BMP tracks

The Trumpeter BMP-3 comes with individual links. I believe they are different than BMP-1/2 tracks any way.

I do know the ancient Lindberg BMP-1U did come with one piece vinyl tracks. Trumpeter now makes a BMP-1 too, but the reviews I've read say it comes with individual links.

All the other BMP-1/2 kits by Dragon and reboxed by Revell, Zvezda and Italeri used individual links.

Skif did a BMP-3 10+ years ago too. It included 2-piece vinyl tracks (two lengths of vinyl made up each side of track). Again, I do not believe they are the same as -1/2 tracks, but it may be an option.

Hi Rob -- thanks for the info, you've more or less confirmed what I was scouting earlier. GRRR, looks like I'll have to take a shot at the kit tracks afterall, but the plastic is a formula that doesn't stick very well, I foresee the tracks simply falling apart when touched... Unless I treat them like Friuls, drill and pin the segments together... It might be practical.

Skif is rare over here, and very pricy -- and again there's the accuracy factor, as you say.

This is a subject AFV Club would probably be well rewarded for offering in their vinyl replacement selection -- it would make a whole lot of kits easier!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Except for Dragon DS and Tamiya glueable vinyl, the modeling world has moved away from one piece vinyl tracks and towards individual link tracks.

I have several BMP kits, among them the Skif -3. I will dig them out and compare the vinyl Skif tracks with -1/2 tracks from my Dragon kits to see if they are compatible.

I did find the old Lindberg kit on eBay, it was $19 or best offer. The kit itself is not very good, but it does have vinyl tracks.

Hi Rob, I did some more research and it looks like the -3 has completely redesigned running gear, with paired roadwheels and a central guidehorn on the trackplates, the opposite of the -1 and -2 settup. Poaching the vinyls from the Lindberg kit looks like the only option for a flexible track...

I've looked at the ESCI parts and there's an outside chance I can join them by drilling and pinning as if they were whitemetal workables. It's not something I've done before, but it might work -- shave off the trackbolt head from the outside of the connecting lug on each side, drill through and drill complimentary holes in the next link, then glue in a tiny piece of either metal or plastic through each, the challenge being to keep them from locking up by capillary action to the next link. It's worth a shot, though vinyls look awful attractive by comparison!

Cheers, and Merry Christmas,

Mike

Rob the quality of the tracks for Trumpeter's BMP-1/2 and BMP-3 are actually quite similar to ModelKasten tracks and are workable. The Trumpeter BMP-1/2 tracks look like they would work with the DML/Skif BMP kits.

Rob Gronovius

Except for Dragon DS and Tamiya glueable vinyl, the modeling world has moved away from one piece vinyl tracks and towards individual link tracks.

I have several BMP kits, among them the Skif -3. I will dig them out and compare the vinyl Skif tracks with -1/2 tracks from my Dragon kits to see if they are compatible.

I did find the old Lindberg kit on eBay, it was $19 or best offer. The kit itself is not very good, but it does have vinyl tracks.

Trumpeter now sells workable track sets, separately, and Squadron has them for $12.99 a set....

www.squadron.com/.../tr02031.htm

Mikeym_us

Rob the quality of the tracks for Trumpeter's BMP-1/2 and BMP-3 are actually quite similar to ModelKasten tracks and are workable. The Trumpeter BMP-1/2 tracks look like they would work with the DML/Skif BMP kits.

Rob Gronovius

Except for Dragon DS and Tamiya glueable vinyl, the modeling world has moved away from one piece vinyl tracks and towards individual link tracks.

I have several BMP kits, among them the Skif -3. I will dig them out and compare the vinyl Skif tracks with -1/2 tracks from my Dragon kits to see if they are compatible.

I did find the old Lindberg kit on eBay, it was $19 or best offer. The kit itself is not very good, but it does have vinyl tracks.

Telling me about Trumpeter workable tracks doesn't help Mike find one piece vinyl tracks for his BMP kit though. Personally, I can make do with vinyl, individual link, as well as link and length tracks; I use whatever happens to come in the box unless the specific vehicle I am making calls for a style of tracks that requires a purchase of aftermarket tracks or the kit tracks are wrong or not very good.