Panda Plastics is a new company who took over an established and well received line of injection molded polystyrene tracks formerly sold by RHPS Models. In rapid succession, the first seven products from the RHPS catalog have been released and, if success is met, new products and subjects may be added.

There had been some concern by modelers as there were reports of quality issues but a telephone discussion with the owner assures me that quality control is of great concern. Panda Plastics has been able to use the same resources to produce the track sets and, other than the name, are identical to the RHPS sets I still have in my possession.

The package contains separate sprues for the track pads and end connectors in a long thick clear plastic bag to which a double printed heavy paper header is stapled on. The double printing is because the inside of the header serves as an instruction sheet, a carry over from the RHPS header. Even the logo is identical with only the brand name and contact information being separate.

This set is to represent the non reversible T-51 tracks. In the bag were 29 track pad sprues (each containing six pads for a total of 174 links) to which the end connector (on 29 sprues with a dozen pieces on each) are added. These are enough track links for any variant of the M3 or M4 medium tank and also suitable for the M4 series High Speed Tractor as sold by Hobby Boss. fYI, the normal track length Shermans used 79 links per side, the longer track base (M4A4 & M4A6) used 83 links while the HST used 65 links per side.

Assembly is not fool proof as the track pads fit either way but should always have the thicker portion to the outside face. A jig, as offered by some companies or seen in Steve Zaloga’s Sherman Modelling books from Osprey Publishing, makes assembly easier. I found that a few of the end connectors need the track pin holes reamed out with a drill bit but one must be careful not to eliminate the friction fit. This ‘friction fit’ is what makes the tracks semi-workable. A few of the track pads had slight sink marks on the outer face but absolutely no pin marks were found. Those with the slight sink marks were identified with a marker and will be placed on the lower track run on my model.

After placing on the model, it is recommended to run thin cement along the end connector to track pad joints to ensure none come apart later. Remember that these tracks are ‘live’ and tend to curl inwards so no track sag should be seen. This ‘curling’ effect should be taken into consideration if one wishes to model the tracks partially or completely off the vehicle. Another thing to consider is the placement of the idler so that a complete run without any sag can be used. Modification of the idler mount may be required or one can use the replacement items as sold by Formations Models and TMD.

As for accuracy, these tracks do indeed display a thicker outer pad than the inner. This is the reason why they were not reversible as with the T-41. The measurements are also quite good meaning that their fit to most kit drive sprockets (AFV Club, Dragon, Italeri, and Tasca) is acceptable with only the Academy kit being an exception. The instructions indicate to thin the teeth to allow for a 0.375 inch (9.5mm) space between the sprocket rings. I find it easier to just place a shim in between the two sprocket wheel halves of the kit. About the only thing I wish were better are the retaining bolts on each of the end connectors.

In the second photo, not that the left two sprockets are those from Academy’s M3 Lee and the upper right photo is of Tasca’s Mid Production M4A1. Both are likely candidates for the T-51. The lower right shows the tracks on the Hobby Boss sprocket from their HST kits.

The reappearance of these molds at this time is a fortuitous one as there are now several new kits which can use them. Being polystyrene plastic, it can be assembled and painted in the same manner as the other kit items.

For a limited time, Panda Plastics is offering these sets at the old RHPS price listed above. These will go up eventually. My thanks go to Panda Plastics for the review samples. Order directly from them by sending an e-mail.

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