Hi I am new to model building and i got a question.I have been building tracked vehicles,heres my question.What type of glue do i use i have tried a few different types but they all dry the tracks out stiff as a board,how do i get them to be flexible?I would really appreciate a little advise,thanks Gary

Hey Gary,

First: Welcome on Armorama. I'm sure you gonna like it here!

Before I can give you advise on your question I would like to know what kind of tracks you are using.
Are it those one-piece 'rubber' or vinyl tracks, that have to be melted or glued together?

Or are the tracks build up from individual little plastic parts (we often call those "indy tracks". The first time I read that I thought they meant racing tyres instead of tracks :-) )
Not all sorts of individual tracks are flexible, actually you have two types:
Non-flexible: glue them in the position you want (mostly it's glueing two pieces together each time).
Flexible: hereby the tracklink is (mostly) build up from more than two pieces in a way that the track stays flexible.

Than there are also white metal tracks, but as these are mostly aftermarket products, I don't think meant these?


Paul

Gary, If you were to let us know what type of kit you are working on, it might give us a better idea as to what you need....however, in the mean time.....
if you are using the individual links, such as those that come in Dragons kits, you might give this method a try.
1. Lay out a piece of masking tape sticky side up
2. Lay a ruler over this so you have a small portion of the tape still visable.
3. Using the ruler as a guide, place your track blocks on the tape and assemble them. (No glue at this point)
I usually do enough for the top or bottom run of the vehicle.
4. Once there is enough of the track blocks assembled, using Testor Liquid Cement (Glass bottle with the brush in the cap) apply the glue and let it set for a few minutes. Usually 10-15 minutes
5. Using a pair of tweezers, gently pry up on the tracks to seperate them from the tape. If they start to come apart, let them set a little longer.
6. Drape your tracks over the suspension/road wheels and let them set up some more. DONT GLUE THEM DOWN. JUST LET THEM SET.
7. Once fully dried, you can remove them and set aside to be installed later.

If you want your tracks to be fully workable after you build it, you will have to buy after market track sets such as Fruimodelisimo, or Modelkasten. They are expensive, but are very nice once complete and they do work. Welcome aboard the big "A". "Q"

i am buildind a tamiya STUG III ausf.b.i have to assemble many many individual track links,i built a tiger a while back and the tracks were so stiff they broke in a few places trying to bend them.i thought about heating them up in the oven but thought i`d ask for help first.my first model had a rubber track where i only had to glue the ends,was much simpler and hours quicker.thanks for the info so far gonna try that tape idea this week,got to go out and get the glue,til then i`m on hold.thanks,Gary aka..sirvlad

glue doesnt bend well... haha. use the masking tape face up idea and assemble them quickly with a slow drying glue about an inch or two at a time. then use the masking tape to shape it how you want it as it dries. if you get weak spots that didnt bond very well just use a small portion of super glue there.