This is Academy’s M36 Jackson, in progress, for the Tank Terror Campaign.

The kit is built straight out of the box. Front fender damage, sandbags on the glacis plate, a field applied rear deck storage area, and the 30 caliber machine gun mounted on the front of the turret, are variations applied to add some variety to the stock kit.

The decals have just been applied and need to be blended into the vehicle, and the turret still needs weathering and interior paint detailing. Additional storage will be added to the rear deck area and the turret sides. The rear end tools are freshly painted and need to be dirtied up some. Rustall rust and dirt have been added around the hull and suspension to make this one look like it’s been around the block a few times.

The Jackson will sit in a small dio situated in an indirect fire support role. Some resin figs will be added along with some camo netting.

Thanks for looking and any comments are appreciated.

Steve






This is a pic of the field applied rear deck storage rack.


Not too proud of the interior--too heavy handed on the weathering in my opinion, but once the turret is in place very little is seen by the viewer.


The decal has to be blended into the turret yet, as well as weatherd with gear stowed on the turret exterior.

Once again the master of the brush is doing an AWESOME job. Steve I just love it buddy. The realism you impart with colors and blending is beyond my humble skills.

Cliff

PS> I think I will send all mine to you for painting :-)

That's a sweet looking M36! I love the weathering. You are right, it definitely looks like it has been around the block. I also like the variation you've acheived in your olive drab. Not overly dramatic, but far from monotone. Great job!

Steve,

It's great, the painting/weathering is a real inspiration. Did you scratch build the rack on the engine deck holding gas cans? I really like it.

In the first picture I noticed a small gap at the top of the glacis plate/side joint next to the weld bead. It could probably be filled in easily.

I personally like the interior weathering. All in all a really nice job.
BUT since this is "Rivet Review".... and we are suppose to try to come with "Constructive Criticism".... , and I do assume you are going to enter this into a contest someday, and being a former "weenie judge"...... I did notice a little problem with the decal on the left front hull. It looks from the photo like a tiny bit of silvering between the letters and the numbers. I also assume, by the quaility of your work, that you have competed before, and probably have been a judge a few times also.... and that you already know that one of the first things we look for is silvered decals.
Now granted, the silvering is very tiny,and may not even be there, and it's just the camera angle/slight reflection, and if I'm wrong then I do apologize, but even though I may have retired from competing in contests, and judging, I'm pretty sure their are other "weenie judges" and possibly bigger "weenies than I" that will pick it up, and you been around long enough to know that something as small as that can be the deciding factor between a silver/2nd place or gold/first place award.
I also realize that my above statement to a fellow scout/staff member probably will not make me "Mr. Popular Person", but I would personally rather be "Mr. Unpopular, Former Weenie Judge" now, and bring it to Steves attention, before the contest, than after..... I personally would rather see him get a Gold than a Silver.
Other than that...... really really nice job.

Gott im Himmell!!
Steve, how do you do it? First the Dragonwagon, now this. Are you up to giving a SBS on how you achieve your subtle gradations in color? Never have I seen such an array of shades & tones on an 'all-one-color' vehicle. As Jpzr noted, It's not at all overdone, but adds depth and visual interest to a monotone scheme. Please? enlighten the ignorant among us? PLEEEZZZZe

Thank you all for the kind words and observations. They are appreciated.

Mike- you are correct, and I will fill that gap in the front armor--thanks for pointing that out. Also, the rack on the back deck is just something plopped together from Evergreen strip styrene bits and shapes. I have seen a number of actual pics where the M10 and M36 crews applied all sorts of contraptions to hold gear and stowage, so this is just my try at replicating that

Dave- you are right about the decals. I apply them without using a gloss under coat and usually can blend them in with weathering once they are set. I put these decals on last night, so they have not yet been weathered into the model. Hopefully the silvering will disappear once completed.

Robert-- I appreciate your comments, and will attempt to give an overview of the OD applied on this Jackson (sorry if it gets a little long).

The first airbrushed base coat is Model Master olive drab right out of the bottle.

The next coat is the MM olive drab mixed with MM dunkelgelb and air brushed on the center panels (mix the colors to suit your taste).

Then a thinned dark wash in all the nooks and crannies. Set aside to dry.

Take straight dunklegelb and dry brush the center of panels, fading it into the edges.

Apply rust washes/dirt etc as you see fit.

Highlight bolt heads, edges, etc with straight dunklegelb, rust, or whatever you wish.

Stop and take a look---if satisfied, stop here, if not, repeat with various colored washes and additional dry brushing with any colors you desire.

It seems multiple coats brings out some depth and blends everything together---it's just kind of trial and error.

To all others that posted, thanks much for your kind words and, for taking time to post them. Take care.
Steve

Fantastic work, Steve !! First it was the M26 Pershing, then onto your Dragon Wagon diorama, now this outstanding M36 Jackson.

You said your interior didnt look good. I say that your interior has been done extremely well !!

I will agree that you have perfected OD ! I do like the sandbags on the front glacis, and the stowage is very good too.

Hmm ? Need a crew Steve ??

I cant wait to see what you do for a diorama !!!

Cheers !!

Alpen

Another Awsome piece of work WWH... I agree with Alpen with the last few builds, you've definately been showing off your talent with OD!!!..

I love the beams and sand bags.. what did you use there?

charlie

Steve, Steve, Steve (Shaking head in disbelief)
This is another amazing model from the hands of the OD master. Once again painting and weathering is wonderful.
What did you use to make the sandbags?

That pile of stuff on the front is an excellent mix of sandbags and lumber. How did you do the sandbags and how did you paint the lumber?

Yes sir!!!





Modeling clay for the bags Lord's Blue Fin and Kiwi Dude --- Rustall dirt mixed in a wash is applied to simulate leaking or broken bags. The beams are pieces of chop sticks from a local restaurant

Steve ...Steve ...Steve ... What am I going to do with you ....No really great looking model ..As usual!! Now I noticed a couple of mistakes though...Nit picky judge here too .... Your hatches are not on right ...they should be square to to front of the tank ..I think this is an Academy problem,but they don't look right ...Next you forgot to add parts 32 and 33 to the turret these are two round circles just behind the mantlet on the Jackson where the gun is held in place ..I just scowered over my instruction sheet for the Jackson and these parts are not mentioned anywhere but they are there and need to be added.....I know you built this kit staight out of the box but the exhaust deflector shield is a post war model and should be changed for a thinned out one from Tamiya's M4A3 kit. Last thing (sorry bout this ) the lower part of the hull where the fender has been removed ,should be thinned out more as this was not much more than sheet metal.
Now for the good part ..Excellent weathering ..I love it ! Your sand bags are well proportioned and your paint job is super...
Please take these comments as trying to help and not trying to put down an excellent model. I hope mine comes out half as nice as yours.

Rick

Yes you are right. I have located the parts and applied them. Good catch here.



I checked my photo references, and with some gentle bending have been able to position the hatches in a more realistic cant. They now appear more square to the tank with the proper angle.



I again checked my photo references, and should be able to scratch something that is more appropriate. I see the deflectors that are on this model match a Korean pic, but they do not match anything from WWII references that I have, so I'll take a shot at removing these, cleaning up the area, and plopping on something that hopefully matches what should be there.

I also noted some colored actual pics show the back of the driver/co driver seats are black, (not white like they are painted here)--that has now been corrected
Steve

Excellent work Steve. What more can I say? Truly inspiring.

Wow!

That is Dang nice. A beautiful Job/

I don't think the interior looks too weathered at all! Looks great to me, and your use of wash, drybrush and pastels overall looks simply excellent.

The weathering is just great.

As this is a forum for constructive criticism, I would only nit pick on one thing.... The wood on the tools looks a bit too dark/reddish. Maybe a lighter collor? Look at shovel or axe handles at the hardware store and try to emulate that. Light with darker streaks.

But WOW!... I wanna get as good as you! Your work is my benchmark Lord OD.