Tanks have tracks. Be they rubber bands, or individual track links - there's no putting it off We have to make them look like the real thing.

Individual track links can really make a model - but they can also be a battle in themselves. Many people pass-up individual track links as being too hard, or too time consuming to bother with. But they are a great improvement - especially if the tank has return rollers. Individual links can be made to sag well.

These come in three main types: Injection Plastic, Model Kasten is one example, Metal - Fruil Modellismo, and finally resin like Accurate Armour's Trackpax. There are many more of course, but they all fall into these three categories.

AFV Club is also a big player in the replacement track business. They produce replacement rubberband tracks as well as replacement individual link tracks. The rubberband tracks are in general an improvement over some kit tracks, but are mainly intended to produce versions not kitted by standard kits.

Fruilmodel tracks drape wonderfully, and sag between return rollers good enough to eat - :-) They also look like metal - simple reason there I think... They are also wonderfully expensive and the wire roll for the 'new' connection system can be difficult to work.

Well, I can't do too much about the cost, but if you look here there's a rather neat work around, which could work out easier and not add any extra cost... That has to be good news!

These are Model Kasten tracks on my T-34(r)

Model Kasten fill the middle ground, they are still quite pricey, but need only minimal cleaning up. This set were just assembled, given a wash and a scrub with a toothbrush, then painted - with no actual cleanup needed!

They can be more fiddly to build - I don't like the pin in the hole approach as they break much more easily and need to be glued to sag properly, and to stay put on your model during handling. But as you can see they do look good.

Resin tracks often need a lot of flash cleaning up, and also need a knack to get them to curve correctly. On the plus side they are not too expensive, and can be glued with the sort of glues that you'd find in the home. Resins should be treated with care as they can cause alergic reactions for some users. Latex surgical gloves and a dust mask while filing are not over the top while working on these.

These Accurate Armour Trakpax are link and length which cuts down on the assembly work, but does make curving over return rollers more of a problem. T-34s don't have return rollers of course and with a bit of work will turn out a better result than rubberband tracks.

How you actually build the tracks is a matter of personal preference. I like to closely study the kit instructions - then go ahead and do it my way instead...

This is because I've developed my own way of doing individual tracks, and it needs to vary according to the model I'm building. Some models can be built with upper and lower hulls as seperate items. This makes it easier to build a long run and drape it in place, sometimes as a complete side - other models have to have upper and lower hulls glued. Then the tracks need to be built in shorter runs, and added to the main track run, glued in place on the road wheels - often unpainted...

This is my T-34 jig - which is simply three lengths of square section hardwood glued to a square of MDF that sits on my worktop while I'm assembling individual link tracks. I've got a similar set-up for Panzer IV tracks on the otherside of the board. In fact, I can have as many as six different gauges on my piece of A4 size board. There's also a square glued on that holds my bottle of Humbrol liquid glue - I used to spill it regularly before adding this simple saver...

Model Kasten tracks can be slotted in to the narrow gap - leaving the end connectors free to insert the link pins, but still holding them quite firmly. Fruilmodellismo metal tracks can use this slot too to hold them firmly while the wire is inserted. They need an even more firm grip as the holes often need to be cleared with a beading needle before the wire can be properly inserted. By the way - if you are having troubles with the kit supplied wire look here for a neat fix to solve the problem.

Dragon and Maquette plastic track links can be assembled in the wider gap with a slow setting glue and then curved round the idler and drive wheels. This means you will need to paint them in sections, and in curves too but I find it's easier to do it this way than to build them on the wheels.

This is it in action... Note the old teatowel I have over my knees - this saves much grovelling on the floor for lost parts believe me. You can also see my square that stops me tipping my bottle of liquid poly over. You'll only want to do that the once :-)

Either way I carefully lay out the track lengths on a sheet of A4 glass - actually a piece of float glass from a picture frame I aquired a while ago. This bit can be messy so out comes the latex glove for holding the track in place, as I find that people tend to stare at you if you have a camouflaged hand...

Whether you are making metal or plastic tracks first make up a thin solution of Humbrol 50113 (acrylic rust red) And I do mean thin. Thin it with tap water or distilled water if you prefer, perhaps with a drop or two of isopropyl alcohol in it to speed up drying if needed. Make it really thin - thinner than skimmed milk, don't worry too much, just dab it all over the track, both sides, with a number 5 or 6 paint brush and let it dry. As it's thin it soaks into the crevices and provides the background tint of weathered steel. As it's acrylic it only need twenty minutes or so to dry enough. Another much thinner wash of Humbrol 5029 brown gives the road dirt that builds up in all tracks after running only a few miles. This should soak into the crevices and leave a bit of red still showing.

Camp One - Injection plastic or Resin tracks.

These are given a light drybrush with an enamel steel on all wear surfaces. For the T-34 that's pretty much all of the road face, so I use my jig to do the next bit. so they can sit down flat and be supported while I run a piece of fairly coarse sandpaper over the roadside face of the track to scrape off the acrylic mud. Then I drybrush a dull shade of steel or even mid grey to simulate a dusty bare metal.

You'll find you can push the longer pointed end into the locating holes with thumb and forefinger pressure on the shorter end of the L, without inserting a sharp piece of metal into your finger… Definitely an improvement :-) If it still resists, gentle twisting will open the hole enough to let the staple slide in firmly.

The big advantage with using this technique is that as the staples are all the same length the first one you insert is a guide - and all the rest will stick out the same amount. But - it won't work on the smaller tracks like the Panzer I. It's also a bit tight on the T-34 so you may want to reserve this for the larger track shoes.