Working on this M48 AVLB. I hit the tracks with some flat black Rustoleum spray and twelve hours later they are still glossy and sticky paint comes off on my fingers. I go this way and follow up with a brush on the steel parts.
I’ve never run into this with those rubber band tracks that come in other kits. It must be something to do with whatever material their tracks are made from. Scrubbed them back down to bare with mineral spirits till I figure something out.
If it’s Dragon’s DS Tracks (orange-pinkish color) - then yeah, they can get really finnicky. They also sometimes don’t like more aggressive stuff like enamels - mind you this is a case to case basis as there are batches of Dragon Tracks in my own collection that is like 15 years old and still going strong.
Nonetheless - I’m sorry to say but there is a chance you might need to find replacement. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that
If it is Dragons (in)famous DS (Dangerous Stuff) it is like Russian roulette:
You can get lucky and you can get unlucky.
The DS-tracks in some of my kits have turned into hard little crumbs and the inside of the plastic packaging is full of some oily substance. Some wheels for Sd.Kfz.7 halftracks have shriveled and turned brittle in three kits, the fourth one is still OK.
If I were you I would replace those tracks A.S.A.P. before something worse happens.
Yeah, those DS tracks are a nightmare. They are a strange mix that allows them to be glued with plastic cement, and the mix is a bit unstable. I paint mine with Tamiya acrylics through an airbrush and they are OK - except for those that were already decaying when I first opened the box. Best to dump them and get plastic replacement tracks!
The tracks are more of a brown color and quite flexible and detailed. I did a small test with Testor enamel and same terrible results. On plastic spruce it dried in about 15 minutes. On a section of track, still sticky 12 hours later. Tamiya xf-85 rubber black acrylic dried fast.
Looks like hand painting with acrylic which I hate. Just can’t get the hang of acrylic paint. Some thin with water, some not.
I’d consider replacing them if I could find a set that were ready made and fit out of the box.
Thank for the link and coming through again. Seems that this Tamiya rubber acrylic is working out so I ordered some steel colored acrylic too. This acrylic is a whole other can of worms for me but at least it’s working. There had to be something in the other paints that was reacting with whatever material they use for the tracks. I never ran into that with other manufacturers.
