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Post by rbaer on Feb 6, 2014 11:39:46 GMT -5
Ha! I've barely had time to look at them, but they do look nice, and for $32 delivered vs. $38 before shipping for Friuls, what a deal.
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Post by rbaer on Feb 6, 2014 15:32:52 GMT -5
I'll take pics.....
I can say this, NO FLASH! I may use some more tracks from Spade Ace, if I can get over the goofy name. Price is right and the quality looks good. I'll know more, ah, er, later.
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Post by rbaer on Feb 7, 2014 11:43:07 GMT -5
Is DickyBob happy today? As threatened:  The all-expenses-spared illustration and stout box, above, and below, the actual tracks and sprockets.  Two immediate observations: Firstly, the links themselves, while crisply done, are unlike Friuls in that both ends are open, meaning that pins will show on both ends of the link, not a big deal, but possibly slowing assembly somewhat. Secondly, the holes in the link are closer to .015" than the common .020" in Friuls. No biggie, but all the wire stock I've amassed for Friuls isn't going to work unless I drill the SpadeAce tracks. I will be using the supplied wire, which slides in w/o any fuss. I didn't take a pic of the non-fit on the Academy sprockets, in a hurry this morning, but the spacing of the Academy teeth is correct, they're just a bit thick to match the width of the track's holes, fixable by using the SpadeAce sprockets or a little file work on the Academy sprockets. More later..... |
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Post by bullardino on Feb 7, 2014 13:25:12 GMT -5
Oh, indy link tracks... Look great, at a first glance.
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Post by rbaer on Feb 7, 2014 14:16:30 GMT -5
Aye!
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Post by wbill76 on Feb 8, 2014 18:09:17 GMT -5
Nice start on the tracks Russ, looking good so far.
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Post by rbaer on Feb 9, 2014 11:59:58 GMT -5
Thanks, guys.
I did get the SpadeAce..... okay, I'm not gonna type that silly mis-translation any more, henceforth their name shall be SA..... drive sprockets mounted, nice stuff. What with a Sherman in progress and all, I may squeeze some track assembly in, just as soon as I get done pulling my own finger nails, but I probably will get some primer on pretty soon, and get moving on this "quickie" build, if for no other reason than to stop piddling with it.
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Post by Leon on Feb 9, 2014 15:00:20 GMT -5
Nice start on the tracks Russ.
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Post by rbaer on Feb 10, 2014 11:26:39 GMT -5
Thanks Leon. I really need to nut up and finish this thing, but I'm having too much fun with the Sherman.
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Post by rbaer on Feb 12, 2014 11:22:46 GMT -5
Tracks and coffee this morning:   I was a little concerned about the links having open pin-holes at both ends but it turned out working to my advantage. Assembly went well by feeding a length of .015" wire through two links and pushing it through about 2mm "too far". I then applied a touch of cryo glue to the excess wire and pulled it back towards the end of the link, stopping when it was flush. Any bit of excess glue was wiped off with my finger and the long (other) end of the wire was clipped flush. Bingo, on to the next link. I spent a tick less than one hour doing the one side. One niggle: the tracks must be seated on the drive sprocket. I'm unsure if this is due to a pitch mis-match or just flash somewhere, but they've got the right look when assembled, and are a bunch better looking than the kit indies. I also now have a couple of pics of how the crane's hydraulic lines pass through the top plate, so I'm getting so close to the P-word that I can smell it. One other little thing for those that have used Friuls before and laid a run out flat and noticed they curve: these tracks are straight. I'll use them again. I have a couple of IDF projects in the mix (!) that need tracks, and SA makes what I need. |
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Deleted
Member since: January 1970
Posts: 0
Dec 2, 2024 5:52:04 GMT -5
Dec 2, 2024 5:52:04 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2014 15:31:24 GMT -5
great stuff! have heard of these tracks but yours is the first build I've seen em on they do look good
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Post by rbaer on Feb 12, 2014 16:24:04 GMT -5
Thanks gents. I like them, and will defo use them again.
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Deleted
Member since: January 1970
Posts: 0
Dec 2, 2024 5:52:04 GMT -5
Dec 2, 2024 5:52:04 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2014 16:27:41 GMT -5
Nice white metal right there  |
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Post by wbill76 on Feb 12, 2014 16:49:43 GMT -5
Just as long as you don't try using your coffee as a blackening agent you should be fine Russ. Nice work on the shoes!  |
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Post by bullardino on Feb 13, 2014 9:43:28 GMT -5
Doesn't coffee work?  Great trackage there, Russ, the trick with the open end is really nice |
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Post by rbaer on Feb 13, 2014 11:05:27 GMT -5
Just as long as you don't try using your coffee as a blackening agent you should be fine Russ. Nice work on the shoes! Odd that you should say that, Bill. Coffee actually works fairly well. Not as quick as "Blacken-it" or something similar, but it will do the trick. My preferred solution, when I have it around, is muriatic acid. I used to have a bunch around for the pool, but I wisely began paying the pros to do my pool chemistry a few years ago and need to pick up some more. These days I just use paint. It's easier to work with for a klutz like me. And gents, once again, thanks. I'd really like to get this one wrapped up and begin the composition of the simple dio it's destined for. |
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Post by wbill76 on Feb 13, 2014 21:52:16 GMT -5
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Post by rbaer on Feb 14, 2014 17:28:49 GMT -5
Most of that made me feel pretty good, Bill.
And..... I can soak tracks in coffee INSIDE the house. Of course they have to soak for several days, but old coffee is plentiful around my house.
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Post by dupes on Feb 14, 2014 17:36:39 GMT -5
For real? I'm going to have to try the coffee trick a) to see if it really works and b) to help use up the bottoms of all of those pots I go through! |
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Post by rbaer on Feb 16, 2014 12:07:33 GMT -5
I've got the tracks in coffee right now, went in Friday morning...... Tick tock, tick tock.....  As of Monday morning, not much going on. |
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Post by wbill76 on Feb 17, 2014 21:30:25 GMT -5
Hope you didn't use Decaf there Russ!  |
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Post by deafpanzer on Feb 17, 2014 23:44:15 GMT -5
I swear its the first time I have heard about the coffee technique. CAN'T wait to see the result... plenty of old coffee here too!
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Post by rbaer on Feb 18, 2014 11:08:51 GMT -5
No decaf in this house, only the real stuff!
Andy, it's so slow as to be almost useless. I just have a hard time popping for the commercial track blackening products.
In fact, I checked today and the links have just now lost their shine, so I changed the coffee for the remains of today's pot and added some vinegar to the mix.
Fingers crossed..... By the time I get the bug to move along on this thing maybe the tracks will be dark enough to weather and paint the pads. Oh joy.
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Post by rbaer on Mar 31, 2014 15:52:30 GMT -5
And, Oops. I forgot about the tracks I had in my el-cheapo darkening solution. I guess they were in there for about three weeks, maybe? Anyway, I thinking about what to do while my Shermans dried, and thought: "hey, I'll work on the M113!" I then remembered the tracks. A quick slap of the head, a peek in the plastic tub I had them in and my first thought was: "What's all that foam doing in there?" Well, the tracks are a nice gray-steel color, not the almost-black I wanted, and all the pins were just about dissolved. Hmmm...... So a couple of hours yesterday to finish dis-assembling them and clean the pin-holes, and I can put them back together. Oops.  A couple of washes and the color will be good, me thinks. |
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Post by bullardino on Apr 1, 2014 8:52:15 GMT -5
Great to see the track hadn't dissolved altogether.
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Post by rbaer on Apr 1, 2014 10:47:18 GMT -5
Dicky, once again, it's your fault. Luigi, me too! I had a few anxious moments there. Must have been the coffee/vinegar combo. Hmmm..... maybe I'd better stick to one or the other, or better yet just go down to the pool store and get some more muriatic acid. Okay, so I stayed up a little bit last night and got back on track, so to speak.....   Also, thanks to a guy on Armorama, I have pics of the hydraulic lines on the crane and where and how they pass through the roof, so I need to do and re-do those, then I can prime. This one is now back in the rotation O' happy day! Edit: well, you can tell I did this late at night, didn't even have the one track on the road wheels. Also, the color of the sprockets is a good idea of how much (or little) my home-brew solution actually darkened the tracks. As this model will be posed in use, I'm okay with it since a little pigment and wash will darken things up nicely. |
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Post by wbill76 on Apr 1, 2014 13:51:26 GMT -5
3 weeks soak in vinegar will do wonders I'm told! Glad to see you were able to salvage the tracks no problem there Russ. |
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Post by rbaer on Apr 1, 2014 14:08:14 GMT -5
Just don't tell anybody.....
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Post by bullardino on Apr 2, 2014 4:39:52 GMT -5
Nice job, I like it. Can't wait to see the details of the plumbing |
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Post by deafpanzer on Apr 2, 2014 7:47:55 GMT -5
Agree with Luigi! Great process you are making!
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