I have a set of Kaizen Type T-80 tracks for a 1/35 scale M4A3E8 that I am starting to assemble. These tracks are fiddly. Does anyone have experience with this brand and/or these specific tracks that I can learn from? Thank
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I have used a set of Kaizen tracks for a Tiger 1.
I thought they were awesome. It was my only purchase of aftermarket tracks and i couldn’t be happier.
They have very small sprue gates, making cleanup easy. Yes, you have to set the guide teeth, but it wasn’t difficult at all. Care needs to be done to keep the guide teeth from bending , after they are firmly glued together.
And using the brass rod to connect was not bad at all. Connecting the tracks together on the model was the toughest part. But with a little brain power its easy.
I am not sure how the tracks you are building go together, so this is my opinion based on what i used.
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Post some photos of the instructions and parts.
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Hey, thanks for the quick reply. Yes, these tracks do look like they will be awsome, each track segment has 10 seperate parts (that includes the brass pins). Did you use CA glue or some other type of glue? Thanks, Dave
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For the guide teeth, i used Tamiya extra thin. The plastic is a little different than a Tamiya or dragon kit, but take your time and make sure it sticks good.
Same glue for the track ends if you have them.
I put a very small drop of CA on the brass end after i set it in place. . ( its been two years , i don’t recall that for sure)
Take your time them. Once you get into, it will flow, and i think you will like it. It’s so much nicer then dealing with Magic Track type of assemblies.
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Thanks. I will get you a picture shortly, I have to replace a light in the kitchen.
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I’ve built the KaizenT-80 tracks for my Tamiya M40 kit, and have mixed feelings about them: The result is extremely realistic and strong, but assembly is just as extremely time consuming with nine (!) parts per link and the end connectors fighting back. For details, see my build report: Baubericht - 155 mm M 40 GMC .
Enjoy - it’s your hobby, isn’t it?
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Thanks Peter, the link to your build and the information describing your experience with the Kaizen tracks was very helpful. I think in the future I will consider other track options. Right now I am printing a set of type T-66 tracks as a possible plan “B”. Thanks for the help, Dave
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Sou ds like it was brutal .
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I’ve never even seen these tracks available in any of the online stores I normally purchase from or at my LHS. The one thing I remember about Kaizen is that the guy who started that company was the same guy that designed all the molds for the original Tasca Sherman tank kits that are now called Asuka. I remember reading that on Missing-Lynx ages ago after the split happened and he left Tasca. Asuka has been scraping by and surviving off of his original molds ever since and I don’t know what’s become of Kaizen or if they are still in business.
I know that he was a huge part of the Tasca team, they have only managed to create one mold since he left the company, Asuka took his original hybrid hull Sherman and combined it with the M4A1 hull to make a large hatch M4A1 hull but it’s incorrect because the angle in the rear of the hull is accurate to a 75mm M4A1 and incorrect for a large hatch.
Needless to say, I think when he left the Tasca team it basically destroyed Tasca’s ability to create new molds. It’s tragic that he ended up not owning the rights to his molds otherwise we probably would’ve seen more Sherman variants from Kaizen.
As for Asuka, with exception of the faulty large hatch M4A1 hull, all they’ve done is mix and match turrets, suspensions, and hulls formerly designed by the Kaizen guy combined with new decals to release different variants of Shermans. They’ve also just re-released the original kits over and over sometimes with resin AM stuff and new decals and sometimes bare bones with no decals in cheap red box versions. It’s tragic that they couldn’t work out their differences and stick together otherwise Tasca might’ve become a much bigger company. They were starting to branch out into 1/24 scale models of smaller German vehicles, I believe they had a Lynx light tank and a motorcycle kit all in 1/24th scale, I never bought any of them but I read good things about those kits.
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