The whole week was gorgeous. I cannot believe I was getting paid $600 dollars a month to do that job. Lol
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Wait, you had an entire week of good weather, in the field, in Germany? No way!
Ken
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@tankerken
I have got the Friul tracks how many links per track do you suggest please?
I have seen (on model sites) anything from 76-78 per side.
There is no hard set number. It really is however many it takes, usually about 76-80 per side. It really depends on how they fit and is trial and error. You may have to add or delete one or two to get them to fit properly.
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Yea, what he said. Those numbers are just a rough guide. Even on the real vehicles. When you first install new tracks, they are very tight and you need the full number, sometimes even an extra link. As they get old and start to stretch out, you have to remove a link or two to keep the tension correct.
Ken
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Just remember there is no track sag on an M1. By the booknthe track tension is tight.
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Thats true for most US vehicles.
Ken
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the tracks also do not sag because they are live tracks
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This is an interesting thread. Some time ago, I got the RFM 1991 M1A1 kit, and was able find an older Tamiya stowage kit, so I could match the MRE carton style from the 1991 time frame of the kit, and a few other items, as mentioned in Pete Becerra’s Armorama review article of that kit from several years back. One other aspect of that kit that I had not been thrilled about was the lack of aftermarket ‘chevron’ tracks. I know that the link and length tracks supplied in the kit are supposed to be ‘okay’ to use, in that they fit, and don’t look too bad, but my preference for tank tracks is always articulating links. Some of the newer kits of various AFV subjects offer out of the box articulating tracks, which are quite nice. In fact, I just completed the tracks for the Meng Leopard 2A7, and they are truly super nice, easy to assemble, no glue at all, and look pretty accurate. I know there were some aftermarket tracks for the chevron type, but I couldn’t locate any of those. Then, a few weeks back, I saw that T-Rex Studios has a set of articulating chevron tracks! While expensive, I was thrilled to see this, and I just got them in the mail today. Can’t wait to begin the track assembly, as that tank was one that I’ve been wanting to do for some time, and now I think I have all the details I want in order to complete it.
@catsrcool: if you want to build another early M1, you now have another option for the chevron tracks, in case that is of interest to you.
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Thank you for the heads up.