How To Make Easy Realistic Looking Tracks

[pickelhaube]

Hey Guys,

I am not a fan of heavy weathering .
That is the new thing in modeling.
Tanks did not last all that long in WW2 especially German tanks
Maybe a week not more than a month ,
In that time span, tanks did not rust .
If a track did , as soon as it rolled most of the quick rust was slung off and the tracks were in dirt and mud.
The mud was slung as well , if the tank stayed in the wallow chunks would hang on.
As soon as the vehicle hit the road that mud was slung.

Ok I stepped off of my soap box.
here is a quick and easy way to make realistic tank treads all steel or with rubber pads.
You can use your favorite dusting powder I use Doc O Brien's weather powder it has several different shades . MY fav is Grundgy Gray.

https://www.micromark.com/Doc-ObrienS-Powders
You get several little plastic cups
I almost ran out of my Grungy Gray so I made my own tint with 1/4 rust, 1/4 black with 1/2 yellow and it was close to Grungy Gray .

Materials needed

Flat black spray paint for metal tracks ( I use O Riellieys automotive primer )
Flat Dark gray spray paint for rubber tracks( O Riellieys Gray hot rod primer )
Weathering powder
Pencil graphite ( I use shaved pencil graphite the graphite you use for locks will not work )

Steel treads

If you want realistic steal treads.

1. Paint track flat black
2. Dust with your fav tinted powder
3. Dip your finger in pencil graphite and rub on cleats and side of tread.
Done !!

Rubber tracks .

1. Paint tracks with Hot Rod gray.
2.Dust with powder.
3.- Wet finger and wipe powder off of center track pad
4- If track has metal on side like the Hanomag tracks, use graphite on the metal parts
4. Done

Both quick and easy and if you like rub some of the graphite on the running gear.
The graphite will give you that metal sheen.

[pickelhaube]

Here is a Sherman track using European mud or dirt powder and pencil graphite


Custom made powder with graphite








M-113 I went with a mud red powder ( Vietnam dirt ) and graphite



I did go with the rusty track idea and used Hot Rod Gray then rusty powder and graphite



On the spare tracks, I painted flat black and gave it a dusting with rusty powder and picked out ware areas with graphite . I think they look real !

[[CAT]CplSlade]

Now you know real track doesn't get anywhere near that rusty on a working vehicle, right?

Also, those two smaller pipes on either side of the left-hand exhaust pipe aren't exhausts. They are cool air intakes and they do not get heat oxidation like an exhaust pipe does. They keep their paint.

[pickelhaube]

Now you know real track doesn't get anywhere near that rusty on a working vehicle, right?

Also, those two smaller pipes on either side of the left-hand exhaust pipe aren't exhausts. They are cool air intakes and they do not get heat oxidation like an exhaust pipe does. They keep their paint.

Well they are connected to the exaust manifold

It was a first for me on the JP

Next time I will make them the same as the spare tracks on the side .

The JP tracks were painted with Dark Gray if I would have used black it would have probably made them a little darker.
In the pics the rust is bright in reality they look much darker.

[pickelhaube]

Now you know real track doesn't get anywhere near that rusty on a working vehicle, right?

Also, those two smaller pipes on either side of the left-hand exhaust pipe aren't exhausts. They are cool air intakes and they do not get heat oxidation like an exhaust pipe does. They keep their paint.

But they do look like true exhaust
Well they are connected to the exhaust manifold

It was a first for me on the JP

Next time I will make them the same as the spare tracks on the side .

The JP tracks were painted with Dark Gray if I would have used black it would have probably made them a little darker.
In the pics the rust is bright in reality they look much darker.

[[CAT]CplSlade]

It's a common mistake but once you submit to the internet and ask why those Panthers have 3 pipes on one side it is very clear. And in fact you can see the actual thing on the few running Panthers with that arrangement.

The early Panthers had an issue with unburnt fuel buildup under the engine and it could ignite if the engine got too hot, which it often did due to the way air was vented to heat the crew cabin. As an interim solurion the two small pipes were added to draw air in over the left manifold and cool it down. When the system was overhauled for the Ausf G the pipes were eliminated and we got the taller fan on the left side of the deck.

[pickelhaube]

It's a common mistake but once you submit to the internet and ask why those Panthers have 3 pipes on one side it is very clear. And in fact you can see the actual thing on the few running Panthers with that arrangement.

The early Panthers had an issue with unburnt fuel buildup under the engine and it could ignite if the engine got too hot, which it often did due to the way air was vented to heat the crew cabin. As an interim solurion the two small pipes were added to draw air in over the left manifold and cool it down. When the system was overhauled for the Ausf G the pipes were eliminated and we got the taller fan on the left side of the deck.

OK thanks for the history lesson

This post was actually about track weathering and how easy it is to do using this method.

[normandy]

Hey Matthew the Jumbo tracks look the part. I'm at the American Museum of Armor several time a year and their armor
runs in open grass fields, on dirt / gravel roads and on concrete...your 1:18 tracks have the same dirty dusty textured
look of those 1:1 armor pieces at the Museum.
Nicely done and thanks for that micromark link.

[AJWW2]

Yeah thanks for the tutorial, they look amazing for such a simple process.

[tmanthegreat]

Thanks for the tutorial, Picklehaube

This will be helpful when I eventually get to the tracks on the Jagdpanzer IV kit I’m working on.

[pickelhaube]

Thanks guys.
The method is quick and easy.

Here is a finished picture of the rubber track method.

I also use the dark gray paint on the rubber road wheels.

I rubbed some graphite on the running gear it gives that grungy metal sheen after the powder dusting..

[pickelhaube]

A word of caution using BBI tracks.

The automotive primer I use is not compatible with the BBI track plastic.
The paint always remains tacky.
You need to shoot it with an acrylic type paint like Tamiya .

You can either go with a dark gray and shoot that and be done.
Or ( I did not have any dark gray Tamiya paint on hand ) go with any Tamiya color then once dry shoot it with the Hot Rod Gray.

[normandy]

Hey Matthew I've come back to this topic you started because I found its going
to be useful in the near future. I'm getting some Panthers ready for realistic
looking tracks, your painting tips will definitely help...never liked the 21st
rubber band looking tracks.

[pickelhaube]

Using this method you can make them pop ,
Easily

I also have a easy realistic way to paint muffler exaust
I will make a post of that this weekend.

The new thing is to make exaust rusty.
This looks totally fake to me
Go out and look at your car’s exaust it is not rusty ( unless it has been sitting for 5 years )
It is GRAY