Flames of War: M26 Pershing review

Flames of War: M26 Pershing Review

One of the most anticipated tanks has finally arrived to the Flames of War battlefield. The M-26 Pershing is the first and only American Heavy tank of World War 2 and gives American players an exciting alternative to the ubiquitous Sherman.


The Model

This is my first all plastic Battlefront kit, save the Open Fire box set. While I am thrilled at the cost I was a little weary in Battlefront stepping away from the Metal and Resin hybrids we are all so familiar with. Would the all plastic model maintain the high level of detail we've come to expect from Battlefront's models?

Assembly was not difficult though I should mention that there were no instructions in the box. Battlefront does have great online instructions here Assembling the M26 Pershing

The Hull is a simple 3 piece assembly with slots for the one piece tracks. Here I recommend filling the hull with some kind of weight to make the plastic feel more beefy. (I like a weighty model). I used modeling clay. You can also pack some weight into the turret as well. The only other piece on the hull is the machine gun mount. This is a tiny piece so care is needed when cutting from the sprue or you might break it.

Excellent detail

The Turret is easy to build as well but has more fiddly parts, mounting brackets, spare tracks, etc. All are easy to attach and it makes the model stand out.

Not the best picture but you see how I added some weight to the tank with clay.

Also included in the box are the parts to make the Super Pershing, you've got enough parts to make three of them if you want however currently you can only field 1 of these beasties.

One downside, and really the only noticeable downside in the whole build was a curious mold issue on the hull of all my tanks. There are 4 divots along the back deck of the tank that look like mold issues. Click the picture below for a larger image.

Great detail but noted mold issues

The Stats:

The M26 Pershing is, in many ways, the American Panther. Front Armor 10 will protect you from most medium tanks but in the late war environment it still isn't proof against the big guns out there. Panthers, Tigers and the like can still hurt the Pershing and King Tigers and Jagd Tigers make a mockery out of that fancy new armor.

Still, Americans have never had higher Armor available to them before and this does open up some interesting options as far as list building.

Gun wise the Pershing is rocking the same 90mm found on the Jackson. Anti-Tank 14 is some of the highest found in the US arsenal. AT 14 is a credible threat to Panthers and  Tigers but will still bounce off the mighty Tiger II and JagdTiger

A pair of M26 Pershings ready for action

The mighty Super Pershing is another beast entirely. With a Front Armor of 13 it can safely laugh at Tiger and Panther guns. Beyond the Tiger II and Jagd Tiger not too many other tanks will be a threat from the front.  AT 16 in the main gun is a threat that Germans won't be able to ignore.

Even though the Super Pershing is the best statted unit in the American Arsenal it's still not quite as good as a King Tiger so don't expect too much out of it.

Downsides

The downsides of the Pershing are pretty serious as well and represent a step back from the the late model Shermans like the Easy 8.  The Pershing doesn't have Stabilizers or Smooth Ride. A pretty serious hit for mobility minded US players. At first glance it would seem that the Pershing is better suited to the snipping role.

Super Pershing... Why order regular when you can super-size your tank?

Conclusions:

For this kit the switch to plastic is a big win. The model assembles well and looks fantastic. For those worried about a drop in quality from Resin to plastic this kit should put to rest their fears.


The M26 Pershing rocks some hard stats but it is not the wonder weapon I think that some players were hoping for. For an in your face style US Armor Assault your best bet is still going to be Shermans or Chaffees. Stabilizers are just too good to go without.
For the Support role the Pershing seems better suited but it's more expensive then the Jackson that would be toting the same gun.

Cost

Finally I would be remiss if I didn't mention the cost. This box set costs 30.00 USD. That's for 3 models and decals. This is an amazing drop in cost over the resin and metal tanks in the FOW  range. As of the date of this post a resin and metal Panther would run 14.50 USD so I would imagine that if the Pershing had been released in that format it would have been similarly priced.

10 dollars per Tank plus decals is a great deal, especially considering the quality you get out of this set. I can't recommend it enough.