This kit was started a good while ago and, for some reason, stayed aside, almost completely built, for a few years. I decided on a hunch to get it done – with a base, no less. The kit was built mostly out-of-box, with some added cast texture, metal tracks, a beautiful Alpine Figure, and some minor enhancements like the commander’s hatch inner surface.

There’s nothing much to say about the kit itself, apart from the fact that the workable suspension did not particularly convince me and took some extra work to get reasonably well-aligned roadwheels. Other than that, it’s your usual Tamiya experience (i.e.: it fits well and assembles easily).

Finishing was done on top of a coat of Mr. Surfacer’s black primer. I went with AK’s Real Color range (Olive Drab 9/22 and Olive Drab Faded). Then I used Ammo Shader for a faint bit of ambient occlusion effect, a wash using Mig’s P220 Dark Wash, and finished with a variety of AK’s enamel weathering products together with Ammo Starship Bay Sludge’s Oilbrusher.

One this I realize is that the pictures don’t really show all the subtle shading, distress, and texture I’ve put into it. It’s either my lack of photography skill or that the effects in questions are too subtle. I’ll have to check that out for the next project, some of the stuff I’ve put on there is just not visible.

The base was made with a block of foam and veneer, some pigments, a mixture of water resin, rocks, and various grass and small shrub stems I had picked around my house years ago.

I had very little experience with bases before this project, with exactly two, made a long time ago, and which weren’t very exciting: Dragon’s excellent StuG III G early (with another Alpine figure) and the equally excellent Jagdpanzer IV(V). Right now, I’m having a hunch to redo this one entirely, now that I have a little more experience and skills.

Sidenote: I think the shrub stems seen on the StuG III scene are from the same bunch I used on the M26 vignette. Goes to show picking random stuff is often useful in the long run 🙂

Another project to chalk on 2023, and most certainly the last for this year!

References

Tamiya M26 (T26A4) Pershing #35254
Friulmodel metal tracks #ATL-77
Alpine Figure #35115