Tutorial: Assembling Magic Tracks
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Hello guys! Today's video is all about how I assemble Magic Tracks for Dragon's Smart Kits and Cyberhobby's White Box series (which are both the exact same thing...)
In the video I give my tips and advice about how you should assemble them and put them on the model so that they are removable for easier painting!
I have filmed a better tutorial on this same subject more recently:
th-cam.com/video/K3y6oQ2S-Hg/w-d-xo.html
Thank you so much for making this video, and the others that you have done as well. I am returning to model building after 30 years away from the hobby. I am now 50 years old and mostly home bound due to autoimmune disease. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ulcerative Colitis, and fibromyalgia. Building and painting models has given me something to take my mind off the pain, and it keeps me somewhat sane. I always built WWII models as a teen, and have come back to that. Planes were the first thing I built, but now I have fallen in love with AFVs. I always thought Dragon kits were out of my reach and beyond my skills because of the single linked tracks, but after watching your video, I think I can handle the Magic Tracks. Cutting tracks from sprues and cleaning them all up would be too much for my swollen hands and fingers, but the Magic tracks look manageable. Keep up the great work. I enjoy watching your builds and tips. Thanks again from a fellow AFV hobbyist.
Monsieur Richards, same as I. Upon turning 50 I retired from my previous career and resumed model building after thirty five years. PanzerMeister36's passion for model building has helped me greatly in getting up to speed with the modeling changes for back then (1980's) there simply weren't as many accessory options, model building techniques, airbrushing techniques, so on and so forth. PanzerMeister36 has been a Godsend... at least pour moi.
My first experience putting together magic tracks for a T-34/76 and had no clue how to proceed. Thanks for demonstrating this technique. It was very helpful.
Thanks for the comment, Blaine. I'm glad you found my video useful!
For some reason, watching you assemble little plastic track links is so enrapturing that it made me sit here and watch it two times.
In all seriousness, I have had a fear of Magic tracks but this kind of alleviated those fears, so thanks
Lol I didn't figure this video would be that entertaining! There's other good videos for other techniques as well. Russell Gosselin made a good video recently.
Nice tutorial. The individual track links are definitely a PITA but do look much better when it's all said and done. Always great to see how others do it and apply it to my own builds. Good job sir. 👍
Really useful posting, many thanks for taking the time to film, render and post it. I'm returning to modelling after a errr.... 40-odd years break, and although I've only ever built things with wings previously, I'm fixing to lose my armour cherry this time. Already have quite a few Dragons and Mengs in the stash, so your 'How to assemble Dragon's Magic Tracks' is real timely, and will come in REAL handy. Love your vids by the way, and slowing working thru them. Cheers, Mark (Armour Virgin !)
+Mark Pearce Thanks for the awesome comment, Mark! I'm super glad you're liking my videos and that you find them useful :) That's why I make these videos and i really like it when people take the time to comment like this :D Dragons and Mengs are just about the best armour kits out there I think, though they also have a ton of parts! have fun and good luck with the armour....just remember, with tanks you have the advantage that you can put mud everywhere to cover up anything lol
About to tackle magic tracks for the first time and this video is a god send thanks for posting.
Thank you for the comment David! I'm glad you found it helpful :)
Interesting way to do magic tracks. Very different to how I do it, but your way does get a good result, so as always, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Some parts of your method I do like and might try on my next set of links. Thanks for the informative video.
+Harry Houdini I've seen plenty of methods, but this is what I find the easiest; working in small sections gives me more time as the glue doesn't dry as much. Well, I hope this helps you out somehow! I'll check out your vids to see how you do indi links :D
+Panzermeister36 I use the double sided tape method to hold all the links in a run before doing any cementing.. then they can all be left to dry for 10 mins until tacky but still flexible. I have been wrapping the whole length around the wheels.. however I see the sense in doing sections and will try splitting into a top and bottom piece on my Skoda LT 35. It will be in my next TH-cam clip.. lets see if that makes the wrapping any easier?
Hi I have just watched your video, and it seems a slower way of doing it, BUT it works, and everyone has there own method of working with tracks, excellent job.
Happy modelling from Australia.
Les
+Les Thiele Yes this is slower than doing it all at once but I like the fact that the tracks are more flexible as the glue has less time to set. Thanks Les :) Greetings from the other side of the world, Canada!
Great video! I used to think that putting together those tracks was impossible but I got an Academy 1/35 Sturmgeschutz kit and you have the option of using vinyl tank tracks or you can make your tracks from plastic so I decided to try my hand at gluing all those tank track pieces together. Now here's the kicker- I had a stroke in 2007 and I'm paralyzed on my right side and I have to build with my left hand. I used to be right handed. It might take me a little bit longer but so far its been great! ;-)
Wow that's sad to hear about the stroke! Hey at least nothing that stops you from doing your hobby
Nice tutorial, Evan. Interesting how we all have slight variations of assembly. I just do a complete run, and just wrap it on the chassis. This is a very helpful video!
Thanks Russ :) I find the complete run always ends up with one end mostly dry and the other too flexible, but that's just because I use Tamiya Extra Thin and it dries pretty quick!
Hey that was cool, thx, I have tons of those various dragon kits, I use either workable after market plastic tracks, or metal workable
Your video was effective , you made it clear and fun.
Looks really good ready for painting . Thank you.
Well done .
I've stayed away from many Dragon kits and others because I just didnt want to deal with those track links. But he made that look easy so I think I'll give it a try. It''ll sure open up a lot of new kits for me.
Thanks!
Really Nice! Just built my first set of magic trax on the dicker max. I gotta say, I love the magic trax. They are neat, easy to assemble, and can get awesome sags
+timtamtung Thanks buddy! Sounds awesome...much better than rubber tracks eh :) Are you doing a build thread of this kit on ISM? if so then I'll check it out
+Panzermeister36 nah mate, but il do a reveal via for sure
That music was intense bro. For a minute there I didn't know if you'd make it out alive!
Great tutorial my friend. Keep up the great work!
+bpezzano1 Thanks! I will do my best :)
It is the first video on magic tracks that looks easy to do! Very good! As I am also a diorama builder this is very very useful? And push me to do my Dragon kits sitting on the shelves!,Go on!
Thank you for your comment :) I'm glad the video was helpful to you!
I like the way you did the tracks on on this piece.I have several Shermans that have the rubber band type and will be replacing them in the near future(.P.S just put another short video on y.t. check it out when you get the chance! model showcase2) Looking forward to seeing the finished model
+bob ahnert Thanks Bob! Yes these tracks look much better than rubber ones, though on a Sherman there shouldn't be much slack. I like Dragon's DS tracks for those situations. And I'll check out your video :)
when you see the video you will see what I mean about the tracks.
Nice work on the tracks -big help for me
Glad my videos are helpful to you! Thanks for the comment
very neat...wish all tracks would go togther like that! Thansk Evan
+Armour Empire Thank you for watching, Mark :D
Late comment here but thanks so much for this. Love your idea of four parts to make a full track. I am about to start on the Tamiya links for the King Tiger so will be sure to use your method. For me the sag may not be necessary I guess cause the side skirt covers the top of the tracks
Clear and simple tutorial. Thanks!
Thank you!
Great clear video I liked it very much
I am italian modelling i love MAGIC TRACK!!✌✌✌
Just getting back into modelling after 40 years away and will be building these tracks up. Just one point though. Aren't your tracks on backwards? Looking at the front of the tracks I always understood the triangle pointed down. In this video you have them pointing up. Correct me if I am wrong.
+Steve Ramsey on the Panzer III/IV, the way I have mounted the tracks in correct. But in most other cases, especially modern ones, you are correct; the "V" points down when looking from the front.
Hey there, I am pretty new to your channel. The music is too loud, I cant really hear you. Greetings from Germany and happy modeling!
+seegurke93 Alright, thank you for your advice. On my computer, though, the music is very quiet...are you listening with headphones?
Panzermeister36 yeah, on my PC with headset
+Panzermeister36 It's to loud with loudspeakers... Love your videos... You can drop the music all together. Doesn't do you any justice... ;-)
+Henrik Hansen Alrightey thank you for your advise guys! I'll take the music out when I talk in the future :)
Thanks for the tips. They really help out
+dalton vickers Thanks Dalton! I'm glad my video is helpful!
great helpful video unfortunately my hands are not as steady as yours. Magic tracks do look a lot better and now with your great video I'll be giving them another go...keep up the good work mate
Thank you! A pair of tweezers might help you be a little steady with their placement.
super !! bien fait (sehr gut !)
+Raph M os Merci beaucoup mon ami! :)
Greatly appreciated!
oh dat call of duty modern warfare 2 music at 10:00 XD great vid man keep it up
+NotWorldWarthunder Yeah I use a lot of CoD music in my videos :) I think it fits nicely!
it does really well
Great video , thank you .
Great Tutorial!
+michael green Thank you Michael!
I use a long strip of masking tape for my tracks works wonders easy to stay put and wrap around the wheels let dry than easy to remove tape
I tried that once and the adhesive in the tape was susceptible to the plastic cement I used and the tracks ended up glued to the tape. That sucked. Be careful of the tape you use 👍
Awesome tutorial mate! Now i know everything i need to know to build an awsome Dragon Stug. When did you start with building models like this? Do you have any idea how many models you built so far?
Thanks Christian. I started building models about four or five years ago I believe. As for how many models I have built...maybe 30? Though about 10 of them still haven't been painted.
Thank you for the video. I'm looking for magic tracks but I cannot find them. Would you have a link for aftermarket tracks and other items?
I would like to use those on my 1/35th Tamiya Mid Tiger 1.
Thank you in advance!
Greg
Magic Tracks aren't aftermarket, they're the standard tracks provided in Dragon Models kits released in the 2000s until around 2010. I'd you want to use plastic individual link tracks then I think AFV club and Kaizen are aftermarket options?
One thing I haven't attempted yet is magic tracks maybe my next build . Thinking of doing the Trumpeter T-72 ;-)
Alright cool! The ones in trumpeter kits are usually on sprue, and sometimes they actually have multiple parts per link...that's never fun. I hope the ones in your kit are easier!
Thanks for the warning I haven't picked it up yet but that's the one I want
+Panzermeister36 I still need to finish My M-2 Bradley just a few things to add then pigments
My Bradley is still the same as it was months ago lol....still sitting there unpainted
+Panzermeister36 Good I'm not the only one that doesn't complete a kit .
Great help, many thanks :)
I'm glad it was helpful :) thanks
Is there a way to keep the tracks from sticking to the bottom of the road wheels and around the drive sprockets and return wheels? I was thinking about maybe cutting small strips of parchment or wax paper to act as a barrier. I would like to assemble the tracks, let them dry then take them back off for separate painting and weathering.
Since I'm using Tamiya Extra Thin glue and only applying it into the cracks between each track, the tracks don't adhere to the wheels. If you're having that problem then what you mentioned should work, except around the drive sprockets where the teeth on the wheels need to stick into the tracks.
use clear tape.....on your desk
Tamiya extra thin cement's capillary action will glue the tape to the tracks in my experience.
im getting a t-34/85 from tamiya, and im wondering if the tracks are able to actually work, this might sound crazy, but i like rolling my tanks around, just having some play to it XD so im just wondering, im a rookie in modeling, and i don't even have a spray-painter!
I know miniart makes some plastic workable tracks for T-34s, but the Rubber Bank tracks that come in the kit may be flexible enough to roll the tank around.
Wait, Miniart makes workable tracks in plastic? Ooh. I sure can make use of those. Why? I might shove R/C equipment in a tank model I might buy in the future and I don't want to put rubber tracks on it.
Great! Thanks!!
Great tutorial Evan but that music in the background is annoying and distracting. Volume a little on the loud side
+Switcher Thanks! Yeah I've gotten that reaction a lot on this video, so i'll take it out in future videos. On my speakers the music is hardly audible though :P
Its is all cool Evan. Yup mics pick up more than our ears. The song might have been a little more soothing vice dramatic, compiled with dramatic.
nvm i commented it before i saw the vid, and is there a place where i can get workable tracks?
That's really cool.. Thanks :-)
+Dan Knispel Thanks Dan :)
GOOD VIDEO EXCEPT FOR THE NOISE IN THE BACKGROUND. NOTICE THE SHOUTING OVER THE TOP OF IT! NOISE IN THE BACKGROUND ALSO KNOWN AS A SOUNDTRACK - GOD KNOWS WHY IT'S THERE!!!
Panzer meister, yeah but this is not what I meant. The similar technique is with tape and slow drying glue. Tape holds everything into place. but I never managed to master that. This here - on the other hand - I have. Although I separate the lengths in 4 parts. Lower, upper & curves.
Ah okay. This is what I did on the other StuG too though, and I find it works really well.
your típ help me a lot!!!!! thanks man!
Hi, please help me to solve one issue with the painting of my models airbrush. When I paint with Tamiya paints and Mr.Hobby on plastic often formed the rough places like the sandpaper like a solvent to dissolve plastic. Can give any advice, can I use a lot of solvent?Thanks
That sandpaper texture is due to the paint drying as it is blown out of the airbrush before it lands on the model. Try a lower pressure or more thinner in the paint. If you want to strip off the paint, I think some people use windex, which is an ammonia-based cleaning product.
It appears the track links do not click together. So you need glue to literally attach each link to another. I have a set that I will be building soon enough and I wanted to get some tips on how best to assemble them, mainly helping get the sag right. But I haven't actually taken any links out of the bags so it was news to me that they don't click together. Maybe its a mold challenge but I wonder why Dragon didn't make the links click together, not requiring glue to bond them.
EDIT: Nice and informative video though! I plan on doing it the way you suggest.
I really don't know why they didn't do them that way wither; it would be much easier. My Orochi M2 Bradley has clickable plastic links
+Panzermeister36 Great instructional video, though. I was wondering why you didn't just glue all sections together while shaping but it was made clear near the end where you left them removable for painting. Well played!
+MrGameengineer thank you! they really aren't too bad even though they don't hold together without glue.
+Panzermeister36 Good to know. I haven't tried them yet but you do make them look easy. I have a set of friulmodel tracks on order for my Tiger I dragon model that I am very excited to try out as well. I haven't done any friulmodel tracks yet but they look cool! But dang, I could have bought another model for the cost of those friulmodel tracks.
Yes friuls are expensive but we'll worth it. I've never actually used them but I will be soon because I've got a Dragon Tiger as well that comes with those nasty DS tracks
Start at the L/hand side of the ruler and put a piece of card or paper just enough to hold first one up. 2 skewer sticks double sided taped to give you the width of the racks. Then start?.
I tried that once and the Tamiya Extra Thin cement's capillary action glued the tape to the tracks.
Good tutorial, i have a tamiya tiger 1 mid, model and those plastic magic track are pissing me off... im using the same glue and its very very hard to shape them around the wheels without breaking them they always separate...
+PunchedPig Hmm that might be that you're letting the glue dry for too long; you have to be pretty quick about it.
+Panzermeister36 ok thx :)
That is a super weird way to do that, but it might be genius. I do them in one run with the fenders on.
+Adam Mann Yeah everyone else I've seen do it does it your way with but I find this is easier as it lets me work with them is easier, smaller sections and therefore the glue has less time to dry.
how long do I wait before I start giving the track its shape
Maybe 5 minutes....not too long as this glue does dry pretty fast.
A faster way to do it is to glue two strips of wood to a base, leaving a small space between them just wide enough for the guide horns. Then just drop each link into the slot and glue. I use wood since the tracks when glued won't bond to the wood.
+mailperson Thanks that's a great idea! ...I wonder why no company has thought of this!
i actually do a similar thing when painting the tracks separately to hold them down so the airbrush doesn't blow them away :)
OMFG I LOVE YOU
Valentine Thank you
good video
Thank you!
Tell me, please , how many tracks did you do in a single tape ?
AndrewRussia1978 On a Panzer III there should be 98 per side
Спасибо. С новым годом !!!
So how do you soften the glue?
+Ray's World with more glue :) applying extra thin to a joint already glued with extra thin will soften the bond.
@@Panzermeister36 oh, well that did not seem like it would would work lol. Thanks!
the mw2 background music was intense tho
I expected them to snap together and actually work
Is the tracks moveable?
+CONAN MAXWELL GOENAWAN no they are not
@@Panzermeister36 owh okay thx for the help
Last time I glued Magic Tracks I remember that left and right were a different grey
+seegurke93 Yes that's because one side is technically different than the other, but it's almost impossible to tell the difference.
Panzermeister36 may I ask how old you are? you sound younger than most modeleron youtube :) I'm 21 (to break the ice :D )
seegurke93 I am 17 now, though I started my channel just after I turned 15 :D
Panzermeister36 Hui from what I see- you are pretty good :) keep up modeling :) you have talent and skill. I plan on making some videos too. I have a big stach in the cellar so I thought giving a quick look over it and then reviewing models that the viewers can pick. something like that. besides I think it is also encouraging to tay in progress rather than just modeling and losing interest of the model. can you confirm that? :) Greetings from Germany
seegurke93 Thanks :) Yes I agree, though sometimes I lose interest on a kit too, though I do go back to them later. If you start making videos I'll definitely watch them! Greetings from Canada!
Please count, please!
Ha!
I wonder why they call this sh*it "magic". The appropriate name would be something like "nightmare" track.
links there called links
i still don't see the "magic". look like generic single-link-tracks
+Julez it was magic in the early 2000s when everything else was rubber bands on all stuck on sprues.
I hate these tracks it stoped me from completing more than one model, then they just sit, and turn out to be a waste of money
Do you prefer the one-piece rubber band ones? those one are much easier, though I find that individual link tracks look better in the end if done well, but they are quite tedious
+Panzermeister36 yep, simple, easy, and with a bit of paint and weathering they don't look half bad
I wish I could turn that awful loud music off....
can someone tell me whats magical about these godforsaken things? Has to be the worst idea ever thought of.
They look incredible and go together much easier than a horrid unpaintable rubber band track.
Who's your dad??? lol
your típ help me a lot!!!!! thanks man!
Thank you :)