Review for Spade Ace Models Panzer Iv Tracks
M41 Tracks
Spade Ace Models 1:35 Scale Track Sets # SAT-35093
Review by Terry Ashley
The Set:
This set of individual T91E3-Tracks from a relatively new comer in the aftermarket track field Spade Ace Models is merely labelled M41 and doesn't specify whatever detail target kit.
The set consists of 160 white metal links and a coil of 0.65mm steel wire to cut up for the runway pins, at that place are no instructions or other notes included with the set.
The actual T91E3 rails links are 21 inches wide with a pitch of 6 inches (the pitch is the distance between the track pivot centre lines), this equates to 15.24mm and four.35mm respectively in 1:35 scale. The kit links are fifteen.7mm wide and pitch of 4.4mm to requite a departure of .46mm in width which isn't a lot just it has some implications when fitting to the available M41/M42 kits.
The rail links are quite cleanly bandage with nicely done link details that includes the inner track retaining bolt and the amount of make clean-upward varies with some links not requiring any clean-up while on others there is quite a flake of excess metal to be removed.
The rail pin holes are all fully hollow and in that location is no drilling required before assembly which is nice to see merely the biggest trouble is the steel wire provided for the track pins. The wire is extremely hard steel and cutting to the required 15mm lengths is very difficult and requires the need for heavy duty clippers, this makes getting the pins cut to the required 15mm precisely is non easy at all. To add to this when cutting the ends have a abrupt bespeak due to the clipping process and filing this foursquare is again very difficult if not impossible given the hardness of the metal and small file area, I also tried annealing the wire through a flame but while this made information technology a lilliputian more pliable cutting the wire was till extremely difficult.
In short later using heavy duty clippers to cut three pins and finding the sharp ends dug unto the sides of the wire holes in the track links during assembly I simply gave upward and substituted the wire provided with softer 0.6mm copper wire which immune the pins to be cutting precisely to the required 15mm with nice square ends using a #11 blade for a better appearance when fitted.
Besides shown are three pins cut from the softer 0.6mm copper used to assembly the tracks.
Assembly:
When cutting of the copper wire into the 15mm rail pins it'due south best done using a steel ruler as a cutting board so you cut (using a #11 bract) each pivot to the verbal 15mm required and after sorting the wire pin issue and cleaning those links requiring information technology was on to the assembly.
Associates itself is quite straightforward actually by fitting one link into the next and inserting the wire pin and securing with a dab of thicker cyanoacrylate on each finish to hold the pivot in place, once into a rythem the track run was assembled in no time. The assembled track runs are extremely robust being metal and articulate freely allowing piece of cake fitting to the target kit.
The bodily tardily M41/M42 uses 75 links per rail run and you volition need to use merely 74 kit links to get the correct track tension when fitted to the kit, this 1 link divergence is probabaly due to the pocket-size difference in runway pitch and the extra "play in the rail join but is of little consequence and is non at all noticeable with the runway runs added to the kit.
Plumbing equipment the tracks:
The tracks fit to the AFV Gild M41 and M42 kit drive sprockets was very tight and quite a bit of pressure was needed to fit them over the drive teeth merely the chief issue is to practise with the extra width of the rail links that leaves very little clearance between the edge of the rail and hull and you need to be careful when fitting. The actual track is "live" pregnant there is tension on the link joins and the track volition roll up on itself when not fitted to the vehicle, this also means there is no appreciable rail sag betwixt the top return rollers as is seen with "dead" track used on WWII German and well-nigh Soviet tracked vehicles.
I also test fitted the track to the older Tamiya M41/M42 (re-issued kit) bulldoze sprockets and the fit was not good as the spacing of the drive spocket teeth and the rail tooth holes didn't quite friction match and the rail won't fit around the sprocket as it should, also the extra width makes it quite hard to fit the links over the sprocket and some modification will be needed to get the tracks to fit properely.
Rails links fitted to Tamiya M41 drive sprocket showing the fit issues as above.
Conclusion:
This set of metallic tracks from Spade Ace Models is nicely detailed with skillful track link definition and has the usual cleanup required for the links prior to associates but the hard steel wire provided for the track pins is extremely difficult to work with and replacing this with softer wire will make life easier.
The assembled links are robust and articulate very well although the extra width has some implications when fitting to the kits merely zero too dramatic. Equally there is no requirement for track sag on the M41/M42 kits they can be used if you lot adopt metal rail.
Rating 7.five/ten
References:
Thank you to my credit carte and 
for the review kit.
Source: https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/spade_ace_models/sat35093.html
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