"Sturer Emil" Clickable Track
LionMarc Model Designs Set No. CL30007
Review by Terry Ashley
I have now received a replacement set of "production" tracks thanks to Leo at Lionmarc and this includes the correctly shaped sprockets and track links with the review below amended accordingly. If you were one of the unlucky few to receive the incorrect tracks the guys at LionMarc will be happy to replace these.
LionMarc have released this set of individual track links for the Trumpeter 12.8cm Selbstfahrlafette L/61 "Sturer Emil" (kit #00350) which consists of 197 links cast in light grey resin plus two resin replacement drive sprockets.
Each link has very crisp rib details on the outer face with good definition
on the end connectors and characteristic curved track shoe as well as hollow
guide horns for nicely detailed links.
The cleanup
required is quite minimal with just some thin resin film over the guide horn
holes which is actually overlayed on one side of the tooth and very easy to
trim off with a sharp blade. Some minor film in the underlying link gap and
the odd bit of film elsewhere is also easy to remove but overall the cleanup
needed is considerable less than on the Atelier
infinite or WWII
Productions 'Emil' track.
The actual track links according to the Panzer Tracts book No.7-3 Panzerjaeger are 520mm wide with a pitch (depth) of 160mm, this equals 14.85mm and 4.6mm in 1:35 scale. These tracks measure out at 15.5mm wide x 4.5mm deep which is less than 1mm too wide and are 1mm wider than the Trumpeter tracks which are 14.5mm wide.
The sprockets are nicely cast with details on both inner and outer faces of each sprocket with some minor resin film in the rib holes that needs careful cleanup with the teeth on these sprockets being the same profile and pitch as the Trumpeter sprocket teeth and also match the photographs in the May 2000 issue of Ground Power Magazine and Issue 25 of AFV Modeller Magazine. After the minimal cleanup the two sprocket halves fit together well and are a straight replacement for the Trumpeter kit sprockets.
Each link has two pins, one small and one larger that clip into corresponding holes in the next link to form the track runs and these clip together easily to make assembly very quick and easy with the assembled track runs being quite robust for this type of track and didn't pull apart with normal handling but the usual care should still be taken.
The assembled track runs fit just as well to the Lionmarc resin sprockets or the Trumpeter kit sprockets depending on your choice.
Conclusion:
This is very well cast and detailed set of Emil tracks with minimal cleanup required
and are probably the better of the three resin sets yet released with the least
amount of cleanup required and are quite sturdy for this type of track
Highly recommended
Thanks again to Leo for sending the replacement track set without any hassles.
See the "Emil" Subjects listings for reviews of additional set available for the Trumpeter kit.
Thanks to Leo from LionMarc Model Designs for the review set.
Page Created January 11, 2006
Updated January 30, 2006