OK so I have finally been beaten by vinyl tracks. I am very sad to admit defeat. I have spent most of August working on a troop of Panzer IVs from Zvezda and Esci (vinyl tracks!), but I tried to finish off this old kit I picked up for pennies. Alas no it was not to be……. After many attempts trying to use my superglue and patience technique on this little guy I ended up with too much super glue and too little patience.
The kit was thrown in the garbage, something I am not proud of, but you have to draw a line somewhere. Buyers beware this one is a real dud. I think I better turn to Unimodel and buy their Marders as their kits are excellent.
Should have my panzers finished soon and I can get back to posting something more constructive!
Colonel Mustard 
I can relate to this post, Will! The ESCI tracks were flexible in name only and I can remember building this kit and then not being able to do anything with the tracks. In the end my mate took it and made some card tracks for it and based it and it looks not half bad (he still uses it from time to time). The ESCI Hummel was also a nightmare, but the longer tracks could be fitted although they didn’t sag properly. The PSC Marder III uses single piece moulded running gear and tracks and is a nice model if you’re looking for an early Marder – I’ve got a spare PSC kit left after building two 38(t)s that you’d be quite welcome to have for nowt if you’re interested! 🙂
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Yes this kit the tracks are so small that the bending pressure is much higher. Then the large amounts of superglue just trashed everything including my patience with it all. I have an Attack Marder to build which looks great. Hey would be great if you wanted to send me the PSC kit. What can I send you in return?? I have some Britannia resin vehicles I am not going to use (Dingo, Achilles, Dorchester) if you would like them?
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No need to send me anything Will – I’m trying to only get stuff I really do need, but if I change my mind I’ll let you know! There’ll be a delay in sending the Marder I’m afraid, because I left the box with all the models at our caravan to build in my spare time there, and it may be a couple of weeks before I can pick it up! Once I’ve retrieved it and worked out how to pack it safely I’ll drop you a comment on your blog and let you know – all you’ll need to do then is use the “Contact” button on my blog to drop me your address details!
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Well that’s very kind of you John! No rush I have fifty or sixty kits around the place all asking to be built! Going through a kit building frenzy right now to try and clear some space. One day I may actually play a game!
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Hey mate it must be the shitty tank track month ,I made two little Japanese tanks ,the first an old Airfix Chi Ha ,so old the cardboard packaging is yellow and brittle and the tracks really twisted ,I got one on but decided to heat the other in hot water and straighten it ,not a good idea ,it just shrank !!
The other is Dragon Type 95 Light tank ,this ones tracks were a little short !!
I’ll have to hide them in some grass when I get around to doing the dio !
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I have looked at buying replacement tracks for old kits but then they cost more than I paid for the old kit in the first place! Yes hiding them is a great idea. I could turn shitty kits into wrecks I guess
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Yeh that’s another good idea ,I might try that in the future .
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Hi All,
As I base all of my 1/72 scale tanks on mdf. bases, when I have difficulty with flexible tracks I find that I can fold them under the tank and provide a weight on top of the vehicle while the glue set to the base. This generally work for me. Also I find that using a simple stationary staple to staple the two ends together before putting on the tank often works, but sometimes it is a bit to tight for this to work. Hope this helps.
David
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Thanks. Dave ,that’s a clever idea I’ll keep that one in mind and as for the staple trick that has brought back memories of doing that as a kid ,how could I have forgotten that !I must be old .
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Not that old as we tend to remember things of yesteryear and forget what happened yesterday!
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Hi Will! I’ve managed to bring back the PSC Marder kit from our caravan and found a suitable box to post it in! If you want to visit my Contacts page (https://justneedsvarnish.wordpress.com/contact/) and send me your address I’ll aim to get it packed and shipped to you!
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