Dragon/Cyber-Hobby

1/35 M26A1/T26E3 Pershing w/ US Army Anti-Tank Team

Kit Number: 9107

Reviewed by  Robert Folden, IPMS #45545 (Tank) and David Clarke, IPMS #44437 (Figures)

MSRP: $34.95 Website: www.dragonusaonline.com Cyber-Hobby does it again with their seventh release under the "Orange Box", Super-Value line of kits. These are re-releases of Dragon kits, paired with additional, new, or alternate parts. They often also come with bonus figures to compliment the vehicle. The M26A1 / T26E3 Pershing kit is no exception. Pairing the Pershing tank with Dragon's US Army Anti-Tank team makes for a great set. Since this is basically two kits in one, I partnered with a good friend of mine, who happens to also be an accomplished figure builder, Mr. David Clarke. M26A1/T26E3 Pershing During the early years of World War II, both the infantry support [medium] and breakthrough [heavy] tank roles for the US Army were filled by the M4 Sherman. Under-gunned and under-armed, the Sherman simply couldn't fill the spot US Army Engineers had envisioned. Beginning in 1942, engineers went through five prototype designs for their new tank. Finally, in 1944, the T26 finally passed trials and became known as the Pershing. Named for General John Pershing, leader of the US Expeditionary Forces in WWI, the T26E3 Heavy Tank hit the battlefield in February of 1945, sporting a 90mm and thicker armor. Unfortunately, the Pershing joined the battle too late in the war to be fully baptized in combat. After the war, the Pershing was re-classified as a medium tank and received the new designation of M26 Pershing. The Pershing was again called to service in 1950 in Korea. Here it proved itself to be an effective piece of armor, however it was ill equipped to handle the more mountainous terrain of Korea and by 1951 all Pershing tanks were recalled from duty and replaced with the new M46 Patton. The Pershing continued to see service in West Germany until 1953, when it was replaced with the M47 Patton. These Pershings were reassigned to units in Italy, where they remained until 1963. The last Pershings to be retired in 1969 belonged to Army National Guard and Reserve units. The Cyber-Hobby Pershing kit is a re-issue of the Dragon Pershing, with parts to build either the original T26E3 from WWII, or the re-designed M26A1 that saw combat in Korea. While the two tanks are fundamentally the same, they differed in power-plants and thus the drive sprockets and tracks were different. The kit includes individual link tracks for the T26 and DS band tracks for the M26. Both track sets have advantages and disadvantages. The T26 tracks come on a sprue and need a bit of clean-up; however they are individual and allow for greater accuracy in the track sag [what little there is]. The DS tracks are easier to work with when mounting to the tank; however they have individually molded guide horns that must be clipped from the sprue and glued in one-by-one. Having built an M26 Pershing in the past, I opted to go with the WWII era T26. Construction starts with the lower hull. It's pretty straight forward with torsion arms and bogies. I chose to spray everything with Tamiya Olive Drab. It's a bit dark for tanks, but with dry brushing later on in the build I felt it would give a good basecoat. Wheels were painted Tamiya NATO black and masked for Olive Drab. The tracks are molded with little nubs on every link. I removed them and sprayed the tracks with Humbrol Polished Steel while they were still on the sprues. A light buffing with a rag gave everything a shine on the high points while keeping the rest of the link dark grey. This was followed up with various random coats of VERY thin Tamiya Flat Brown, Red Brown, and Flat earth. It still didn't have that rusted metal look, so I ground up some chalk pastels [yellow, rust, orange] and thinned them with Tamiya thinner. These were then sprayed in a random fashion, varying not only the spray pattern, but also the distance from the parts. After they were dry, the links were cut from the sprues and assembled randomly. After a rub of graphite powder, the tracks took on the worn, rusted metal look. Very little glue was needed for the tracks. You can press fit them into lengths and then add a bit of Pro-Weld to the joints. After a few seconds, they will hold together and wrap around the wheels without problem. The upper hull and turret came next. I added the fenders and side skirts during this stage, opting to drop the entire upper hull on after painting. NOTE- be VERY careful when removing parts C32-35 from the sprues. They are very thin and I ended up breaking all four. After painting the upper hull Olive Drab, I joined the two halves. Here is where I encountered the first of three fit issues during the build, a 2mm gap at the front of the hull. I held the seam closed as much as possible while adding CA glue from the inside. A quick spray of accelerator and the CA set up. Unfortunately, the gap was still only down to 1.25mm. The remainder was filled and sanded smooth. The turret comes in upper and lower halves. The fit is not the best and will require some putty. The turret features a great cast texture, which was restored after sanding using some Tamiya glue and a stiff bristled brush. A coat of paint and the turret was complete. For those wishing to build the WWII version of the Pershing, I recommend leaving the side storage basket and jack off of the turret until AFTER you put the star decals on. Trust me on this one. The last build step is mating the turret to the hull. This would be fit issue number three. I tried several times and eventually ended up cutting the locking tabs off and gluing the turret in place. The last step was decaling and weathering. The decals are very nicely done, with virtually no clear edges to worry about. They snugged right down with a bit of Solva-Set over a coat of Future. For weathering, I gave the entire tank a pin wash of rust colored pastels mixed with water [don't use Tamiya thinner. It will react with the Future]. This was followed with Testors' Acrylic Flat Coat. For dry-brushing, I use the Tamiya Weathering Master kits. Using a foam make-up sponge, I used the green and sand together to lighten the Olive Drab base coat. The .50 cal got a coat of medium grey followed by a rub of graphite.

Overall, I was very pleased with the final outcome of the Pershing. The kit provides for a very accurate rendition of the WWII tank. I would highly recommend this build to anyone looking to complete their WWII or Korean War collections. I had a great time building the Pershing and got to try out some great new weathering techniques. US Army Anti-Tank Team Two pairs of figures represent two different periods in the history of the G.I. The kneeling pair wears the M1 steel helmet, wool trousers as introduced in 1937, 1938 web leggings, and the M1941 field jacket. This wind-cheater style jacket, clearly modeled on the civilian sportswear of the time, represents an important innovation: it was the first major example of universal issue in one of the world's great armies of a garment specifically for field wear, replacing the all-purpose woolen service-and-combat tunics worn by other armies. The gunner totes an M1A1 bazooka. (The name 'bazooka' came from a strange musical instrument developed by comedian Bob Burns!) The loader's right hand is one of the best injection-molded plastic hands I've ever seen. Minimal cleanup was required along mold seam lines; nothing more than a quick drag of a #11 blade. For these guys, I used Humbrol enamels, starting with a medium-tone base coat, followed by a darker swish in the creases and a quick dry-brushing with a lighter shade of the base coat. Hands and faces were painted with Testors' skin tones. For this scale, these particular Testors' paints are perfect. Simply start with a good coat of base color, then dry-brush your way through the other, lighter tones. Be sure to use less pressure as you get lighter, or your soldiers will look awfully pallid!

The other two wear the same helmet with the M1943 combat/fatigue uniform. Although designated M1943, this uniform didn't reach front-line units until long after D-Day; it also saw use in the Korean War. So these are the guys to use if you model a late-WWII or Korean Pershing. Interestingly, the trousers were usually issued one size too large so that the woolen trousers could be worn underneath in colder climates. This pair also sports the M1943 'double buckle" boot. These didn't give much protection against cold or wet but the integral gaiter flaps fastened with two buckles were far more convenient than the long laced leggings. Having dug through my references, I couldn't find the designation for this later-model bazooka. (Answers on a postcard, please.) The process started over again with minimal cleanup. These guys were a little easier to paint, as they wear a single-color uniform. A base coat of Testors' olive drab was followed by Testors' faded olive drab, then a little more faded olive drab with a touch of white to highlight the creases. Piece of cake. The same Testors' skin tones were used in the same manner. Purists will argue that no two garments were the same and I should have varied the colors slightly. It's a valid point, but my counterpoint is simple: time restraints.

Weapons and web-gear were painted and dry-brushed using appropriate colors according to references. Then it happened: we all get it from time to time; in our club we call it a case of the "Don Barry's". I decided to add slings to the weapons and an extra length of strap for the later war guys' haversacks, since the integrally molded straps on their torsos for some reason didn't reach the bags. I used .006 lead foil for the slings and straps but drew the line before I fashioned hooks and clasps out of wire. (Having already missed my deadline I didn't want to push my luck)! As spoiled for choice as we are these days, I can't help but wonder if and when a small photo-etched fret of slings, straps, folding gunstocks and maybe even eyeglasses will be included as standard in figure sets such as these. This brings me to my only gripe... There are only two sets of bazooka round "fins" in the kit. Despite that, three are represented in the artwork. One must go on the end of the round which the kneeling loader has in his hand. His teammate's pose suggests he's about to pop off a round, so he is the logical choice to receive the other set of fins. Unfortunately these fins are a tad on the thick side and don't fit in the "wire" cage at the loading end of the bazooka. Meaning that muggins here had to go "Don Barry" again and make a new, bigger cage out of superglue and wire. Truthfully, mostly superglue. How much cussing could I have been saved if these cages and fins had been included on the fret of slings?! After a little touch-up the four were ready for dullcoat and the photo-op. I say 'a little' touch-up; I must have painted these guys' boots three times. I have to get in the habit of drilling a hole and inserting wire into one heel of my scale victims. Never mind the gripe. On the whole a good set of soldiers up to Dragon's usual high standard of molding and extra useful because of the different uniforms represented. Now where did I put that German pillbox....?

Our thanks to Dragon Models USA and IPMS/USA for a fun build.