RBaer

Hmmm...     if I ever see another set I plan to grab them. There's just something about Friuls.

The Centurion set is still listed on-line, so there is hope..........

Tojo72

It's 1/35 they give you a little mold to lay the tracks in while you insert the wire or a pin.I have not started the build yet so I'm no 100% sure how it work.

Check out set ATL-41 and you will see

The website lists a support................presumably that is the jig.

The Fruil 1/25 Centurion set Nr 25-01 and 1/35 Panther ATL-08 set have only the tracks, wire and small instruction sheets.

Of course, the ATL-08 set I bought was second hand.

It's 1/35 they give you a little mold to lay the tracks in while you insert the wire or a pin.I have not started the build yet so I'm no 100% sure how it work.

Check out set ATL-41 and you will see

I recently bought a DML early Jagdtiger,it had Magic Tracks which I don't usually have a problem with,especially the bigger tracks,but to make two links it required 5 pieces to he glued together,I mean how can you glue a whole run of MT,s like that ? So I picked up Fruils for a little more then I would have liked to spend.I figured I would have better chance wiring 5 pieces then gluing them.Fruil does give you an assembly jig.So we will see.

Hmmm...     if I ever see another set I plan to grab them. There's just something about Friuls.

RBaer

I missed a set of Friul 1/25 Cent tracks a while ago at a show, been kicking myself ever since.

I missed a set of Friul 1/25 Cent tracks a while ago at a show, been kicking myself ever since.

Gamera

Ahh Spruce, you do have a point - if the kit is cheap enough and the tracks are awful enough I can see your point.

I will be doing the same thing with bagged AIRFIX 1/24 scale Bf-109E , P-51D and Ju-87B kits I bought for $5 / $6 each at a Chicago swap meet.

The price allows me to purchase brass and decal aftermarket items. Brass MG barrels are still available. However, it is really hard to find 1/24 aircraft decals. They seem to have been very limited production runs.

.

I have been told that 1/25 Fruil tracks used to exist for the Tamiya Tiger I kit but are long OOP.

Reaper420

Hey Spruce. If you haven't bust em out yet, be prepared to spend a significant amount of time working on them. each track link has TWO sets of holes you need to drill out. Not technically drill out, just using a pin vice to clean up the holes that are already there so the wire used to link the tracks together passes through nice and easy. But the fact that you have to do that TWICE per track link, and if you have 220 links (like my Tiger I tracks), that's 440 sets of holes to drill! Very very very tedious AND repetitive. But the end result is amazing as well as the nice weight that it gives your kit. 

Not cheap, but I already use 'em for metal working.

I may eventually buy low temp casting metal from MicroMark and try making my own 1/25 tracks as I have a Tamiya Tiger I ,Panther A , T-34, Su-100 as well as an Academy Panther G in my stash...............if time permits.

Ahh Spruce, you do have a point - if the kit is cheap enough and the tracks are awful enough I can see your point.

And RBaer, your post is just as relevant today as it was eight years ago 

See my answer to the other post about the Tiger1 Friuls....

Sorry, can't help myself: Holy resurrected thread, Batman!

And because I've had too much coffee this morning: Friul prices are still high if bought at a retail operation in this country, blame the distributor. I have been ordering them from on-line retailers in HK, and Spade Ace, for about $30-$35/set. Interesting how Friuls can be stocked in a location in HK, then shipped to this country for less than what US retailers have to pay for them, and at a profit.

I think my soap box just make ominous sounds, better climb down now. :)

Gamera

......................... They do look cool but I just can't see spending on aftermarket the price of almost two whole kits. Plus the whole drilling them out thing just seems like a lot of work.  

I've not yet used the tracks I bought but I expect the task of drilling all those holes will be a unique experience.

Yeah, I was thinking if they went from fifty bucks to sixty bucks in eight years it's actually pretty good considering how much everything else has jumped in price....

Interesting post Reaper and thanks for kicking it to the top since this was back before I joined the forum and I haven't seen it till now. I've never used them. They do look cool but I just can't see spending on aftermarket the price of almost two whole kits. Plus the whole drilling them out thing just seems like a lot of work.  

Purchased a set of Fruil late war Panther tracks from a LHS for $5  four months ago...................................part of a stash they bought and re-sold.

They have since noticed the error of their ways in the prices of Fruil sets.....................I won't get that kinda deal again..........

As far as buying new......................at the prices being charged these days.............not gonna happen.

OK, got my attention with all the comments about the weakening dollar and strengthening Euro, especially since I'm off to Europe this summer.  Then I noticed that the thread was 8 years old.  Yes, I remember the dollar's decline in 2007.  

Don

I am sometimes confused and seek clarification. I was courious at the thought that the OOB (Often rubber band) was considered a more "skilled" or pure form of build than the 160 track links or more in an AM track kit? NO arguments or ill will intended. I remember back when I took a Monogram Pzkfw IV and made a Brumbar. Tons of fun. Sheet plastic, ping pong ball, Squadern Green stuff zim coating. However it wouldn't compare with todays kits and AM parts. I truly feel what Bill said is true. AM allows a good builder to advance farther. I am not at the level that the resin producers are at, so even though I can try to make a custom conversion on my own, I know that the final results probably will not be at the quality level I want. AM allows those few with the highest scratchbuilding skills to share their talents...for a fee.

I am a modelkasten fan myself, mainly because i prefer working with plastic. However no matter how good you are with kit tracks or modelkasten, there just are a few instances where there is no way around Friuls if accuracy is improtant to you. Right now i'm in the proccess of building an early Tiger II, these used tracks different from the later versions, i don't know of any kit that comes with these tracks, modelkasten doesn't make them either so i only had one choice and that was Friul.

Im sorry to hear that the price is going up on them.

I wanted to order a set yesterday to try them but they're twice as much as the kit. 

crockett wrote:

disastermaster wrote:   This absolutely seals my decision to never use these tracks......I never have anyway, and I've not had any problems with using the kit tracks that I couldn't fix with a bit of time and effort. Now that they are costing even more (maybe) people will use more initiative and dig a little deeper to develop their talents to produce realistic results with the kit parts and enjoy the benefits of those efforts.   Disaster : Hmmm.....It sounds as though there are no "skills" involved in assembling a set of Fruil Track by your assessment. This is a common misconception by those who have never built a set. Believe me, drilling a couple of hundred blocks with a pin vice and assembling them with pins/wire is definitely a "skill". I think it is better to assume a "live and let live" policy when it comes to AM accessories. Fruil track are just as challenging  and satisfying as kit tracks, I have built BOTH. I'm not trying to start a flamer here, so please think about your reply. I respect your decision to reject the AM track, I'm just asking for that respect in return as to my choices. That way we all get along and can agree to disagree. Also, some of us have "earned" the right to purchase what some perceive as "outrageous" accessories that are "insanely" priced. I guess it depends on what a person can afford and what they can't. Do you drive a Focus or a Ferrarri? Some people pay $6.00 for a cup of foamy coffee. This is not an indictment for Starbucks or thier patrons. Isn't it the same analogy when it comes to modeling? Think about it dude. Its not about Fruil tracks or a PE set that replaces the entire styrene  of the Dragon half track. Its just about choices......You create from the minimum, that is your bag....your post implies that an AM purchase suggests a lack of "skill". I couldn't disagree more, but I still respect your right to do as you please. How about some in return? regards, Steve

"I'm not trying to start a flamer here"......

........I'm just asking for that respect in return as to my choices........

Oh, I know that. This was not addressed to you personally. I'm sorry if you feel hurt or offended. Merry Christmas. Steve

The main reason Fruils are going up in price is where they are produced. They are produced in Europe where their costs are all measured in Euros. So, declining dollar value relative to the Euro means higher USD prices. Be prepared to see similar things happening in the future for similar items from Eduard, Aber, Armorscale, etc. The same thing may happen as well to a lesser degree for items coming from Asia depending on how the USD does against their currencies as well. Currency markets are subject to the same capitalist influences as all the others.

As far as the whole "skill vs. AM" debate, it's possible to spend the $$$ and load up a kit with all the AM imaginable and have it finished looking awful...throwing money at a kit doesn't magically transform it into a masterpiece or award winning show stopper, it's the "skill" of the builder at every stage that produces the end result. Using AM items vs. scratchbuilding usually comes down to a question of time/resources more than skill...although both options in the end require it to some degree to produce a solid result. All comes down to where you want to devote your time and skill and there's plenty of room in the hobby for multiple paths that lead to the same destination. Some prefer to scratchbuild, some prefer kit tracks over AM, some prefer PE to resin, and some prefer OOB. Each one requires their own set of "skill" application to be used effectively and depending on what you want to achieve...for some areas to achieve a desired level of detail, AM's the only route to do so, in their judgement, quickly and effectively, and the different manufacturers are happy to oblige.

disastermaster wrote:

Too bad they went up. I won't pay it. A lot of guys really love them though. As for me, they are an unnecessary luxury..... uh yes, a real "frill". This absolutely seals my decision to never use these tracks......I never have anyway, and I've not had any problems with using the kit tracks that I couldn't fix with a bit of time and effort. Now that they are costing even more (maybe) people will use more initiative and dig a little deeper to develop their talents to produce realistic results with the kit parts and enjoy the benefits of those efforts.   I get much more satisfaction in producing equal or better looking tracks by using what comes in the box along with the added bonus of helping me to improve my ability, plus, (as kit prices stealthily creep up) the money I save will go toward being able to afford them.

I've got three or four sets waiting to be used for some future projects, but when we are speaking of $50+ and on my meager budgit I don't see me buying anymore. I also have some sets of Model Kasten Tracks, and they are not bad either. Maybe a little harder to work with.

gary

This is sounding a bit like Aftermarket Annonymous.

MY NAME IS GUY......AND I BUY FRUILS, I DONT WANT TOO, BUT CANT SUPRESS THE URGE. HEELLLLLLPPPPPPP. LOL

...Guy

Never used 'em, never saw their overwhelming advantage over any other decent indy-link track.

Proper painting and attentive assembly with regard to sag can easily negate that perceived advantage, IMHO.

I like to think of all the extra kits and PE I've got by not spending the money for them.