MAUS45

Just bought a set of these form a trader on E Bay. Will see what they are like and post photos once they arrive sometime between Febuary 12 & March 4. They are comming from China. Not sure if they could be used for R/C use until I have them in my hands. If not they still look cool and I will use them as static tracks for static display. They were only $44 shipped ePacket.

ausf

Wow.

Looking forward to your assessment Rudy.

I did a little research on the company (supposed to be Ace of Spades apparently) and they've been around and are well liked among the static realm. Terry at PMMS gives them 7.5 out of 10, which is pretty good for him. They make a good product, well drilled and minimum cleanup and on most I've read, pretty accurate, but the wire they supply is really hard to cut.

Only caution is they definitely contain lead, so be careful when handling.

MAUS45

Thanks for the heads up on them. I had seen them before on one of the static 1/35 armor sites and like you said the static world seems pretty high on them. They are less expensive then Fruil Model. I was looking at Fruil models 1/25 scale tracks for the Tamiya Centurion and they come in at $60-$70. I plan on using "Blackin It" on the Hetzer tracks form Ace of Spades. Since these have a high lead content would that break them down? I want to see how hard the metal is as well.

sassgrunt

My Feedback: (1)

I'm interested on your evaluation of these tracks as well. If they're half decent, all I have to wait on is a set of metal drive sprockets, and I'll finally be willing to tackle the Panda kit. I am NOT going to drill out the plastic links for metal pins....I tried, and stopped after poor success on just a few links. So, I put it in the closet until better aftermarket tracks/sprockets were released. Thank you for posting this.

ausf

I was going nuts with the pin vise after melting a few links with the Dremel, even on low with the flex shaft. Then I tried using a cordless screw gun with a half charged battery and I went through an entire side of links in about an hour.

I'm holding out hope that the kit tracks are up to the challenge, I think there's enough contact points that it'll hold. They're more solid that Pz III/IV links and the tank is a lot smaller. But I'm also not planning on battling it anyway, just running around. I'll be giving it the GIrls Und Panzer paint job.

Green Amphibian

For anyone interested, I have aluminum sprockets and idlers in 1/16 to fit the metal Asiatam Hetzer track available. They fit HL gearbox shafts. PM me for more information.

Herman

Augustus1967

Have y'all checked out the Tamiya Handy Drill?
I picked one up and am liking it...
Low RPM and pretty Handy...



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WVsImMwApOc

-gus

ausf

Ordered, thanks Gus!

LosTxSouL94

I want a 38(t) kits to do it in GuP style. Which one are you planning on doing? The gold 38 or the gray 38?

Can't wait for your review on these whenever they arrive. For some reason, metal track reviews or overviews are a little more exciting than tank reviews. Dunno why. :P

tomhugill

Asiatam do tracks too I Believe

sassgrunt

My Feedback: (1)

Herman, I've tried three times to send you a PM about buying a set of your sprockets & idlers, but the messages don't get through. Can you try to contact me from your end? Thank you. -Mike

Wozwasnt

Completely off topic but next to the video you posted I couldn't help but notice this - http://youtu.be/fXczmL3nb_4

I want that workstation (+ whatever magic he uses to keep it tidy)

Green Amphibian

Mike,

Message sent.

Herman

sassgrunt

My Feedback: (1)

I ordered a set of Green Amphibian's sprockets and idlers for the Hetzer, (I bought the late style). If any of you folks have ever considered buying them, I would suggest that you jump on them before they go away. They are REALLY well made; his machinist really knows what he is doing. No burrs and a great finish. What I really like about the sprockets is that they have a set screw on the side that locks them down onto the shaft, which means that they will fit either Tamiya or Heng Long shafts - you just have to file a flat spot on the shaft for the set screw to lock onto. I don't know what kind of gearbox I will eventually use for them, but it's good to know that I have options. Thank you for bringing these to market, Herman. They are really neat!

I ordered a set of the Spade Ace tracks, and am waiting for them to arrive. I'll let you know if they work (or, can be MADE to work) with his sprockets. -Mike

MAUS45

i agree Mike, I have a set of Hermans Late sprockets. They are well made. That is why I ordered these Spade Ace tracks. I have not recieved mine yet. They did come with a tracking number. They are sitting in Bejing right now!!!

MAUS45

Got the tracks in yesterday. I have attached photos of the box and tracks. After looking at them and testing how soft or hard they may be I think in general they will only serve as good static tracks or maybe for just running around as an RC, but not strong enough for RC tank battling. The issue is that they are probably 80% lead which means the steel wire they include to put them together will start to wear them out as it is harder than the tracks. Without attaching them to a running T38 or Hetzer it will be hard to test how quickly the wearing will occur? It will happen though. So that said, buy them at your own risk if planning on using them on a R/C T38 or Hetzer. The detail is really clean and crisp though. So if you plan on building a static T38 or Hetzer I would defiantly buy a set. Cost was $43 delivered to the U.S. from China. It only took 14 days to get here. The tracks in the Photos where there are seven put together are not pinned, but just pressed together.

sassgrunt

My Feedback: (1)

Rudy, I got mine in as well. I agree that they are softer than I would like them to be, and I question how long they will last. Having said that, they are a LOT better than the stock plastic ones are, so I am happy with the investment. I used a jeweler's file across the outside front edge of the tracks, (where it fits into the next link) so that it has a better "flex" to the links. Otherwise, the flat spots all fit together to prevent it wanting to bend very well. That helped a lot.
I didn't like the wire, but it was more because once you cut the pins to length, there's not a very good way to hold them in place. I went to Walmart and bought a set of 450 Dritz extra-length straight pins for less than $5. I made a couple of small bends in each pin to help them stay in place in the links. The pin is easier to push in than the wire is, and I used a small wire cutter to remove the excess pin from the inside of the link once it was in place. Now, I have a uniform rounded head on the outside of each link, and if any of them do start working their way out, I can see it and push them back in.
I also contacted Green Amphibian about his sprockets & idlers, and am waiting to hear back from him about what his machinist says. I found that I had to remove about 0.010" from the inside of each sprocket and idler flange to get the track teeth to fit inside. That was done through the use of files and sandpaper. It worked, but I contacted him to see if it can be produced that way in the first place.
The next major hurdle on this project is figuring out the gearboxes. 35tank doesn't have their kit in stock at this time, so I will figure something else out. -Mike

sassgrunt

My Feedback: (1)

Sorry, double post

LosTxSouL94

I wonder if you can make a mould for them and make them out of steel or whatever. I'd put softer rod in them so the pin would break before the track would. Plus watching an RC tank track itself during a battle is great fun to watch.

ausf

Oh well, thanks for taking one for the team Rudy. I guess that's why the German bronze ones are so expensive.

Mike, I have the 35 scale kit and I don't think their gearboxes are a good choice. They are laser cut sheet steel sandwiched together. It might do fine in the turret ring, but I doubt they'd be long for the world once there was some resistance on the track. I had robot gearboxes already and plan on sticking with them when I eventually build it. That said, I believe Clark came out with a kit for it as well, I'd take a good look at that before the scale 35.

On a side note, I got the Tamiya hand drill and it's fantastic. The collier is the same size as the ones in the Proedge pin vise, so I can chuck bits down to 0.011".

ausf

Oh well, thanks for taking one for the team Rudy. I guess that's why the German bronze ones are so expensive.

Mike, I have the 35 scale kit and I don't think their gearboxes are a good choice. They are laser cut sheet steel sandwiched together. It might do fine in the turret ring, but I doubt they'd be long for the world once there was some resistance on the track. I had robot gearboxes already and plan on sticking with them when I eventually build it. That said, I believe Clark came out with a kit for it as well, I'd take a good look at that before the scale 35.

On a side note, I got the Tamiya hand drill and it's fantastic. The collier is the same size as the ones in the Proedge pin vise, so I can chuck bits down to 0.011".

MAUS45

Mike,I was thinking about using straight pins as well. I have used thread lock and super glue gel to hold track pins in place on some of Kenny Kong's early Tiger I metal tracks. All I did was rough up the end of the track pin without the head and the hole on that end of the track so the gel super glue had something to grab or bite into to hold it in place. Kenny has since gone to track pins that are knurled on one end to keep them in place. That said my Early Tiger I tracks have done fine for more then 10 years with my gel super glue method! Ludwig's has a Drive Sprockets for the 38t/Hetzer out now as well. I am going to get a set to see how they fit as well.

http://www.ludwigs-hobby-seite.de/Hetzer.html

MAUS45

Jeff, thats how I roll, not a big deal taking one for the team. I was going to use them on a static 38t if they were not up to R/C standards. I want to see what blackin it does to them as well???

sassgrunt

My Feedback: (1)

Just tried soaking a length of this track in white vinegar for an hour. (That usually works to darken most metal track). Nope, it just barely darkened the sheen somewhat. I have the same trouble with Kenny Kong tracks, so it looks like Gun Blue or something similar is going to be needed. Of course, by my using straight pins, I'm probably going to end up with dark tracks with bright shiny silver end caps!

MAUS45

Mike I use a product called Blacken-It and have used Gun Blue as well. The Blacken-It seems to work the best on Kenny Kongs tracks and the Impact tracks as well. Most HobbyTown USA's carry Blacken-It. Just Google it. I think Micromark.com carries it as well. Here is what it did to a set of Impact Panzer III Tracks and Asiatam drive sprocket and idlers.