Hi!
It is frequently asked in forums whether the Chieftain track can be replaced by a Challenger 1 track on a scale model or vice versa. My answer is, it depends on the desired accuracy of a build and the scale. I am not a rivet counter at all, but my simple answer at least for scale 1/35 is: NO. Challenger 1 track is wider (650mm against 600mm of Chieftain), the link is also approx. 10mm longer. So it will not exactly fit on the sprocket. The design of the tracks is very different. I am lucky to have kept a link of each from good old BAOR times where I found these after exercises, so I was able to take some comparing pictures that explain more than words could. On my opinion the Challenger 1 track looks more massive than the Chieftain one, which is not only caused by its wider dimensions. The larger rubber pad and the wings at both ends also cause that massive look. Anyway, judge yourself on base of the supplied pictures…Nice example of a worn track pad though. The pad was not the reason of it being dumped. Where I found it, a lenght of 8-10 (can´t remember) links was replaced due to one being torn in the middle.
Not really, John! They are stored in my garage for a long time now, and I am afraid they would rust again after it when not conserved or indoors. guess who would complain about bringing them indoors…
I had to carry the CR1 link about 200m to my car. Got heavier from meter to meter. Myguess is one link being around 30kg. fy is a bit lighter in weight. I think I weighed it when I found it and may remeber about 24kg.
Well, it wasn´t a physical test or something, I just found a length after an exercise, seperated one link, and carried it to my car which was standing on the nearby road, thats the story of getting the one in the picture…
I did the first British Exercise in Poland,
one of the positions we moved to, in the Exercise I came across old T55 track, had a good look at it, it also just didn’t seem right, being were it was dumped, the trees were to dense for a vehicle, 10m around it.
funniest thing was, the range controllers only check with use, was not to use live persistent nerve agents, on the training area.
Which was ironic, because I was also involved in one of the 1st exercises there and as somebody who dug tank slots for a living, got a bit nervous about the live chemicals buried all about.
Those Warsaw Pact idiots had been using live chemicals to train with and had been spraying nerve agents around like air freshener.
when Kahalid was designed it uses extended horseman suspension from chieftain and road wheels but because it used Challenger 1 track new final drives and track adjust wheel had to be used which then became standard on Challenger 1.
Now until recently CRARRV were still using Challenger 1 track ,
Oman Challenger 2 use challenger 1 track has well because it wears less
