IS-1 Track Set & Drive Sprockets
1:35 Scale Set #B35018
Review by Terry Ashley
This set of tracks from Miniarm is designed for any of the Dragon IS-II or ISU kits and represents the earlier IS type track where every alternate link has a guide tooth with the intervening link being smooth and the tracks are also handed with the inside pin on each side being different than the outside pin.
The set is cast in light grey/green resin with just a single casting block to be removed from one end of the link and the occasional thin resin film in the drive teeth holes that is easy to remove with the cleanup of the casting block ‘scar’ being equally quick with the sharp model knife of by sanding.
The links come in separate plastic bags for the left and right track runs and it is important you don’t mix these up during cleanup or assembly and as a reference the flat pin end goes on the inside of the run with the pin retaining bolt on the outside.
The detail on the track links is excellent with clean crisp details on both types of links which are designed to snap fit together and come with small pins on one side of the link and corresponding locating holes on the other, unfortunately there was a problem with a number of the links where one of the locating pins was not fully formed meaning those links would not fit together.
One solution to the links with the undersized pins would be to weed these out and glue them together to form the bottom track run under the road wheels and use the articulating track run over the return rollers to easily get a nice track sag effect.
On the links with the correct sized pins you simply fit the pin from one link into the locating hole on the next and with slight downward pressure clip the other pin into the locating hole with the links articulating freely once assembled.
Also included in the set are new resin drive sprockets which have correct sized drive teeth and better defined details such as the bolt heads than on the Dragon kit sprockets. After removing the small casting block the two sprocket halves fit together precisely and you will need to drill out the axle hole a little then simply replace the kit sprockets.
As you would expect the fit of the resin track to the resin drive sprockets is very good while the fit of the resin track to the plastic kit sprockets is okay but a little loose due to the undersized drive teeth but you will naturally use the resin sprockets in any case.
Conclusion:
A very cleanly cast and detailed set of tracks that fit together easily although
the pin problem results in quite a few links that will not clip together
and you will have to handle the assembled track runs with care as they did
tend to come apart if not handled gently.
That aside the fully assembled track runs look excellent and are a marked improvement on the kit tracks as well as allowing you to easily include the appropriate track sag.
Recommended.
Thanks to Dmitriy from Model Point US for the review set.
Page Created 19 May 2005