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Metal Tracks for Marder II

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  • Member since
    March 2019
Metal Tracks for Marder II
Posted by Leichenmacher on Saturday, June 15, 2019 8:49 AM

I’m in the market for some metal tracks for an upcoming mid-production Marder II kit.  I see Friul (ATL-30) and AK Interactive (AK693) and while not specifically stated as for the Marder II, I susupect MasterClub (MTL35069) would also work.

But my question is, are these actually the same tracks as the Panzerjager I?

In the Friul lineup, they are ATL-30 vs. ATL-20, but they look identical?

Does anyone know if they are identical, or what the differences are?

And does anyone have a favorite?  I’m leaning towards the AK Interactive set now that they’ve finally restocked them!

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Saturday, June 15, 2019 2:01 PM

I know nothing of the Marder so unfortunately I cannot help.

That being said, I can throw this additional item for you to consider:

https://hobbyterra.com/product/assembled-metal-tracks-for-pzkpfw-ii-ausf-a-b-c-f-marder-ii-sd-kfz-131.html

They come preassembled!  A boon to be sure, but one caveat - if you plan on using track blackening fluid, go with another manufacturer.  I discovered Sector’s workers get quite a lot of CA glue on their fingers, and thus get a lot of CA on the tracks! When I tried blackening my KV-II’s tracks, many spots refused to oxidize due to the copious amount of smudged CA!  And since CA is clear, you can’t really see where it is until you dunk the tracks.

Anyway, good luck on your track hunting and build!

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    March 2019
Posted by Leichenmacher on Saturday, June 15, 2019 2:16 PM
Thanks for the additional lead! I’ve been using the MasterClub tracks... they don’t technically require any glue (and I actually kind of enjoy assembling them... it’s like some sort of sickness I have)! Gonna wait and see what some others have to say before I pull the trigger on these. I suspect the difference is that the Marder II tracks are wider... I can’t imagine they’d bother to give them a separate part number if there weren’t any differences... Sergey from MasterClub is perhaps going to be at an upcoming in South Carolina, so I’ll ask him in person if/when I see him.
  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Saturday, June 15, 2019 2:32 PM

The Masterclub tracks are really nice, but I wonder how well those resin pins hold up?  I have their Object 279 set, and with FOUR sets of looong tracks, I am apprehensive!

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Saturday, June 15, 2019 3:16 PM

For Fruils you will need ATL-30. 20 are for the Pz I. That Masterclub set will work, and they are nice, but very tedious. I recently used their FV 432 set and it took me much loner to put together than a set of Fruils. If you do get the masterclub, heres a piece of advice i got but ignored, use wire instead of the resin pins.

Can't comment of the AK tracks, never knew they were doing them. Seems everyone is jumping on that wagon now.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    March 2019
Posted by Leichenmacher on Saturday, June 15, 2019 4:29 PM

Yeah, for the MasterClub set for the Panzerjager I, there are actually 2 different styles of pins... one set for the inside of the tracks, the other for the outside.  So it is really nice that you get that extra bit of detail.  The end result is a very “true to reality” look... rounded head on the inside, clipped  pin on the outside.

I used a .016 piece of copper wire to “clean” the connection pathway and to make sure everything was lined up, then would put the pins in.  If I didn’t do this first, periodically you’d get one that was too tight to push the pin through and it would break, then be a pain to correct.  But once I started using the wire to “prime” the connection, it was much smoother sailing.

And of course, every now and again, one would slip out of the tweezers and be consumed by the carpet monsterOf course, if you’re looking for the easiest assembly, I do think the metal wire pin style is faster and easier.

Rarely can one be found if it escapes the tweezers.  Luckily, they give you quite a few extra.  

But I’m still curious what the physcial difference between ATL-20 and ATL-30 given that (at a glance) they look identical?

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Saturday, June 15, 2019 4:45 PM

The tracks were the same width, 260mm. But they had different designations. Kgs 57-260/70 for the Pz I and Kgs 67 280/90 for the Pz II.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    March 2019
Posted by Leichenmacher on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 8:04 AM

Ok, decided on the MasterClub set (MTL-35069) and can now definitively tell you the differences.  While they look the same, the MTL-35069 set is slightly larger (fatter, wider, longer) and has a slightly difference horn (taller and more rounded-off in shape).

Here are some pictures to sort of "close out" this thread:

Horns

 

Faces

 

Side-by-Side

Thanks everyone!

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