[D-Day] M26 Pershing

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Two updates:
1) On Tuesday, I did some stippling a la NightShift. I used two of the cheap soldering flux brushes cut off short to stipple Mr. Hobby Mr. Dissolved Putty thinned even more with Testor's Liquid Cement (keeping a fan blowing across my work table). Before doing any more stippling for the cast parts of the T26, I will put the base coat over what I have done to see how it looks.
and
2) The metal idlers, road wheels, hubs, suspension arms, springs/shock absorbers, return rollers, and assorted hardware arrived just this afternoon. The Taigen/Torro (same as HengLong) M26 Pershing hull is plastic and the return rollers lock the springs/shock absorbers in place as the return rollers are very tightly press fit into the plastic hull. So I will leave the return rollers alone to avoid breaking the plastic hull. That will leave me with the plastic hull (metal is not available so far as I can tell) return rollers and shock absorbers with metal sprockets, idlers, road wheels, suspension arms, springs and tracks. The Taigen/Torro M26 is light enough so that the shock absorber/spring assembly will be fine and the return rollers hardly face any stress, especially since I run my tanks minimally and usually on carpet, hardwood, or cement floors.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Although I am mostly retired, I seem only to have Tuesday mid-days (Modelers' Day) for tank work. At least I have gotten a bit done. I tried a bit of stippling on the front of the lower hull with Mr. Hobby Mr. Dissolved Putty thinned with Testor's Liquid Cement. Then I sprayed a base coat of Vallejo OD "Primer" over it. Since after the thick base coat, the texture seemed a bit heavy handed, I thinned the Mr. Dissolved Putty even more, again with Testor's Liquid Cement. With that mix, I started on the rear of the turret, but still thought the texture too heavy. So I again thinned the Mr. Dissolved Putty, this time with some enamel thinner. These photos show the textured and base coated lower hull and textured and unpainted turret. I think the consistency is just about where I want it, and there's is bit more to do on the glacis.
Photos are merciless, and this one actually makes the "cast iron" appear too rough. When I look at this M26 (actually so early in production as to be still designated T26) "up close and personal" the texturing is less obvious, and the "30-inch rule" (as in railroad modeling) makes it nearly disappear.

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[MrChef]

You are modeling right along there Herr Dr. When all is dried overnight you can adjust the texture with some judicious sanding. From a very light hand with 2k grit down to whatever you feel good with. Then you can always reapply texture. You're handling the inevitable trial and error adjustment period rather well sir. Kudos.

[HERMAN BIX]

Yip, a bit of sanding & it can be manipulated to the look you feel is right.

[Ad Lav]

‘Mostly retired’

Just a quick sanding and that cast effect will be great.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Herman Bix and MrChef: yep, sanding comes next. I even have one of those electric mini-sanders, although that little beastie is likely a bit too aggressive.
Busy-busy-busy, I am "semi-retired": I still write a monthly magazine article reviewing farm toys and models. The note-taking, photos, and especially the writing and editing seem to take most of the month, all for a lightweight paycheck of amounts irregular depending on how much I sling. I do the notes in consultation with an old, old friend who doesn't want to stop the article until there are 25 years of them (three more years to go ).
Then there are the O Gauge trains.
And, of course, the fine woman who took me to Scotland in October and is planning more trips as I write this.

[ColemanCollector]

Your cast texture is pretty rough...or is it? Dundunduhdunnnnnn!

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Especially that casting joint line! I think your Pershing looks just fine.

Mike.

[MrChef]

Mike that turret looks like a Russian beat it into submission with the obligatory sledgehammer.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

That’s rougher than I thought. The book photos make it seem a bit less so, but, yes, this one does have a touch of Russian.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Nope: the M26 Pershing build is not dead. Tomorrow--finally--I have the chance to go to my not-so-local hobby store and get my mitts on some bottled Mr. Surfacer 500 to continue the "cast iron" look. What is more, I have been comparing close-up photos and details to some of the relief-cast detail of the Taigen. The Taigen upper hull shows the driver's and assistant driver's ventilators placed just as on the T26E3 and not on the regular M26. So this is a T26E3, exactly right for one of the tanks that guarded the bridge at Remagen.