swathdiver

What's with all the red tracks lately? I thought that horse was finally put to bed? Seems someone is promoting the idea that tracks rust or were painted in red oxide primer.

In the case of German armor, that may have sometimes been true, being sprayed in red oxide. However, German tracks were the least likely to show signs of rust on them because of the high maganese content if memory serves.

Tracks like the Sherman and Pershing might get a little surface rust on the end connectors and hardware that holds them together, not on the metal shoes themselves. They were normally a kind of gunmetal color and shiny where they contacted the ground most often.

In the heavy equipment world where I work around CAT, Kubota, etc. Those tracks are painted, the paint wears off and they stay shiny and not rusty unless they sat and it's only that surface rust like you'd get on your disc brakes if your car sat for the weekend, once you use them once, it's gone.

The only time I've seen German tracks rusty is a color photo of the 712 Tiger at Aberdeen in the late 1950s or early 1960s. First might be colorized, second looks like right colors, 3rd was taken in Germany.

wackywheelz

High manganese content is correct - Mud/metal yes, corrosion/rust no (or very little in certain places).

A lot of tanks getting about look like the Saipan Sherman...

971wright

Hi Guys Ijust prime paint then black paint and run them and let it wear off it shines were it rubs on anything be it the ground or sprocket or idler wheels and after about one hour of running i think they look ok and i never clean them like you say things that move dont rust.



regards pete

jakeand

Hi,

Just spray them with a "dusty" colour, and then let nature do the rest.

Regards

Jake

thomasjohnmurphy

I paint (airbrush) mine with about a 50/50 mix of flat black/rebbrown. If they are plastic I dry brush them with silver. If they are metal I take a sanding block and sand the track surface down. It has seemed to work for me. I sometimes do a wash with a rust color to get in the groves.

heavyaslead

Even if the tracks were in Red Oxide primer, it would be worn off quickly by road usage. Unless you are showing a 'factory off the line' version, go with something more conservative.

Reservedly, tanks sitting out for 60 years without running will have significant oxidation that may look red or white as the photos show.

Leo2A6 Owner

I have been saying ALL this since day one. Theres an M-32 here at a surplus store thats been sitting for DECADES. No rust on the tracks or majority of the tank. Mainly a little rust on bolts added by crew or around field mods. Put it simply guys STOP USING RED PRIMER ON YOUR TRACKS. It looks weird and kills the scale effect of the model. Heres how your track should look.

firenick

Here is a link to a picture that may further this debate. Look at the track link that the soldier has his left foot on and notice the one on top of the spare road wheels. The one underfoot is either bare primer or slightly rusted all around while the one on top of the roadwheels looks hardly affected by the elements. Its hard to tell if it is primer or rust. Just thought I'd share this.

Nick
http://www.afrikakorps.org/_photos/C...PaintStyle.jpg

Leo2A6 Owner

Its surface rust But notice it is very dark not a bright red/orange brown.. In the desert tracks would get like that overnight when not used but would return to a darker sheen with earthy tones the moment it was used. Every unused german track i have seen even original unused museum kept track has a dark grey black color to it. Look at the spare link sitting on the spare road wheel it is an obvious dark greyblack color compared to the one underfoot. The one underfoot was prbably used and removed or recovered from a damaged vehicle for use as spares.

heavyaslead

Great pic Nick! Shows the four square convoy light detail real well.

And get this... Bandai actually molded the rubbers correctly with the center mold seam!

pattoncommander

Until the M-60 and Abrams, US tanks in a combat zone wore steel double pin chevron combat tracks. When it was down and sittting for a month, the tracks did pick up some surface rust, but before it got out of the motor pool or maint area, it was gone. It was a hassle at times in summer to always cover the exposed track if not completely concealed because the tracks were shiny. Here's my M-46 in Korea...see any rust? My M-48s in the very wet climate of Germany had T-84 rubber, double pin chevron, but even if the tank sat, very little rust was collected. Spares were normally painted OD except rubber parts.

YHR

This is a none issue isn't it. I paint the inside of my tracks primer red to hold the track pins in place. I've worked around heavy equipment all my life, and tracks don't corrode when in service. So it is strickly an RC functional thing in my case. I didn't realize people were losing sleep over it I have since found a very good metalized primer that I now spray my tracks with, so rest easy, my red tracks will slowly fade away.

firenick

Heavyaslead your welcome for the picture. I think I understand now. German tracks don't rust but they do rust under certain conditions. Got it.

Thanks,
Nick

pattoncommander

Any steel will rust outside and in contact with the wet ground or weather. Russian T-34s came out of ther factories without any paint at all, direct to the front, and were always rusty, all over and had nothing but the tank riders rubbing on them to remove it. . The point is on tracks, that the surface oxidization will disappear with a short run across the motor pool, whereas paint on a plastic model will not. I didn't initiate this thread, but fully concur that red paint should be avoided, unless you are depicting a tank sitting at APG terribly abused by lack of maintenance. I settled the slipping pin problem by slightly bradding the smooth end of the pins with a 2 oz hammer and jewelers anvil to keep them in place, but not so much as to prevent removal. Works great for me without rust or paint.

brel

I painted my tigers metal tracks with a red primer and then with matt black spray paint, left them hanging up in the airing cupboard for two days ( I live on my own) to dry and then refitted them back on the tiger and the ran the tank over concrete and tarmac surfaces to scrape the paint of the contact surface and edges of the track.and the have come up a treat as shown in the attached picture

Yankee John

I believe that the track link under the tankers foot is painted. The color is too consistant, and even shiney, to be rust. New rust is orange in color, while old rust is dark red or brown. It takes a long long time for new orange rust to turn into dark red rust.

Also keep in mind that this pic was probably taken in north Africa. Very dry conditions with very little rain or moisture. Certainly not enough water exposure to turn a metal track link dark brown from rust.

Just my opinion- Your mileage may vary!

John

gigantohawk

Fantastic shot for the PZIII guys...I go with Yankee John, looks painted to me.
For those interested in the PZIII, compare the shape of the turret bustle as compared to our H/L one. I think we've got a bit of work to do there guys !!.