1:35 T-34 - Waffle Tracks Set (for Tamiya Kits / 3D-Printed)

The waffle pattern that makes a T-34 recognizable

Tracks with the cross-hatched, so-named waffle relief are among the prominent recognition marks of certain production batches of the T-34. The pattern came about on pressed links and its purpose was to improve grip on soft ground. It appears often in photographs from the middle phase of the war, and modelers reach for it precisely because it immediately identifies which factory a machine came from.

What the box holds instead is a band of soft plastic joined with a rivet or by heat. It looks more practical than it is: the band keeps a stiffness of its own, so it will not form a natural sag between the return rollers, paint takes to its surface badly and the relief of the links is simplified to a repeating impression. The sag that gives a tank model a sense of weight therefore stays unfinished.

The printed version works differently. It carries a clearly legible pattern along its whole length, the shape matches the real link on the inner side as well, and the material can be shaped into a natural sag over the wheels. The tracks are fitted once the running gear is finished, held with cyanoacrylate glue at the points of contact, and painted like the rest of the model, including wiping a metallic sheen along the edges of the teeth.

Tracks are a splendid place to show the traces of service. The outer face of a link polished quickly to bare metal, whereas earth stayed in the hollows of the pattern, so the contrast between the shining and the flat part tends to be great. The simplest route runs through a dark base, dry wiping with graphite along the edges and a final dusting of pigment at the teeth. The material also holds its shape, so the running gear can be assembled with the upper run raised, as it looks on a machine standing on uneven ground.