ChrisM

I've heard different opinions on how long it takes for a coat of Future floor polish to dry/cure before moving onto the next step which is applying decals. 1 day? 18 hours?, 2 full days? What is the experience of you guys out there?

What saw would be ideal to cut the resin parts of the Verdinlen kit with?

I purchased the new Tamiya item # 35346. I am still working on the vehicle itself. I must admit this is the most challenging Tamiya I've built so far with the exception of the Tiger 1 which involved cutting and filing of each track link, although it's still leaps and bounds easier than any Dragon I've built. I've seen the photos of the Dragon EZ8 Thunderbolt and just putting together the wheels and boogies of that model looks very complex. The Verdinlen kit will be by far the most challenging part of this whole build. At least to do it right. Baptism by fire so to speak. Thanks for all the tips!

Thanks Bryan. I watched Fury last night(5th time) and I never really realized how much gear is strapped to that Sherman. And talk about weathering? That vehicle is caked with so much mud... And applying that much pigment or plaster without it becoming a gooey mess is beyond my skill level. I'll purchase Tamiya's $20 Panther and cut my teeth with that. BTW that Panther comes with lots of very cool decals that's almost worth $20 by itself. If I ruin it, it's no big deal. My modeling mentor is also being very helpful. Also I really doubt I'll use every piece that's in the Verlinden box. This will be baptism by fire.

Hello Tim, Thanks for the feedback. I think these parts will be much more labor intensive the model itself. I do own the Fury DVD and will view it after I complete the construction.

My sister surprised me at Christmas with the new M4A3E8 Sherman kit from Tamiya along with the Verlinden "Fury" accessory package. First off I'm surprised it's taken this long for a model company to produce a kit that's from this movie. I mean this may be the best tank warfare film even made and I was dreaming about how cool it would be to build a model of that Sherman before the movie was over. And I'm even more surprised it was Tamiya that did it. What are Dragon's marketing people doing? The most prolific armor company that turns out model after model(How many Tiger's?) and they just didn't do anything. Not even so much as a reissue of the Thunderbolt Sherman. I saw one go for $150 on Ebay. In fact I just checked Ebay and there's not even one available. I would rate myself as an intermediate builder. I've done plenty of Dragon kits with Smart Tracks and just starting to get the real hang of weathering with pigments and such and am pretty decent with PE. However when the Verlinden kit was opened I was taken aback. I don't live anywhere near a decent hobby shop and do everything online. So I was unable to see what these accessory kits are all about. This kit is much more challenging than the Tamiya Sherman! BTW this my 1st US tank. Been doing WW2 German until now. Does anyone have any tips or any kind of help they could offer? I'm just thinking of airbrushing these pieces with different shades of gray/yellow/green/brown and CA'em where they're supposed to go. Thanks.

I have ordered a aluminum barrel for a JagdTiger and the only problem was it took 3 weeks. I did go ahead and order some antennas this morning hoping this shipment will arrive a bit faster. Thanks for the tip!

Most if not all kits don't include antennas for their vehicles. Even Dragon with their high cost. For instance I'm working on the Michael Wittmann Tiger l (kit 6730) and it actually includes 3 antenna mounts for his command vehicle. Then Dragon turns around and provides 3 little stubs that wouldn't pick up reception on an AM radio. I have made my own in the past using bristles from black plastic brooms and made whips by melting and stretching sprues, but finding quality after-market antennas for one's particular model is daunting at best. Does anyone have any tips or sources? Thanks, Chris M.

Been a while I know. The only "Hobby Shop" I can reach without taking a train is a Hobby Lobby in Round Lake, IL. They do have a surprising amount of tools, brushes, and paints, but kits? Not so much. I have found half a dozen online shops that have anything a modeler could need, but there's nothing like having the ability to run down to a store to pick up things I find myself running out of. I try to take a careful inventory especially of paint and thinner before I place an order online. Thanks for the help!

Thanks Neil! I figured there was some like minded folks such as myself out there. However I live in Zion which is just north of Waukegan and since I don't drive, I don't think Crystal Lake is going to work for me. However what would really be helpful is if you can tell me of any Hobby Shops in he area that cater to modelers. I only do WW2 armor. One can get most anything online, but I miss the ability to be able to purchase items of immediate need. There is a Hobby Lobby not too far away and I was surprised to see they stock quite a bit of supplies. Vallejo, Tamiya, and MM paint as well as Paasche airbush supplies, etc. Not much in the way of Kits... Again thanks for the welcome, Chris

Here's a the Dragon King Tiger I just applied decals to and am waiting for the Future to dry before proceeding. The lighting is terrible and I took these with the camera on my laptop. I haven't started any weathering yet am just starting to use pigments.

Is anyone aware of any IPMS chapters in the Chicago area? I would very much like to meet others in my area. I live in the far north suburb of Zion.

Yeah it's all about having fun. A year ago if you told me I'd be building at the level I'm at now, I wouldn't have believed it! I owe much to member Eric Christianson who's become my online mentor. Although I hate what the Nazi's stood for and did, there's something about their armor that's very cool. Imagine if they had built 40,000 Tigers and Panthers which is about how many Sherman's we built.(the Russians built 30,000 T-34's) We would have still won the war, but it would have been a lot tougher. Or imagine if Great Britain had fallen. It would be a different world...

Thanks for the support. My father flew B17's during The War, so the second world war is dear to my heart. He passed away at age 88.He's buried at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio. He won 6 Air Medals. However building a B-17 seems a daunting task. I've never built aircraft and a B-17 seems to be not the way to start. Maybe a P-51. Meanwhile I'll stick to AFV's.

One would have to have a microscope to tell the difference. I was hoping it would be part of Peiper's offensive. I have no idea what decals Peipers tanks had on them.