Hi guys,
I'm in a sticky situation -- I have just done a pretty extensive paintjob on the rubber bands in the old Tamiya Sherman (35-122) and while they're looking very acceptable I have just found on test-fitting that they are too long. The live track should have a snug, tight fit around the running gear and those are at least two or three links too long to be snug. I can potentially cut out a few links and rejoin them (butt-join them with superglue and stitch them each side with black thread through drilled holes) but that's a bit of a mess-on and if anything goes wrong I'm back to square one.
I'm not an indie link person so would not choose to go that route. I've heard that Dragon's DS tracks for their late-model Shermans are available separately but have not been able to locate them yet .Does anyone know if they will match with the Tamiya sprockets? I have also heard that the AFV Club vinyl replacements are way too short -- is this correct?
I would appreciate any tips the Sherman specialists here might have!
Cheers, Mike/TB379
PS: After further research I've edentified the track type in the kit as the T54 E1, which is appropriate for the pertiod, while the duckbill extensions may not be correct, indeed a photo of one of the vehicle marking options show sit without the extensions at the time. Bronco make the right track set but word is the Tamiya drive sprockets need to be widened slightly (shimmed, I'm assuming) during assembly to allow the Bronco guidehorns to pass through, so that doesn't help already-completed sprockets. I'm leaning toward track surgery at this point...