Sand and Snow: Snow, change of track

[vytautas]

I like your snow, it looks real.

But I think there should be no snow near the mufflers because they were hot.

 

Vytautas

[Robert Stuart]

Been a while since I did anything here - several reasons, partly RL got in the way, but mostly  my link and length tracks shattered.

This is an ongoing problem I have with L&L tracks - they go from this:

 

To this:

 

 

Which puts a damper on my enthusiasm.

After a (long) breather, I indulged in some MasterClub tracks:

One side (92 links) if the tracks have been pinned with bronze wire, pending application of MCs resin pins (bagged).

 

I find bronze easier to work than pure copper (too soft) or brass (harder to straighten) or steel (too hard).

Whatever metal is used for the pins, it can substitute for the resin pins if they prove difficult to use.

[PlaStix]

Hi Robert. Sorry you've had the issues with the L&L tracks and hopefully the MasterClub tracks solve the problem.

Kind regards,

Stix

[Retired Bob]

I have assembled some of these MasterClub tracks, I found the resin pins a right pain, even after I checked the pin hole with a 0.5mm drill bit the resin pins would, if they hadn't already been launched by the tweezers snap when trying to fit them into the hole.  With snapping and escaping I lost about 40% of the pins.  I used wire in the end. 

[Robert Stuart]

1 hour ago, Retired Bob said:

I have assembled some of these MasterClub tracks, I found the resin pins a right pain, even after I checked the pin hole with a 0.5mm drill bit the resin pins would, if they hadn't already been launched by the tweezers snap when trying to fit them into the hole.  With snapping and escaping I lost about 40% of the pins.  I used wire in the end. 

These are about my third or fourth set of MC tracks, and they have been a mixed bunch as far as assembling them goes.
Using wire pins to line up the holes first, and gripping the runs in a bending tool to keep them there helps a lot ... though what proportion of inner pins have sprung from my tweezers and instantly achieved escape velocity I dread to think.

The outer pins are better behaved (better being relative, doesn't mean they are well-behaved).

 

 

[Retired Bob]

10 hours ago, Robert Stuart said:

The outer pins are better behaved (better being relative, doesn't mean they are well-behaved).

The outer pins are nicely cast with the retaining clip detail, it's just a pity the resin used is rather brittle, even when assembled I've had the pin top break off.

Sick of the plinging and snapping fiasco, on a set of MC tracks for a T34 I used stretched sprue, I found Dragon sprue very resilient.  I put the stretched sprue end near a flame to mushroom it, pushed it through the links and heated the other end to make another mushroom head, captive pin and working tracks.  A lot more work getting the stretched sprue to a near consistent diameter and not melting the metal links when heating the sprue into the securing mushroom head....but if it were easy...

[Robert Stuart]

1 hour ago, Retired Bob said:

heated the other end to make another mushroom head,

 

OT:

That reminds me, the old way of fixing undercarriage wheels on model aircraft ...

This is from the FROG Tempest instructions:

 

Think I used to use a screwdriver for the hot blade.

[Robert Stuart]

An update ...
The MasterClub tracks are now complete, though they want some more paint.

 

The wire loops are there to tell me which way round they go

 

And fitted to the Pz III

 

 

[PlaStix]

Hi Robert. Great to see this one is still going and looking good. I'm hoping you find the time to get it finished and in the Gallery by Sunday. 🤞

Kind regards,

Stix

[Robert Stuart]

Thanks Stix, I hope so too - I'm afraid the Sand Stug will have to wait

I'll probably re-use an older base for when photographing this, it is too late to finish the new one in this build.