Will the HobbyBoss individual track link set fit the ICM kit or will I need to get the Friul ones? The sprocket on the ICM has 19 teeth but the HobbyBoss one has 20 teeth. The Friul set says it will fit both models but is twice the price. The individual links in my ICM kit just fit so poorly that I have to replace them. Thanks for any advice on this.
I doubt it …
If I remember correctly from building the ICM T-35 more than 20 years ago was that I had to reduce the diameter of the sprocket to get the tracks to fit. The track links on adjacent teeth were too far apart so they would not join each other.
There is a sort of shelf on the inside of the “roots” of the teeth. I filed this down some mm, deepened the grooves between the teeth while keeping the flank angles of the teeth. When a tooth has been filed down on both flanks the tip has also been taken down. Round off the tip of the tooth.
The end result is that you bring the teeth closer together and the track links can link up.
In technical terms: The pitch of the ICM sprocket wheel was greater than the pitch of the track.
Ahhhh, I thought it was just the poor track molding by ICM - the “slots” being wider than the “tabs” so you can’t center the link very well across the width. I was thinking to just fake the links around the sprocket individually and glue all the rest but then the Friul will look better anyway. Guess I’ll bite the bullet and get the Fruil. Thanks for the info Robin, much appreciated.
I can not guarantee that the Friul tracks will fit.
I have not tested them myself.
Understood. Scalemates indicates that they fit the ICM, and Alanger kits and they are usually a good go-by site.
We will be expecting a full after action report
Will do. I am building the Alanger T-28 (Modelcasten tracks) and the ICM T-35 (now Fruil tracks hopefully) together as a display with the three interiors mounted outside each hull so you can see them. That is the drivers compartment, turret compartment, and engine. Should be a challenge.
OK, got the Friul tracks and assembled a short section to see if they fit the 19 tooth ICM T-35 sprocket. Yea, they do. It’s the ATL-75 set. Now I can move forward with the T-28 / T35 twin builds. I’ll post a separate thread for that. Hope this track info helps someone else.
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Thanks for checking and reporting!
