Fitted the idlers and their hubcaps.
I started work on the sprocket hubcaps. These are meant to be held to the sprocket by a push fit. I am making an alteration so that they will be held to the sprocket with the middle cone bolt.
The cone bolts are meant to be glued to the hubcaps but they are so cute that instead gluing I will be threading them into an M3 nut. Opened up the back of the hubcap with a 6mm slot drill to accept the M3 nut.
Made an adaptor with an M5 male thread on one side and an M3 female thread on the other side.
Which will fit in the sprocket shaft like this:
I started the slow process of assembling the tracks. The thing that takes the most time is the cutting of the split pin legs and the neat folding of said legs.
Sprocket hubcaps finished.
Finished both track loops. I was only meant to do a length of track just to check the running gear for alignment after I fit the sprockets but ended up doing the whole lot; 96 track links per loop (as per instructions) but I suspect that some will eventually be removed. I discarded two track links as the holes for the track pins were too close to the edge of the material. No problem as these will be used for the turret spare links.
Had to increase the clearance for the sprocket and rebore the taper to fit the sprocket.
Quick test fit of the track. Seems straight so no alignment problems.
Part 9 here Part 11 here
