The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Hello all,
I was hoping to see what the latest and greatest in half tracks is these days, as I'm attempting to spark interest in our club and get some projects rolling!

Idea : Clark board, possibly custom sounds & full combat capable. Might keep it as a light vehicle with MG only or as a lightly armored tank.

Role : Scout. Operator can roam freely about the field on foot, spotting 'hidden' tanks (this happens often at our field, lots of grass & camo schemes!), and directing fire.

So the issue lately is finding a good donor static kit (mostly German 250/251s), adequate gearboxes for them, etc. The best eBay has to offer in 1/18 are well over $100 now and are a tad expensive.

So, any ideas for hulls or gearboxes, allied or axis?

Input appreciated!

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

How about something like mine, fitted with a battle system, but with no offensive weapons. It would have to get from point A to point B while being supported by armour???
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/...ynsdad/124.jpg

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

That would fit in nicely too. It's a fairly flexible idea really, the point being to spot for your slower / heavy tanks from a closer vantage point, like within towns and behind cover and such.

Offensive abilities geared more towards taking out the OTHER teams scouts, but there were plenty of anti-tank halftracks that could mount a PAK 40 or other heavy weapons to take on armor, as well.

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

As far as a working chassis goes, I've seen builds where they used 1/25 Panther tracks (and drilled holes in the roadwheels to mimic what you see on a halftrack) that worked very well. There was even an RSO build where he used those components and dummied-up the drive sprockets so they didn't look so much like ones from a Panther.

For a motor unit, I've always wondered if the forward-and-reverse motor that comes with the really basic Tamiya 1/16 King Tiger would work. It wouldn't have variable speed control, but since it was made to motivate a KT, it ought to have enough oomph to move anything you could build around it (think Famo).

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Would this work out? 1:18 of course; www.amazon.com/Scale-Bravo-Multiple-Motor-Carriage/dp/B0029SG3XE/ref=pd_sim_t_2

Wheels and track move. So, might be adaptable, like 21st Century stuff.

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

I sent an email to a supplier of VS Tank Pro parts and such, as the VS Tank gearboxes come as a single unit with the sprockets already attached...

Are the sprockets easily removed from those? I have almost zero knowledge on VS tanks, and can't find much info on them mechanically.

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

I don't know which VS motors you are thinking about, but I got a couple of their 1/24 scale motors a few months ago. The ones I have are made with sprockets that are pressed on to a shaft similar to an allen wrench. They are not attached with screws or adhesive. They pulled off with a bit of effort, but came off without damage. Hope this helps in your case ............

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

I think the VS TU with the Tiger I sprockets would make a good SWS drive train.

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to post images here. Hmmmm....

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Hey Rex, what is the width of the base of the gearbox? And what are they out of?



~ Jeff

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

What Rex posted is exactly what I'm looking at getting. Just under $20 at several retailers. I've been looking at Sherman gears because the overall width of the VS model is the same as the half-tracks I want to convert. If the INTERNAL width is the same, it doesnt matter.

On this build : http://www.desertarmor.com/DAK_PROJE..._250.html#grid he managed to get panzer 3/4 1/16 tracks to fit the stock sprocket and wheels, so as long as the VS sprockets can be removed, everything is gravy.




Anyone have a 21st Century Sd. Kfz. 251/22 Half-Track with PaK40 75mm for sale? They're out of production :P

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Rex Ross, we've been discussing the viability of the VS gearboxes in 1/18 half-tracks and we took some measurements;

Can you take a measurement for us and help us figure this out?

Here's what we have for reference.

http://i83.servimg.com/u/f83/17/37/77/75/img_2510.jpg

http://i83.servimg.com/u/f83/17/37/77/75/img_2511.jpg

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

~~~~~~~~~~

The gearbox halves (top and bottom are plastic. They are held together with small screws.

Here is where I got mine from.......

http://www.artistichobbies.com/products.php?cat=43&pg=2

Rex

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Rex, you're a savior. That's perfect for the 21st Cent. static models. It should fit right in!

Hopefully soon we'll have a small platoon deployed of these little terrors... you've all been a great help!!


Hmm, interesting thought.. do you think it's possible to fill those split gearbox halves with some sort of oil, making it splash lubricated? ;)

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Does anyone know if these guys http://www.michels-kinderwelt.de/index.php?page=SN_Home are still in business?

I've tried using their contact form a few times, and it seems to be broken.... it's not showing my msg as sent.

Interesting alternative to kit bashing.

*edit* Nvm, it says right up front it is closed... I hadn't seen the home page from other links I was checking out!!

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

the only problem I see with this gearbox is that the front wheels will kinda be useless....2 motors to drive the tracks, usually there is a tranny with a drive shaft that goes to the "axle" that drives the 2 tracks at the same time. the axle is unlocked to allow turning with front wheels...

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Some American half-tracks, yes, all of the German vehicles had free front wheels.

In this scale it'd be very difficult for me to assemble the parts to make the front wheels live, not to mention making sure they turn evenly with the track sprockets.... but interesting :P

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

I don't know what lubricates the gears in that unit, if anything. It may have plastic gears like nylon or something. I don't think it would have seals that would keep the axles and motor shafts from leaking. I can't see any gasket material between the cases. Maybe I'll take a peak into that later today.

Sheeeesh! What do you expect for 20 bucks ???????

:D

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

No, but Ihave found this; smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi and this; www.aikensairplanes.com/german-pak-40-panzerabwehrkanone-40-7-5cm-anti-tank-cannon/

So, you would have to kit bash to get what you wanted.

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

I went ahead and ordered a pair of VS Tank Tiger gearboxes for myself and a club mate from [link=http://www.rctoybay.net/SearchResults.asp?Search=Engine&Search.x=14&Search .y=5]RcToyBay[/link], and a premium for the SINGLE Sdkfz. 251/22 with PAK 40 from [link=http://macsmilitarycollectables.com/Shop/]macsmilitarycollectables.com[/link], but it's exactly what I was looking for and don't mind really.

Now we just wait for parts and start the hunt for a front axle on the cheap that I can attach steering knuckles to. Not sure what I'm going to do exactly but I'll keep ya'll posted.


I think I'll pursue a custom Clark board... we'll see!

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Hey good luck Strato! You'll love the HT's and they're a lot of fun to battle with. My DAK 250/9 works like a champ and those VS gearboxes should be more than adequate. I have another 251 HT to RC in the future as well and may try either the VS gearboxes, or the Tamiya Double Gearbox (not Twin Motor Gearbox as they're gears are thinner, weaker, and much more noisy IMO).

Can't wait to see the build thread.

BTW, I ripped the front off an old RC toy car and used the steering knuckles from it. Still going strong. One last thing, just use a Y-splitter servo cable to have your front wheels turn while your tracks start to turn (as a tank would do). I didn't use a mixer as it didn't seem necessary for me.

Dave

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

A club mate found these metal halftrack tracks from Asiatam [link=http://www.asiatam.com/index.php?language=en&cat=c45_Sd-Kfz251-Sd-Kfz251.html&cPath=4_45&]http://www.asiatam.com/index.php?language=en&cat=c45_Sd-Kfz251-Sd-Kfz251.html&cPath=4_45&[/link], does anyone here have a good idea of what they were DESIGNED to fit, or if they will even come close to fitting the 1/18 scale models?

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

They are for the Famo.

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Famo has it's own set of tracks which are larger then the 251 tracks.The Sdkfz. 251 tracks are for the Sdkfz. 251. They may be to large for the 1/18 Sdkfz. 251/22 from Ultimate Soldier XD?

RE: The Wonderful World of Half-tracks!
 

Yeah I don't think those FAMO tracks would work out so well. The Pz3 tracks are the way to go IMO. They're wide, but fit nicely flush with the sides of the HT and not extending beyond them (I did have shave/file a little underneath so they wouldn't rub against the inner hull but it was a simple matter to do). They also provide great traction being wider than the thinner rubber band type tracks that come with the HT. Our DAK field can be rough on tracks but those Pz3 tracks work great.

If you don't mind sacrificing some scale/realism for functionality.

Dave