[Cavtanker]

Originally Posted by chascbv

HM is a manufacturer that does listen, and this is something on which they should be warmly congratulated, a fact that sets HM apart from the rest. This Pershing is a beautiful, accurate rendition of a mid-to-late production M26. The previous release had flared fenders at the rear, and the gun lock on top of the engine deck, which is OK for M26A1 and M46 models but not an M26. Both things have been corrected -- the new fenders are the right shape, and the gun lock has been repositioned on the rear panel around the exhaust stack. The only detail that could now be improved is the rather too obvious seam between the turret's lower and upper halves, the real seam being less conspicuous.

The model represents a tank in Co E, 67th Armored Rgt, which was in the lead of "Hell on Wheels", the US 2nd Armored Division, at the time of the fighting in the Ruhr pocket during April 1945. More than 300,000 German soldiers were encircled and then taken prisoners in that operation, which represented a definite "coup de grâce" to German resistance.


This model is mildly inaccurate in that the tank represented was in fact a T26E3, that is, an early M26, and so was fitted with a rounded housing on the glacis (the model has the square housing seen on later vehicles) and an early-type gun lock (attached to the exhaust itself, rather than the rear plate). Other than that, this model by HM is an excellent Pershing that's crying out for a place in our shelves.

The track should be sagging due to the force of gravity, right?

[ChairmanMilo]

The tracks on my Korean War M26 do the same thing - I guess they should consider inserting pins to fake track sag. They did with their T-55 from what I can see on the first release that I have - why didn't they do that with the M26?

Doesn't take away from it too much though - it looks great and it's hefty to boot.

[chascbv]

Originally Posted by Cavtanker

The track should be sagging due to the force of gravity, right?

Definitely right!

I'm sorry, but I took it for an optical illusion, or maybe a fit problem in the sample pictured by The Flying Mule (the side view is unclear). The tracks look right in other pictures I found on the internet or Ebay, so I did not consider it a fault inherent to the model.

[chascbv]

On June 23, 1941 the Wehrmacht's 6th Armoured Division managed to establish two bridgeheads across river Dubissa in Lithuania. Both bridgeheads had to be supplied and reinforced via a narrow road surrounded by swampy terrain.

As the Red Army counterattacked, the Soviet commander sent a KV-2 from 2nd Tank Division, 3rd Mechanized Corps to block that road in the outskirts of Raseiniai, a small Lithuanian village. The KV-2 was a very heavy tank that had been designed as a "breakthrough" artillery piece against fortifications, pillboxes, and the like. The vehicle was not successful as it had been poorly designed and engineered -- it was very slow, the turret could only be traversed with the tank on level ground and very slowly, and mechanical breakdown was all too common (most fell to this issue rather than German fire).

The KV-2 near Raseiniai, however, was highly successful and managed to halt the German advance for two days!!! First, it destroyed a whole resupply column made up by no less than 12 lorries, and with them went 6 50-mm PaKs that attempted to destroy it. The KV-2 remained static all of the time, and from its position managed to discover an 88-mm gun being installed some 900 m away, which was also destroyed. The Russian vehicle was hit several times to no avail, and its crew kept keeping German soldiers at bay with MG fire. That night a party of German engineers managed to apply some charges to the hull, but these were ineffective -- after a number of attempts, under constant MG fire by the Soviet crew, only a track was eventually broken.

The next day the situation was desperate for both bridgeheads, and the 6th Panzer Division requested that the 1st Panzer Division -- equipped with Mark III and IV tanks, rather than Pzkw 35(t)s -- attack the Soviet forces on their Western flank to release pressure on the bridgeheads, which they did successfully. This allowed to move some 6th Div tanks against the KV-2. Although the tanks proved ineffective, they did manage to distract the Soviet crew while another 88-mm gun was set up. This gun scored six direct hits on the KV-2, and the green monster was finally silenced. Or was it?

When the Germans reached the tank, they saw that only 2 88-mm hits had penetrated the armour, and as they were examining the beast the turret came to life again. A German engineer climbed the turret and finished the KV off by throwing in some grenades. German accounts report that the Soviet crew had many opportunities to escape and save their lives during those two days, but decided to stay and fight to the end. They were buried with military honours by their former enemies. (To my knowledge, there are sadly no records on this crew in Russian registries, and their names remain unknown.)


Well, the new KV-2 by HM is what I've been waiting for -- an accurate, well-finished model in plain green with no markings. Virtually all KV-2s had this simple livery, and while HM claims that their model represents a tank in a different unit, in my collection it will no doubt represent the vehicle operated by those unknown heroes near Raseiniai, Lithuania, during the summer of 1941 (see the real tank in the attached picture). Some weathering, particularly on the tracks, is all that it needs.

[Legio LXXII]

Originally Posted by Cavtanker

The track should be sagging due to the force of gravity, right?

The tracks should not be sagging, though on the model it does look like they're floating in the air a bit and should at least be flat across as shown in the pictures below...

[Cavtanker]

That's the Patton museum M-26 right there! I love the Tiger face.

[chascbv]

For all of you who want a Pershing tank -- or maybe more -- in your collection, Hobby Master has finally produced the one to go for -- an M26A1 with all the right details: improved muzzle brake, square housing on glacis, gun lock on the engine deck, etc. Not only is this one correctly detailed for the version intended, but also represents a very good model with fine detailing all throughout, even down to a textured skin.

As with all HM products, the weathering is almost absent and some careful drybrushing should improve the final looks of this excellent model and bring out some of the finer detail.

The model represents a tank in 1st Marine Tank Bn, 1st Marine Division, USMC (see the real McCoy in the attached photograph), during the battle for the Chosin Reservoir in December 1950. This was one of the toughest battles ever fought by the US marines, against overwhelming odds and in extremely cold, below-zero weather. According to the various sources available, some 20,000 to 30,000 UN troops were encircled by a mass of 120,000 to 200,000 Chinese infantry who had just crossed the Yalu river. The Chinese launched mass attacks almost every night, and casualties ran high on both sides. Despite fierce resistance UN troops were forced to withdraw from North Korea in the face of vastly superior numbers, and that retreat also brought much bloodshed. These Pershings kept the rearguard of the marching columns in an attempt to fend off the Chinese onslaught -- many brave men fell on both sides from both enemy fire and frostbite.

Believe me, if you have an interest in military history, then you need this USMC Pershing in your shelves, preferrably on a snow-white base with a snow-white landscape for backdrop.

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[chascbv]

The Centurion tank illustrated in the accompanying picture borrowed from The Flying Mule is now in my shelves and hands, and what a handsome model it is! This model represents "Diehard", a tank of C Squadron, 4th Royal Tank Regiment when on duty with the British Army of the Rhine in West Berlin, 1961-62. While there certainly are pictures of this tank out there I could not find one to attach to this post, but I still felt that I had to make this small contribution to the forum if only to praise this excellent model and recommend it to you.

The tank is a Mark 5/1, and accordingly is fitted with some extra armour on the glacis, as well as a 20 pounder main gun. This is correct for this particular vehicle. All the details seem correct, and the model does capture the looks of the original tank. Now watch it! If you compare the model to some of the widely available blueprints out there (e.g., Squadron Signal's "in action" booklet on the Centurion), you may see that some details differ, most noticeably the turret roof layout; well, remember it is HM's model that's right, not the line drawings!!!