OwlsfanDan

Hi, I'm fairly new to the radio controlled tank scene, having owned a simple 1:16 Abrams for a few years, but have recently wanted to get a better tank, and one that did more than just drive. Having done a fair bit of looking on the internet, and knowing that a Tamiya tank is well out of my price range, I have settled on a Heng Long Smoke and Sound Pershing. It seemed to offer quite a bit for the £50 it cost off ebay. It arrived last week, but I have not actually had it running yet as it is supposed to be for Christmas!!
I was wondering what owners of the same tank thought of them, and how they had found using them. One thing I have noticed on mine is that the finish around the hull machine gun seems a bit rough and not like the picture on the box. Have any others had the same problem? I did not want to attempt to make it look better myself as I have not got much experience in this area. I am aware that it is a toy for using rather than sitting on a shelf, but I want it to look good!! Also is it possible to get green sprocket wheels to replace the silver ones as I was not thinking of painting the tank?
If anyone has any general tips or advice, I would be more than grateful to hear it! Oh, and one more thing, why "Snow Leopard"???!!! Bizarre name!!

shenlonco

My Feedback: (2)

I Like mine ...one thing make sure to use lock tight on the rear sprocket screw sometimes they come lose!
The M26 is nice but my favorit HL tank so far out of them all is the walker bulldog

FMB42

Hi Owls,
The HL Pershing is not bad for the price. I have about 4 or 5 hours on mine and have had no problems with it. Shenlonco is right about loc tite and the sprocket screws tho. The real M26 (like most tanks) was pretty rough as far as the finish goes and were never smooth and shiny. And you could just paint the silver sprocket olive drab with a small brush if you wanted. I have no idea why HL named this tank "Snow Leopard" but maybe someone knows why. Perhaps this name was given to the tank by another country that used it? Search "M26 Pershing" and you will find lots of info and photos (both war time and current) on this tank. I think a site named "SVSM Photo Gallery tanks" has some good color pics of the M26 and other tanks. I do not recommend that you use the soft air bbs that come with your tank. They are of poor quality and might jam your gun up. Get some good bbs like Crosman or Flying Color.

Harquebus

I saw someone explain the "Snow Leopard" moniker on another site and the gist of it seems to be that the name originated from the Korean War and is what the enemy Chinese soldiers nicknamed the tank. As always I'm skeptical but it seems rather likely.

The only Heng Long tank I have at present is the "Snow Leopard" or M26 Pershing. I am probably the most outspoken HL Pershing owner/proponent here but I believe that is due to the M26 Pershing being the most reliable HL tank out there, at least compared to the Tiger 1 and Panther. I would rate the Bulldog as about even with the M26 if not better. Others have difficulty with the Tiger's stock plastic tracks and the tank seems to throw tracks on a regular basis. I haven't had a problem with mine ever. It really is a nice tank provided of course you obtain one without any preexisting problems.

I've never noticed anything (particularly) rough around the hull machine gun on mine or anyone else's M26 and I have looked. Mostly I look to see if others have corrected the error there of the LED being placed under the ball mount instead of behind a hollow tube serving as the machine gun barrel. The main hull and turret of the M26 was made of cast steel and very few attempts were made to beautify these vehicles.

I have not seen prepainted drive sprockets for the Pershing. The whole tank really needs a repaint but you could easily remove the sprockets alone for painting without disrupting the rest of the tank. Just remove the screw and pull outward on the sprocket--it has two halves and the guide rings are also separate pieces leaving you with 4 separate pieces not including the screw. This is also an easy way of removing the tracks since the other method is to remove track pins.

Aside from all that, I wouldn't hesitate repainting the M26 for lack of experience in that regard. As you are a new owner, I understand some initial hesitation but thereafter you may desire to make such improvements. All you need is some good preparation and some forethought.

Furthermore, feel free to ask as many dumb questions as you can dredge up. There are, after all, no dumb questions, only dumb answers!

I have spoken.
-Harque

OwlsfanDan

Cheers guys, thats really useful. Been thinking about the old painting it idea, and thinking about maybe giving it a go, after all it's one colour all over! Any recommendations on which paint to use?

tanktrack

Hi owls..
i am going to use tamiya paint as recommended by some of the guys
in here... got mine from the model shop in Alsager the guy there is
very helpful and the shop is not overwhelming

602RAF_Puff

I have the M26 and love it, currently overhauling the externals and extending the barrel. I'll post shots of the painting and weathering as I go along. The final upgrade fro me is to S&S and replace the tracks with metal ones with metal gear boxes.

ah64

I To got a M26 Pershing From HL, Currantly I am doing a complete overhaul on mine. Yes there are some places on these tanks that need some cosmetic repair. But if you ever looked at a real tank especially the M26 you would notice all the Blemishes they have. These only add to the charector of the tank. To what I have seen the Tamiya and the Heng long tanks are the same, they only changed enough to keep Tamiya "Different" Than there tanks. Unless you know what to look for a well done HL can not be told apart from a Tamiya M26.

Harquebus

I'm using the oft-mentioned Krylon Olive Drab (12 oz. spray can) as a base coat on my HL Pershing. It is a pretty good match for WWII OD and it is very flat. I intend to dry-brush progressively lighter shades of Testors OD mixed with white to weather the paint to a slight degree. These tanks did not serve very long in WWII as they arrived late in the war but they did have time to prove themselves as Tiger/Panther killers.

Another thing about the paint: No primer needed. I just sprayed it directly over the HL paint with no ill effects. Will use a basic flat white to hand stencil the national insignia (stars).

-Harq

Rambeast

I have found that rust colored primer works great for the tracks. I took mine off and !QUOT!misted!QUOT! over them. I think it gives them a more realistic look. I am not very good at detailing so it was the easiest way for me

Harquebus

I'll second that. That's Red Oxide Primer, usually used for automobile bodywork. Cheap, easy and effective.

Add a light wash of black if you want to replicate older rust. New rust is usually bright orange-ish.

-Harq

Conman436

I'm new to this site and hoping I'll get my frist tank an m26 Pershing by Hen long on Christmas. if you were to shake the box of an M26 would there be a thump and a low metallic clunk? (I apoligize for the stupidness of the question)

karma99

ROFLMAO! Conman436
I can't answer the question, but MAN that made me laugh

martin g

My Pershing arrived not working, but I soon sorted it out, unusual apparently for the Pershing. its a good RC tank, needs a little forward weight but otherwise fine.

Here are some ideas for painting, I believe winter wash Pershings were quite a rarety probably why i did mine that way, to be a bit different. I also removed the dust skirts, for me it just makes the tank look that little more aggressive.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1245.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1247.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1240.jpg

A sharpened soldering iron tip makes short work of removing plastic and adding damage. Smells a bit though.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...n/IMG_1238.jpg