FT using Slaters sadly-now-discontinued 1.5mm plastic lettering, well covered and worked in with liquid poly.  Their smallest size is now 2mm.  These were a little big and a little thick but they look the part.  I didn't bother with the tiny numbers, but a bit of textured plastic strip worked over with liquid poly would probably work.  I didn't bother with either on the Schneider as they can't really be seen.  And I'm inherently lazy...........

 

I got a replacement track set direct from Meng, but I had to provide evidence that I actually had an FT kit.  Much cheaper than a Friul set, although the shipping cost more than the parts!  On my Schneider I left the tracks until last after painting and weathering, and I found it quite difficult to wiggle the tracks into place.  Leaving the sprocket free to rotate would have helped.  The Meng tracks weren't quite the right length and I had to leave them a little slack as taking another link out left some of the joins pulled askew.  The Friul joins are of course more substantial and you don't need the slack for the slight twist necessary to join the plastic links.

 

For what it's worth, I blogged my builds over on the WIP forum and the completed models on Ready For Inspection.

They do look good, DA. I haven't bothered on mine I do have a question for you, though. You seem highly experienced in model making, and I have another question for you: Rivets? 1/35 scale? How do you make them (if you have?) and if not scratched, then where would you get them from ? I have looked and looked. Found some transfers but not sure if they are raised or not, or simply dots on paper… thanks in advance if you can advise

 

[Kingsman]

Ah rivets.  Now there's a question..........  Being inherently lazy, I don't make mine: I buy them.

 

The old standard used to be Grandt Line products.  Their nuts, bolts and rivets were injection-moulded on sprues with little tails.  Drill a hole of the relevant size, quick little drop of liquid poly and pop in the tail with fine tweezers.  But their moulds are decades old and were getting very flashy, then the company decided to close.  I understand that the moulds have been sold on to another US company, but that doesn't solve the old mould problem.  The most consistent source for Grandt Line was the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association, here: https://www.7mmnga.org.uk/ .  Whether they will take on the new supplier I do not know.

 

However, there is a new show in town that I have previously notified on this forum somewhere.  This company is another railway modelling supplier (railways have lots of rivets!), EDM Models marketed by NG Trains.  This is their main website http://www.ngtrains.com/index.htm and this is the nuts, bolts and rivets page http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/Details/NBW/nbw.html .

 

These are identical in concept to the Grandt Line products, but IMHO far superior quality.  Their tails are a little thicker but that isn't an issue.  With both products you can slice the heads off the tails and apply them to the surface, but you will probably lose a few along the way.  They do dome and cone rivets as well as various nut and bolt heads, but thay're all scaled for model railways so you'll need to do a bit of scale conversion.  Here's a couple of photos.

    

 

Assuming that you have a water filter jug, Brita or similar, there is another - free - rivet method.  If you open a used filter and dry out the contents on some kitchen towel you will find zillions of tiny little balls of slightly variable size and probably some tiny chunks of charcoal.  If you drill shallow divots you can drop in the little balls and secure with a tiny drop of liquid poly to make dome rivets.  No use for cone rivets.  Spear the balls gently with the tip of a pointed scalpel.  However, getting divots of equal depth and balls of equal size can be tedious.  Bit if, like me, you end up with a couple of these every month it is a free resource.  And you're doing your bit to stop microplastics getting into the water system.  These balls are described as "ion exchange resin", which I guess qualifies as a plastic.

[McNab]

hi DA wow thanks, how do you get time to model, work, eat and sleep (plus other activities) when you spend so much time answering ignorami like me ? 🤔

 

Having said that, I am a little disappointed that you haven't bothered to do the conversion for me… 1:35 dome rivets, sort of this big in real life (holds thumb and forefinger apart)thanks in advance 😁

 

Seriously thank you very much for leading me toward those marvellous looking mouldings, they will do perfectly. Just need to get my Vernier calipers out to check the relative size.

[Kingsman]

Actually I'm currently between jobs.  Didn't get any "real" modelling done for donkeys' years working full-time and bringing up 3 boys on my own.  Lots of Warhammer 40k, though...........  If you're going to model Orks you need to know where to get zillions of rivets!  The water filter idea was actually in one of the Citadel books.

 

I retired early about 18 months ago to pursue relocation and a change of direction now the offspring have all left home.  It's just taken a while longer to find the right house, place and opportunity than I hoped.  In the meantime I've been sponging off all you taxpayers on my Civil Service pension ....................!!!  So in many ways the State is paying for my modelling!

 

 

[McNab]

On ‎11‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 8:54 PM, Das Abteilung said:

Actually I'm currently between jobs.  Didn't get any "real" modelling done for donkeys' years working full-time and bringing up 3 boys on my own.  Lots of Warhammer 40k, though...........  If you're going to model Orks you need to know where to get zillions of rivets!  The water filter idea was actually in one of the Citadel books.

 

I retired early about 18 months ago to pursue relocation and a change of direction now the offspring have all left home.  It's just taken a while longer to find the right house, place and opportunity than I hoped.  In the meantime I've been sponging off all you taxpayers on my Civil Service pension ....................!!!  So in many ways the State is paying for my modelling!

 

 

Doesn't sound like you are sponging at all; in fact you should be receiving your long service medal any day soon! My ex was away most of the time, so I brought up my two (one of each) a lot of the time alone. But I would not change that for anything. Those are times one never gets back. And as you, I had a 3 decade hiatus from modelling but then have returned to the hobby with much gusto and a little more patience - although not enough patience to convert the micro spheres into rivets as you suggest.. I don't have a water filter jug for the very reason you remarked on i.e. micro plastics in the environment, I live dangerously with raw tap water.

 

Regards my modelling, I seem to be stuck in WWI and have developed a fascination for the technical progress that accompanied the period, albeit many laugh at it now. I had two grandfathers in that ghastly affair (and the Boer War before that) who both survived (err yea, obviously, as I am typing this) and I have had much pleasure in creating conversions from the inevitable Airfix AEC bus (battle bus, Pigeon loft and most recently a 3 ton truck) I have one bus left in kit form which I am guarding jealously, as I am sure I will suddenly happen upon a vehicle that the kit can be based upon. Apart from that, I have several armoured cars, 6 tanks, 4 GB and 2 French, Schneider CA 1 and FT-17, one Holt Tractor, a Tommy's War Crossley tender, an American Truck and ambulance, 4 British planes and one French, that lovely little Morane Saulnier. In the stash, I have 2 more planes, 2 more tanks, various Ford model T vehicles, some artillery, and then (all above is 1/32 or 1/35) a bunch of 1/72 models that may one day be used in a diorama.  

 

Oh sorry, I started to ramble, so I will shut up now. Thank you so much again for all your help, you are a generous person. I suppose at some point I should post some photos on here of my modelling; I discovered the other day there was a group build for Armistice Day. Sad I missed it. My 3 ton truck would have been entered.

 

Good luck with your home hunting… take your time and get it right! If you are ever in Dorking, Surrey… give me a shout.

 

A. McNab

[Kingsman]

I guess I ignored WW1 until the recent rash of AFV kits in 1/35.  I don't really do softskins, although more of those are appearing from the WW1 era.  I'm sure I read somewhere that an LGOC B Type lorry had been promised by someone in 1/35.  I don't do aircraft either: enough AFVs to get through.........

 

I presume you are on the Landships forum?  https://landships.activeboard.com/

 

Actually, when you think of the creation of Little Willie - essentially by cross-breeding a petrol traction engine with an agricultural tractor and some boiler plate in its first iteration as the No1 Machine - and the progress to the MkVIII only 3 years later, the rate of progress was actually incredible.  Then we squandered it ..................

 

My maternal grandfather was in the Civil Service Rifles, torpedoed on the Aragon off Alexandria en route to Palestine with 2nd Bn, torpedoed again on the Attack after being rescued and then returned to the UK and on to the 1st Bn on the Somme: Passchendaele.  Some rescue.........  I believe my paternal grandfather was in India.

 

I'm heading back to the South Coast shortly: Dorset.  Not quite point of origin, but close.

 

Forums like this are where we share, learn and encourage.  This is how we progress in our hobby/art.

[McNab]

*quickly scuttles over and registers at Landships II* - why yes of course I am a member 🙃

 

The Dorset coast is lovely if that is where you are planning to settle. Good luck and all that!

 

Thanks again.