Dragon Panzer III

I must say I admire your dedication and patience. That is a whole lotta small tracks there. I've got a Stug III and I'm not looking forward to them.

I actually enjoy link to link tracks.

My therapist says I'm "Making Progress" in some areas!"


Yes, they are tedious, but NOTHING looks as good (real) as link to link.

To me, they are worth the pain.

Just my 2 cents.

I'm exaggerating just a little. Although the kit comes with 240 blocks I actually only require 184 for the tank in question. Of course some are not molded quite right etc. so I'm sure it's going to be fine. I've already got 80 of them cleaned up so...I did a Dragon Stug III about 4 years ago so this set is going together pretty well all things concerned.

Spamicus, the insane don't think they are insane. That is NOT the question to be asked here! Good luck with those tracks!

I hate DMS's ejector pin marks so much, I keep buying Model Kasten track sets. DML really does a nice job with their tracks, just wish they could get rid of the ejector marks!

How did you find the rest of the kit to build? Which one do you have?

The rest of the kit is pretty nice, but the back deck is laid out like the Ausf L and the kit is supposed to be an Ausf J. It has built up nicely though and I chose to ignore the back deck problem. Tracks are going to together quite nicely and I'm confident it'll look pretty good.

I agree with you Latch, they do make a noticable improvement. I still prefer them on tanks that need sag.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Spamicus Well I just finished sanding the ejector pin marks off 240 track blocks for my Dragon panzer III. Laid a base coat of primer on them and I am now in the process of cutting them from the sprue and cleaning them up. Some day I'll actually put them together and install them on my cute little tank. The point being; I wonder about those of us who carry on with these things. Is this therapy or do we need it?

spamicus, way way out of my league!!
regards,
nick

Well, I have to live with them. Never had any budget for AM tracks. But the indy link tracks of DML are already good except of the sink/ejector marks. But of course some cleaning or mud will do the trick. I hate working with the indy tracks but I like the way the look when done. You should try Dragon's M4A4 (also the Firefly, I think). Each link has 3 separate parts...I mean really small parts.

Dwight, you are correct on the DML Firefly. 3 parts per link. My problem with them (just doing a trial of 5 or 6 links) was that it was hard (for me) to keep the end pieces "square" with the links. Don't know quite how to solve that problem other than being more careful.

3 small prts per link, sounds like the ones on the academy stuart. A whole lot of little pieces.

There's the link and two end brackets. Might be worth it to fix up some kind of jig to hold the brackets in alignment! There are two little pins on the end of the link. You have to hold two links next to each other, then glue the bracket's two little holes over the two link's adjacent pins. It's actually easier to glue the bracket to one link and let set up a bit, then to the second link on one side. Then after that's firmed up just a bit, glue the bracket to the other side of the link. At least it was easier for me than trying to hold all those parts in alignment at the same time (which I obviously didn't do very well!)

I've now done one set of Jaguar tracks (Elefant), one Friulmodel (PzII), and one half set of Model Kasten (Panther). They all had their areas that were harder and others that were easier than the other types.

Good luck with them what every you use!

Bill

Eeegah! That is why I say, HELLO Mr. Friul!

I am lucky in that the aftermarket stuff is not an issue for me. Then again, it promotes laziness. Doing all that work is quite an achievement.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Dwight Ta-ala Well, I have to live with them. Never had any budget for AM tracks. But the indy link tracks of DML are already good except of the sink/ejector marks. But of course some cleaning or mud will do the trick. I hate working with the indy tracks but I like the way the look when done. You should try Dragon's M4A4 (also the Firefly, I think). Each link has 3 separate parts...I mean really small parts.

As far as the M4A4/Firefly, been there done that. I found those tracks to be okay even with the other parts. I do like those Fruil tracks though, when I've got a few extra bucks or a special project. I do have one track for the Panzer III complete and ready to go on so it's coming along.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Spamicus The rest of the kit is pretty nice, but the back deck is laid out like the Ausf L and the kit is supposed to be an Ausf J. It has built up nicely though and I chose to ignore the back deck problem. Tracks are going to together quite nicely and I'm confident it'll look pretty good.

I beg to differ: I have photos of a "J" and the rear deck is the same as the "L" through "N". The Squadron reference book may have misidentified it; they have been known to call a "Nashorn" a "Hummel"and vice versa. On the other hand, what was identified as a "J" in the photos I have might be an "L" prior to the installation of the spaced armor on the mantlet and front plate; however the tank was pretty beat up and looked like it had been in combat quite a while. So it's anyone's guess.