M45 Pershing
105mm Howitzer Medium Close Support Tank
"HELEN"

Tamiya #35254 M26 Pershing Medium Tank

Copyright
2002, Jim Lewis/GunTruck Studios
All Rights Reserved Worldwide

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Basic painting and initial weathering and paint fading on upper surfaces. I use Tamiya acrylics all around. At this stage, I attached the Tow Cable. It is made from the two eyelets provided in the Tamiya model kit and a length of nylon string cut 18' 6" in scale length. I inserted the Tow Cable ends into the two Tank Workshop Clamps, and then superglued the nylon string into the trenches molded into the underside of the Tamiya parts - rotating them upside again. I got lucky in pre-positioning the Clamps at just the right distance for securing the Tow Cable. For variety, I also painted the two eyelets Tamiya XF-7 Flat Red to break up the overall drabness of the tank's finish.

I also decided to attach the inner portion of the Return Roller Wheels at this time. Anticipating fitting a new set of tracks to my miniature, I'd use the Return Roller Wheels as a guide for positioning my track. Also visible here, I decided not to "activate" my suspension as offered in the Tamiya kit. I used appropriate bolts to replace the screw details.

While waiting for coats of paint the dry, I went back and stared at photos of the Korean-era M45 Pershings. There aren't a lot of photos of different vehicles, but I was looking specifically for tracks. I've seen one or two with the Rubber Block tracks, but most of them appeared to be T-80E1 Steel Block shoes.

This thwarted my plans to use the AFV Club rubber blocks. I went and ordered a set of the Steel shoes.

This brought up another change in my model. The Tamiya Drive Sprocket fits their polyvinyl representation of the all-steel T-81 single-pin tracks provided in the kit perfectly - naturally.

The T-81 tracks were 24 inches wide. Though the later T-80E1 tracks were 23 inches wide (correctly done in the DML kit) - the Tamiya Drive Sprocket wouldn't fit the DML or AFV Club Tracks - being too small interestingly enough.

Option One would be to retrofit the DML Drive Sprockets to Tamiya's kit in order to use either their or AFV Club's track link sets. The Tamiya Sprockets have a female connection - and wouldn't you just know it - the DML Sprockets are a male connection to the Drive Housing. I did successfully cut off the prong and bored out the DML Sprockets with a 7/64" drill bit to fit to the Tamiya kit, but was faced with another snag.

A highlight of the Tamiya Sprockets is that they casted the six lightening holes in the hub - where DML did not. Okay, undaunted to this point, I drilled out the holes in the DML Sprockets - but try as I might, I still liked the looks of the Tamiya Sprockets better. Consulting the photos of the M45 Pershings it appears that some of them (if not all) were equipped with this earlier style of Drive Sprocket. If you go looking at Pershings in service you'll notice that there are three different types of Drive Sprockets fitted to the tank. Below photo - note the early style link from Tamiya on the right, and the later style from DML on the left. The third style is a "laced" type Sprocket like on the M4 Sherman - just if you weren't confused enough.

The service photos led me to Option Two - widening Tamiya's Drive Sprockets to fit either the DML or AFV Club T-80E1 track shoe. This also was the simplest thing to accomplish in the end - it only took 1/4th the time it did to drill out the DML Sprockets. I cut two sections of Evergreen #234 .438" - 7/16" styrene tubing to splice between the Tamiya Drive Sprockets, after sawing them down the middle between the Guide Rings. I performed this surgery after painting - so I know you can do it just as easily beforehand.

The above photo shows the modified Tamiya Drive Sprockets alongside the DML Drive Sprockets I worked on beforehand. Not strictly correct in measurement between the two Guide Plates - this was more than close enough for me as a detail compromise. The DML and AFV Club T-81E1 track shoes are pretty close in overall measurements - the real difference I noted was that AFV Club's shoes were just a hair broader literally - not worth even measuring. My set of T84E1 Rubber Block track shoes wouldn't go to waste however - my Italeri M47 Patton is sitting there waiting for a replacement set of tracks anyhow...

The tubing slips snugly over the plug already present connecting the halves of the Drive Sprocket. A run of five track links was put together and used to align the Drive Sprocket halves correctly when I rejoined them. The only thing I would wind up accounting for was the Guide Horns on the tracks as I wrapped them around the Drive Sprocket - to make sure the additional thickness of the tubing wouldn't prevent proper seating of the track run around the Sprocket. This modification allowed me to fit either of the three track link sets I had to my model miniature.


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All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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