Friul Metal Tracks

Türkce Text

The first thing I should mention about Friul tracks is that you should make sure to buy the right version of track for your vehicle. Friul tracks include a wide range and there can be several variants of tracks for different variants of the same vehicle.

The example I will use for this article has the product code "ATL-13" and is usable for Pz 38(t) and all the vehicles that have a Pz 38(t) chassis. The box includes different clear bags that include tracks and drive sprockets for the left and right sides, instructions and some brass wire that will be used to connect the individual track links. A side note, not every set includes metal drive sprockets. Also, the instructions only include a few sentences written in funny English.

The first thing to do is to take care of drive sprockets, if they are included in the set you are using. You must make sure that they fit well, otherwise you might have nasty surprises. If the right and left side tracks are different on your vehicle, make sure to keep them separate to avoid confusion.

The tracks are completely workable once assembled and the operate on the same principle  as real tracks. A pin connects two individual tracks and these tracks can move in relation to each other on this pin. Before you start any assembly, make sure the holes in which you will place the pins are clean and free of any flash. Checking each link separately will take time but also ensure you don't run into problems during assembly.

During this checking process, check all the holes that will be "inwards" and all the holes except the first for the "outward" holes. If there are any clogged holes, open these using a drill with a 0.5mm tip.

This photo shows a track that I'm checking. You can see the pin goes through all of the inward holes. The closed hole on the outward holes (the ones at the bottom in this photo) allows us if this track is a "left" or "right" track (the closed hole should face outwards once the tracks are assembled).

In the following stage, we have to determine the length of the pins, so that we can cut our wire to length and prepare for the assembly. You can try trial-and-error or taking a rough measure by a ruler on the tracks. Once you determine the necessary pin length, you can create markings on an even and rough surface as I did and start cutting the wire into small pins.

In time, you might get used to this so much that you will be able to cut pins into correct measurement without looking, thanks to practice.

In the following step, we will push these pins into the holes to connect individual track links. First you connect two track links and make sure the holes are aligned, then you simply push the pins into the holes.

If the pin is the right size, it should go in all the way.

Once you get the hang of it, keep assembling the track links repeating this step. Make sure you keep your tracks aligned in this process, using a metal ruler can help.

An important question here: How many track links should you assemble? This depends on the vehicle you are modeling, as well as the accuracy of the kit. Until this day, I have never used all of the track links supplied. If you know the amount of track links in the real vehicle, you can estimate the necessary amount as +/-5 tracks compared to the real thing. Trial and error seems to be the only way to get it right.

After you assemble the last track link, you connect the two ends to make a complete track assembly.

After this is done, all you have to do is to apply some CA glue to the "open" ends of the pins by a toothpick or something with a similar sharp edge. Yes, you need to do this individually for every track link; otherwise the connecting pins might fall off and your tracks might break loose. Now, you have a completely workable track. A hint here: you might leave the pins in the end points longer than usual and twist these. This will enable you to assemble the tracks on and off the vehicle as much as you need during painting and weathering.

There are also specific after-market products(assembly jigs) to assemble these track sets properly. However, since each track for each different vehicle has different shape and characteristics, one jig you purchase will be useless after you use it. Therefore, I believe assembling these sets by the hand is the best way. With some practice, you can really assemble these track sets quite fast, it is easier than it looks.

Thank you to Emre Efli for English Text.

Özgür Güner, May 2009

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