HELP! Tristar Panzer Kpfw. 38

Welcome aboard.

Tristar are know to have some of the most detailed and accurate kits on the market. However, they are not shake-and-bakes, ala Tamiya. They are very precisely fitting from all the reviews I've read. I have the Sturmpanzer and it's a heck of a kit, even intimidating at first glance.

I did my last set of tracks the way Erik did them, minus the tape. However my tracks were King Tiger and not little Pz 38's. I also did mine in one long run and used the Testors pink bottle with the little brush. I also allowed mine an hour and then carefully attached the tracks around the sprockets and left one link unglued, so I could remove and reattach them later. If the track has sag, I placed cottonballs were they needed to sag and left overnight. By the next day they should be pretty rock solid.

Good luck in the future.

Sorry to hear of your frustrations with the Tristar 38(t) kit. As Erik has mentioned, Tristar is on par with all the top-flight armor kit manufacturers and produce some very highly detailed kits, considered by some to be the best depending on the vehicle/kit in question.

With the modern advances in molding technology, the model-building community in general has tended to demand higher quality/detail in the kits produced and that in turn has led to the manufacturers moving away from simplified molded-on approachs and more parts being produced separately/indepently. This of course can be taken too far but that usually depends on the builder's skill level as to when that point is reached. One of the beautiful things about the internet is the availability of reviews and communities where individuals can get information about kits before they buy so they know what they are (sort of) getting into.

As to the tracks, they are meant to be static tracks after assembly and the "friction fit" is just to aid in their assembly. There are many methods out there for indy-link (the type your kit has) assembly. Whichever method you choose, be sure you factor in the need to also keep the sprockets and idlers removable so that you can fit the tracks correctly after you've got them assembled and painted.

After-market tracks are an alternative as well but have their own potential issues you will have to contend with depending on which type you use. Fruils for example are workable white metal and are assembled using wire or pins and have to be handled/painted differently from styrene as a result. Model Kasten are styrene workables but are more fragile than Fruils and also require clean-up/time investment to assemble them.

Welcome to the forums and best of luck with your build!

Thanks Erik. 

I would say for the most part I am pleased with the way the kit turned out.  I just can imagine an inexperienced modeler starting with a kit such as this one.

Ok, I'll give your method a shot.  There just doesn't seem like to much surface area contact between links.

Tristar kits are just as good as any other mainstream manufacturer.

In the majority of cases you end up building sub-assembles because they are more detailed than just having them molded all together. They may be fiddly yes, but the level of detail can make or break a finished model. As for fit problems with sub-assembles be sure next to test fit the parts multiple times, I've noticed that kits with interiors this is especially true because having one part slightly out of alignment will screw up the rest of the build.

As for indy link tracks glue is a must. I've found the best way to assemble indy tracks is to first place a strip of blue painters tape sticky side up on your bench and tape each end down. Then lay out the links like the directions state. Once I have about half of the run complete I use a slow drying glue(Testors liquid in the black bottles) and spread it in where the links meet. I let in dry about an hour then I peal it carefully off the tape and then fit the run around the tanks running gear. Make sure that the tracks are in correct position and then let dry over night. Then wash, rinse and repeat until both sides are done. 

Erik