This is probably an easy question, I clearly know nothing about the subject.
I’m starting on a T-90A kit from Meng in 1/35 scale. It will take me quite a while since there’s nearly 1,500 parts. I’m working on the tracks as relaxation. Below is an illustration that clearly shows a “pad” of some sort, presumably steel. I have been watching some youtube videos of this kit being built and there are not many, even fewer in English, but the ones I’ve seen the builder is leaving these off.
It is clearly an optional part, I assume it was used on roads/highways that the crew would remove when offroad? In the instructions (below) it is part H2. If I use them these will not be “cement free”
Usually rubber pads are used on hard (paved) roads. All steel tracks do just fine when off-road and on soft-surface roads. It appears the rubber pads can be removed when not on roads and are listed as optional in the instructions.
Another alternative is like the tracks for the M60: attaching the pad with a bolt that goes through the link. Which would be a lot more work than on the Leopard, but less strenuous than replacing a whole track.
I keep saying it, but you wouldn’t need to do a whole set — about two-thirds is usually enough when the upper run is covered by deep skirt plates like on the T-90.
However, I will add that my experience with Meng kit tracks has not exactly warmed me to wanting to build more of them. These look like the end connectors don’t need glue, but you’ll want to build a section to test that before cleaning up all of the parts and only then discovering you need two drops of glue on each connector, or something. Because if it does turn out that way, you can still ditch them for something easier without having put too much effort in
From the limited sections I’ve built they seem to stick together pretty well. Maybe not if you are playing with them like the GI-Joe dolls. The end-links are a flexible black plastic, they slip pretty well over the hard plastic “pins” and the tension (rubber-band-like) holds them in place.
That is certainly a big improvement over Meng’s Magach and Sherman tracks, which both need pins (super)glued in place. Both were doable but the Sherman tracks were not exactly fun, the Magach ones even less so.
Those Meng T-90/72 tracks build up real easy either way,I did one with the pads for the T-90 I made a cleaner tank,and with the battlefield tracks for a T-72 in Ukraine.
See what I mean Jakko? Those end-links really work well.
I build the Meng Merkava with (600-800) part tracks and a lot of glue was needed, I also did the RFM Sherman E8 which were about on-par with complexity but seemed to be more “workable”.
I am mainly an “aircraft guy”, but one who thinks tonks are kewl
These are advertised as “no glue” which I think I can say now (thanks to the help here) is true if you leave the paved-road “pads” out.
I need to also qualify my own opinion, I am becoming a fanboi of Meng, so take my opinions with 2 grains of salt.
It does look like it, yes. AFV Club, Trumpeter and others do much the same for their track sets but in hard plastic, which works really well if the dimensions are just right. OTOH, if they’re off, especially if the holes are too big, the best solution is to buy a set from a different manufacturer. Soft plastic solves that problem, but I do kind of wonder how they will hold up in the long term. I kind of fear some will tear from the tension eventually, or go brittle and break.
