Model Forum / General / Models / January 2006

There are a number of resin bits out there -- I believe Royal Models
and some other companies make resin sets of tracks and replacement
panels (not sure on the company but it was Czech.)

There are also styrene ones being re-released by The Model Cellar which
are great -- I just installed a set on a Mark V Male and they went on
in less than an hour. (Not bad for single-link tracks!)

Here's a copy of the review.

Cookie Sewell

PS the Mark V at least has more things fixed than the Mark IV kits.

* * *Kit Review: Model Cellar 1/35 Scale Accessory Kit No.MC 35101;
Mark IV Male/Female Individual Track Links; 360 parts in grey stryene;
price US $32.00 (Spring 2006)

Advantages: Major upgrade to Emhar tank kits, includes underside
details

Disadvantages: slightly too narrow

Rating: Highly Recommended

Recommendation: for all WWI tank modelers wanting to use styrene track

    For years, one of the top 10 choices for new kits among armor modelers
was a WWI British tank, anything from Mark I to Mark V being nominated.
But other than a few resin kits, nothing appeared on the horizon until
about 10 years ago when a small British company named Emhar attempted
to step into the breach. But their first two kits, while eagerly
anticipated, were not very good.

    Ehmar did not have much of a budget and as a result had to use flat
molds like many of the kits coming out of eastern Europe. They also
made a lot of compromises with the kit, and afficionados of WWI kits
estimated they wanted to get all of the tanks out of one set of molds.
They did a Mark IV Male, Mark IV Female, and Mark IV Tadpole kit
before changing over to other subjects.

    In 2004 they came out with a new kit, a Mark V Hermaphrodite, that
provided all the main parts needed to make either a Mark V Male with
twin 6-pdr guns, a Mark V Female with Hotchkiss machine guns, or a Mark
V Hermaphrodite with one sponson of each type.

    But all of the tanks  the Mark IVs and the Mark V  used an odd
rubbery track that did not look very good, nor did it fit well. As a
result, many modelers took one look at the kits and said toy before
leaving them alone.

    About a year after the first kits came out, Model Cellar, a company
from Pennsylvania, came out with a set of injection molded two-piece
individual track links specifically for first these kits and later for
a Whippet kit from Ehmar which used shorter tracks of the same style.
Each link consisted of a plate section and a guide section, and had
friction fit tabs for temporary assembly and installation.

    There have been a good deal of comments on the internet about these
tracks, so let me cover what they are and what they are not.

    The tracks used by most Mark I to Mark V tanks were 20  inches in
width, or about 14.9 mm wide in 1/35 scale. First off, a number of
expertern modelers have slammed them for being the wrong size.
Measuring carefully, each plate section is correct on pitch but
measures only 14.25-14.3 mm in width or roughly 19 5/8"-19 7/10"  in
width. Given the track runs on the tank appear a bit narrow, and the
tracks LOOK right, I for one can forgive them being less than 7/8" of
an inch too narrow.

    There are problems in installing them, however, but none of those are
Model Cellars fault. The kit has only solid plate backing to the track
runs over the top of them and the rest are either open with narrow side
ledges or where the wheels go. Since the tracks are close to scale they
are a tad too narrow to sit on the kits ledges (note that the kit
tracks fit on them, but the kits tracks are also more than a scale
inch too wide.) You are up to your own devices to get the tracks to fit
here, and I suggest using strip styrene to extend the ledges to get
some purchase for the tracks.

    One thing on which I disagree with Model Cellar is their direction to
leave off the kits wheels. This leaves the modeler no place to wrap
the tracks and can spoil fitting them. However, doing some careful
measurements and checking the parts, there is a happy solution.

    Cut one half of the cylindrical hub off each pair of wheels and cement
them together. Using a punch or cutting up the section of hub you
removed, place an 0.080" (2mm) spacer on each side of the wheel
assembly. Drill out a center hole on each side and install the wheels.
You may need to narrow the tread width of the wheels to fit in the
grooves on the guide sections, but the result is that you can now use
the wheels to wrap the tracks and get a better fit.

    The Whippet set will also be re-released for $26.00. The former
Tadpole set, however will not be redone.

    Right now the track sets are out of production, but Model Cellar has
informed me they will be going back into production this spring to meet
demand for the Mark V kits. I for one am glad to see it and will
probably pick up a couple of more sets  I am working on a Mark V Male
from the 304th Tank Battalion (Heavy) and now want to do a Mark V*
Female as well!

    Track sets will only be available direct from Model Cellar: Model
Cellar, PO Box 388, Horsham, PA 19044; phone (215) 672-1432 or e-mail
them at modelcel@modelcellar.com. Website (listing availability) is
http://www.modelcellar.com.

    Thanks to Steve Zaloga for the review sample.

"e" <someone@some.domain> wrote in message

Oh really. If you need info on the finish, let me know.

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