Tamiya M-26, need some constructive crit! *updated 3/6*

Nice looking tank!

Being a late war entry less is more with the weathering, yours looks perfect.

Two items that can be added are black soot around the exhaust and stowage gear!

It does not need to be AM. Tarps made from tissue paper set with diluted white glue & a few crates made from wood will help a lot. A tarp covering stowage can eliminate making said stowage. Just do not cover cooling grills or air intakes on the rear deck. A few ruck sack (back packs) hanging off the turret tie downs is a good addition as well.

It looks real good,BF,but the pics are kinda dark.

As previously mentioned, my pic-taking skills suck. Light is hard to come by in my house... I'll try to get something better...

Oh yeah, forgot about the stowage. To the spares box! I might have to skip that for now, have to run this baby off to a show by the end of the month, but I'll find some great stuff to add. and I've seen some pics of tarps over the rear fenders, might add one of those too. thanks for the input.

It's a very enjoyable kit to build for sure.  Nice work.  My only comment would be that WW2 era Pershings did not have the infantry phone box on the rear hull.  That should be lopped off.

First, very nice work....very good modulation using the oils.

Now, some thoughts.....besides what has already been said

• Show some wear on the teeth of the drive gear
• Show some shine...graphite....on the tracks
• You have an antenna mount on the turret with no antenna
• Soot dirt and some rust on the exhaust

You are doing great.....

Rounds Complete!!

@G: thanks much! BTW: killer work! Love the detail you put into it!

@T-26: thanks fo rthe tip. I'll go break out the saw...

@redleg:Thanks for the compliment! I love oils... screw up, just add more thinner and wipe. :) Also, I haven't even painted the tracks yet, just given them a flatcoat. I'll be adding the 50 cal and antenna last, as I have a bad habit of knocking everything off when weathering... also, I'm considering just weathering the tracks as is, since the vinyl  color seems pretty darn good. thoughts?

Will keep you posted, I have to take a german mid-term exam tomorrow so I'll do more work Wed. Thanks for the comments, and if anyone sees something wrong, TELL ME! My goal is to get better, any suggestions are most welcome!

UPDATES! And picturey goodness...

Another wash, drybrushing, and lots of pigments/pastels later, it's getting closer... I plan on flat-coating the pastels to tone them down, which is why they're so heavy at the moment. Also need to get some gray... thoughts?comments?issues? Please let me know if you see anything! (and yes, I'll be removing the infantry communication phone off the back.)

Sorry for the double post, but updates are here! It's pretty much done for an upcoming contest (SCAHMS in CA) but I will be refining it more, especially with the addition of stowage and a few tank riders. Oh, and sorry for the crappy pics. When I save up some money, I am buying a decent camera!

Any ideas to improve it before it ships out?

Boba Fett

UPDATES! And picturey goodness...

 

 

 

 

Another wash, drybrushing, and lots of pigments/pastels later, it's getting closer... I plan on flat-coating the pastels to tone them down, which is why they're so heavy at the moment. Also need to get some gray... thoughts?comments?issues? Please let me know if you see anything! (and yes, I'll be removing the infantry communication phone off the back.)

I really like the top photo. Looks real. Like a night time shot with a flashlight  

what did you use for tow cables, kit provided? Looks nice. Your weathering looks good and grimy 

Everything is OOB. I was SO tempted to replace the cable,I even found a leader at the bait shop that looked just perfect. But I stuck with the kit part, and it looks pretty good. Just noticed that I need to rub some graphite on that… ‘tis too clean. And my flat-coat tuned down the intensity of the lighter pastels. Does it need another dusting? I know my crappy pics do not help… I’ll try to get some better ones.

thanks for the comments!

I think your tank looks great. Everything looks wonderful, nothing over done and the weathering looks right.

What I think is missing is life. When you look at real armor or even a picture of it there are a few things you'll notice. Not one inch of the surface really looks the same. So many little changes to the way light reacts to the surface. That's the key, how light reacts, that's what makes it jump out at you and say look at me.

I think to go to the next level you need to make all the detail jump out. Whether it's a dry brush to highlight or even using a little gloss here and there to make the light hit it differently in certain spots. The finish looks too drab, which is good that's the way they looked. But depending were you stand the light reflects things even if it is drab. That's what gives it the three dimensional look and jumps out at you.

Other then that it's outstanding. Just a little drab, although it could be the camera.

Our vehicles(I drove M113s) were painted with the new at the time light absorbing paint. So they did look dull, yet because of the amount of imperfections in the surface many of the details of the vehicles stood out. Even thought they were blended a bit with over-spray they still had those hard edges, with the grease and the rust those little edges stood out.

I observed the same thing. When the oil washes/filters were complete, there was quite a bit of depth to the finish. I've hit it with a flat coat though, and everything kind of blended back together. I think I'm going to have to overdo it in the future, and let the flat-coat work to my advantage. Also, the camera/lighting does make it impossible to see ANY color modulation that's available. I'll get some better ones, then tell me what you think of it. I'll probably go and drybrush a little more though. Thanks!

Wow,real nice job,the base really makes it.I like the subtle weathering,mud on the lower hull.

AH! A rare sunny day in WI yielded these pics! (Dial-up users: beware. I am not responsible if your computer explodes when you scroll down...)

EDIT: Di'kutla broken links...

The fig is excellent, the weathering in the track wells is perfect. I love the bent fenders. Very nice.

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks! I actually will do more work on the fig, the eyes are terrible in my view (I'm also a figure painter so that gets to me) I risked it on the fenders, I softened them up (while painted! :P ) with a candle, and then manhandeled them with a pair of needle-nose pliars. I wasn't sure about how they looked, but obviously someone likes. them! Thanks for the input!