Track tensioners for HL Sherman?

[palepainter]

I haven't seen anyone adding the tensioner to this model. Is it needed with metal tracks? About to get stuff together for a "Screamin' Mimi" t34 Caliope project. I know that I have not been happy with the tanks that do not have the tensioners, especially at the local battle grounds

Thanks in advance!
Pale

[palepainter]

Better yet...how will I get all those tubes loaded with IR and get them to fire in sequence?

[edpanzer]

Pale it would look like the light show from close encounters of the third kind if you did especially if you got multi coloured xenon's...

[palepainter]

So I take it that no one has used track tensioners on their HL Sherman? The calliope IR was kind of a joke.

[PainlessWolf]

Pale,
I haven't had to use a track tensioner on either Sherman, with metal tracks or without. The key is making sure that the idlers are a good fit width-wise to the tracks. Seriously, I think that with a separate battery and controller, you could get all of those tubes to fire. ;o) Following along, my friend.
regards,
Painless

[palepainter]

Thank you for confirming Sir! I have been through every possible word combination in the search function, both here and on the net. Not seeing it. Does the main track suspension take up the slack enough to deal with rough terrain and no thrown tracks?

[PainlessWolf]

Pale,
I believe so. I have had them both through the scrub that passes for my yard until the battery wore down several times and never lost a track. The most difficulty that I ever ran into was narrow tracks in wet grass syndrome. Tracks slipped and I had to back up and go around the bowl shaped, ultra wet areas. 'In The Mood' has chunkier tracks and weighs less than 'Maxene' with all of her metal running gear so the M4A1 gets around in the wet better. I display all of the tanks on wood blocks with rubber feet to keep the weight off of the springs. Helps keep the suspension working right.
regards,
Painless

[AlwynTurner]

An idea for getting the lights to go in sequence would be to get a small gutted servo (just using the motor and gears) rigged for 360 degrees and put an arm on which runs round a circle of contacts shorting between a common live and the wire to each light. Maybe you could rig it to the machine gun circuit?