Good
tracks can enhance a good display model, bad tracks can turn a great
model into a mediocre one. For me this has been the major problems
with the old ESCI (now Italeri) Pz III and Pz IV models and the Hasegawa
Pz IV models kits. These are basically good smallscale model kits
with unrealistic, simplistic track. The old ESCI kits had stiff polyethylene
plastic that resists glue, later supplanted by styrene link &
length tracks lacking good guide horns (track teeth) and inside link
detail. The Hasegawa Pz IV tracks appear to originate from Hasegawa’s
old Munitionspanzer kit from the 1970s and is particularly poor in
detail.
CMK (Czech
Masters Kits) has taken a different approach to aftermarket 1/72-scale
tracks in molding them from a soft plastic, very similar to that found
in Hasegawa, Mirage, Dragon smallscale kits and other manufacturers.
The tracks come enclosed in a small plastic box and have rudimentary
instructions. Clean-up is easy with a sharp blade and don’t
forget to trim off the little nubs from the mold and sprue.
There
are two lengths of track, 18 cm long each for a total of 36 cm of
track. That will be enough for a Pz IV tank with about a centimeter
or two extra to cut off and have available for spare tracks mounted
on the bow of the tank. There is enough for a Pz III and StuG III
with even more spare track.
I have
used this track several times with Hasegawa Pz IV models and they
look good. I had to shorten them by a cm and hid the ends under a
roadwheel. Cyanoacrylate (Super) glue worked satisfactory and paint
adhered well.
In the photo above, the CMK soft plastic track is compared to the
hard styrene track by Maco. Detail on the inner and outer surfaces
of the CMK track is good. Quality of detail is not on par with the
resin OKB Pz III/IV track, but this soft plastic medium is a lot easier
to work with than the cast resin. The guide horns (track teeth) are
the solid type.
Being
a soft plastic and a little stretchy the track is forgiving when wrapping
it around the sprocket; it will stretch and fit in with the sprocket
teeth.
On the
outer face we can see some ice cleat, thread detail. On the inner
face we see accurate link detail.
The CMK 1/72-scale track represents 40-cm tracks (Standardketten)
and is suitable for 1/72-scale middle and late-war Pz III, Sturmgeschütz
and Pz IV model kits. I highly recommend these tracks for the ESCI
Pz III, Hummel, Brummbar, Wirbelwind, Jagdpanzer IV and Pz IV kits,
the Hasegawa Pz IV and Ostwind kits, the TP Models resin StuG III,
StuIG33, Jagdpanzer IV/70 models and old Attack Models plastic Pz
III and StuG kits, and others.
This
track accessory was purchased by the modeler.
This
model can be purchased from
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