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Magic Track question...left and right side

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  • Member since
    July 2008
  • From: Vancouver, the "wet coast"
Magic Track question...left and right side
Posted by castelnuovo on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 1:29 AM

Gentlemen,

The instructions say that "dark grey" links go on left side and "light gray" on the right side? Why are the sides important? No matter how much I look at them, thay appear to be the same, they even fit perfectly into each other.

What gives? What am I not seeing?

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Sydney, Australia
Posted by Phil_H on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 1:37 AM

Sometimes it depends on the type of track/vehicle. eg. on Pz.IV tracks, look closely and you may see the head of the track pin on one end of the track shoe.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 6:41 PM

Phil's got you covered...that's the only real difference when the tracks are meant to be "handed". It's more pronounced on larger tracks like Tiger or Panther and less so on say, Pz I tracks. Big Smile

  • Member since
    May 2011
Posted by panzerbob01 on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 9:17 PM

Hi!

The "handedness" in Dragon "Magic Track" link-sets neatly reflects the reality of how tracks were assembled on most German WWII tanks:  Most used a "dry-pin" "dead" track with links connected by a metal hinge-pin, and tracks sagged between rollers depending on the track-tension.  The subtle but important detail is that these pins were inserted from the vehicle side thru the link. In some cases, the pin was then secured with a cotter-pin at the outer end.  In other cases - notably on Panzer 38(t), and I think Panthers too -,  the pin was left free-floating!  These floating pins were kept in their place by a "strike-plate" or "pin-knocker" which pushed or tapped pins back into the track as the vehicle moved along.

Couple this detail with another - the links have an "obvious" asymmetrical form with a putative "front end".  The links assemble into tracks with an apparent directional bias which kit instructions usually show for correct assembly.  In reality, the pin could be inserted from either side of the link in Panzer I, early II, III and IV tracks, and maybe in others, too!  As those pins "always" have to insert from the vehicle side, (specially if they must be knocked back into place...) this meant that the track could be placed facing either way!  As long as the pins were running from inside to out!

But... ALL the links on a side have to run in the same direction.  You cannot of course reverse only some of a run!

IF one looks at many pictures of these vehicles, you will find some with "reversed" tracks and even cases where one set is running one way, and the other side reversed!  Quite common on the Pz 1 and II, less common on larger vehicles.  One of the special cases apparently occurred with those modified tracks called "winterketten", where the links MUST be fitted with the extension piece to the outside.  That famous StuG III which was recovered several years ago with the winterketten on it may be one of these, where all the links were "one side" and so the other side was assembled "in reverse".  While I am pretty sure that both "left" and "right" links were available, it is pretty likely that both types may not have been equally available all the time and everywhere...  So crew may well have been allowed to "reverse" one side as needed.

Now... as the Magic Tracks have the pin-ends molded on, it is very difficult to show this on most builds - unless you have two kits and can use both "left sides" on one tank!  IF one does fruils or MK pinned tracks, you can create the "reversed" sets by pinning from the "wrong side" - IF doing Magics...  and you only have one tank kit...  you'll have to cut and swap all the pin-heads.  TEDIOUS.

Cheers!

Bob

  • Member since
    July 2008
  • From: Vancouver, the "wet coast"
Posted by castelnuovo on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 12:52 AM

WOW...what can I say? Thanks BOB, very detailed answer. Obviously, you know your armor.

Thanks...

  • Member since
    May 2011
Posted by panzerbob01 on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 7:06 PM

Hi!  I'd be flattered, but Nah, no sort of expert on armor, German or any other brand!  Just one of those little details a modeler learns about as he goes along!  

I stumbled onto the handedness of tracks late in my life / modeling career - only a couple years back... when I read a review about a Dragon Panther kit - and it noted that the Magic Tracks were great, but all for one side!  "Uh oh! Tracks are "handed"?"  So then I started collecting Concord Military series books on WWII German... and started reading and looking at pics. And started looking more closely at the kit bits... And yeah, so it appears!  The obvious is that links do have to have two different hinge-sides.  Or the track must be assembled using 2 different types of links - an "A link" and a "B link" - like some T-34 tracks have.  And equally so, links must have some sort of pins or other joiners.

All this growing awareness occurred at the same time that various modelers were blogging - sometimes forcefully - about the apparent "directionality" of tracks.  In some cases, this included opinionation about "why" - with suggestions including that the track worked better one way than the other.

I am certain there is some truth in all of those allegations.  Once I got into model-shows, I found that some judges were rather hard-boiled and adamant about this directionality thing.  But what I saw in the pics told a different story... real tanks did actually have their tracks on "wrong"!  Even tanks being used in crew-training!  Wow!  

So there you have it!  To me, the track thing is actually a rather funny story.  I am pleased to see Dragon (and other companies?) have provided us the detail, and there's opportunity for modelers to have some fun with this!

Cheers!

Bob

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